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We have just about ended the first quarter of 2013 (my how time flies)!  Many of us have made new year's resolutions almost 90 days ago and as with every outgoing year, we tend to make lofty goals for the upcoming one. Whether it is to loose weight, stop bad habits, better our finances, advance our careers,  become more spiritual, learn a new skill, take up a new hobby, help more people or maybe it's to go through a multi-faceted personal transformation.  The excitement of bringing these resolutions tend to carry us through the first two weeks of January.  If we are lucky, they will last for at least 30 days following the clinking of our champagne glasses as the New Year enters. 

Here is the problem.  We set ourselves up for failure right from the start.  We want instant gratification based on where we are at a given moment.  Take for instance the person who wants to lose 20lbs. They are surfacely focused on losing the 20lbs and that's as far as they go.  They think that losing the 20lbs would be a nice goal if they could accomplish it.

To further the problem, this intent (and we know where intentions lead), remains a goal which is a weak way of thinking.  No real actions are ever driven from lofty goals. However, when we make it our Mission, this becomes more powerful and brings about a clearer driven focus. When something becomes a true mission, we tend to visualize what life would be like when we accomplish what we have set out to do.  It is then we realize that we can't go from start to finish without doing something in between.  The big realization is that in order to lose 20lbs, one must first get through losing the first 1-5lbs and then move on from there.  The 5lbs becomes more of a reality when we work on a plan to lose 2lbs per week.  This plan with Identified, Actionable and Measurable steps becomes much more effective and one that is more likely to take hold and boost motivation with the accomplished milestones along the way.  Making it a mission and focusing and acting on the plan will ultimately make this goal a reality.

The same applies to anything we set out to accomplish. I know people who have Goals to advance their careers this year.  So far, they have not even identified what direction they want to pursue.  Others have made it their Mission to advance their career.  When I meet with them, they have a clear focus on where they want to be and some prerequisite steps on how they think they can get there.  

So embrace this quick 3 step approach and the acronym IAM.  You can always say this affirmation yourself…  I AM going to lose that weight! I AM going to advance my career!  I AM going to get my finances in order! I AM going to (add your next Mission here).  I like to keep it simple so here are the three (IAM) areas explained. 

I - Identified 
    Here you have moved your goal to a Mission and are focused on achieving it.  You begin to write down Identified steps that are needed in order to achieve where you want to be.  This essentially becomes your roadmap to success. 

A - Action
     Now that you have Identified and written down the steps to success in  your Mission, you must take Action.  Look at the list of steps and begin to attack them one by one.  As you complete an action, make sure you celebrate the fact that you have completed a task and are progressing towards your end goal. 

M - Measure
      Take a measure of where you are (baseline) and where you ultimately want to be with a particular goal (end state).  Take time to measure your progress along the way and celebrate your mini successes.  As you keep progressing, be sure to take incremental measurements in order to ensure you are keeping on the path to success.

Remember: Goals are waiting for things to happen, A Mission means you are going to make things happen. 

So where are you with your New Year's Resolutions? Are you successfully incorporating them into your new year (I AM), procrastinating on putting them into practice or have you already let them fall by the wayside?



All the best!

Ron

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