Turning your 2023 Goals into a Reality
/
It’s a brand new year. Full of opportunity and hope. We are all picking our way through a difficult time here in the UK, but it is still important to set yourself some goals to focus on, be it in work, or home or with yourself, to give yourself some sense of achievement when you reach them. Call them resolutions, call them goals, call them whatever you like. However you wish to frame them, if it’s a new career goal you have or you are at a crossroads in your chosen job and are looking to make a big change, as a Career and Leadership Coach, I’m here to help you make it more achievable. The advice I can offer could also stretch across other personal goals as it’s all about how to get there and what the journey will look like.
Break it Down
Typical resolutions you might make could be to get fit and lose a few lbs, to change jobs, to meet the man/woman of your dreams or to save money. We put enormous pressure on ourselves for this to happen quickly and efficiently and then we put more pressure on and then when it seems to be taking too long…….we give up.
Focus on One Thing
My advice is to pick one thing. What is the most important thing for you this year? What one thing would you like to change in your life right now? I work with people all the time who have got themselves into such a tizz, they often have a list of things they want to change. I help them strip it back to one main focus, which is usually their career as, often once that problem is sorted, everything else will fall into place.
So let’s look at that, changing your career. Think about what success will look like. How will you measure your success as you go along, not just by the success being having the new job, but success markers along the way. Milestones.
You can also add some micro-habits – small tasks to help you get to the milestones and the ultimate goal.
Setting your Micro-Habits and Milestones
The first milestone could be to sign up with 4 recruitment agencies and to apply for 3 jobs a week on LinkedIn. The micro-habits to get there could be to update your CV – have a look at some CV websites for pointers to really polish it up, and to improve your LinkedIn profile and make sure it is set to open for recruiters. There! You haven’t got a job yet but you have put the wheels in motion and you can celebrate ticking those boxes!
The same theory applies if your goal is to get fit and lose weight. Normally people join gyms, hammer it for a few weeks and then, apparently by the 19th January, numbers have dropped right back. People haven’t lost weight quickly enough, they went in hard and didn’t see quick results so they have given up.
For you to not fall into this trap, the first milestone for this could be to get to the end of January and to still be exercising and being good with food. Your micro-habits could be something simple like to make sure you always take the stairs instead of lifts or escalators and you only allow yourself one treat a day if you usually have three! Or you do 30 squats a day and replace your biscuits with a piece of fruit. Whatever works for you but is manageable…and so on, knowing that your ultimate goal will take time but you are doing things that you can be proud of.
Try Reverse Planning
In recent years a method known as reverse planning has been receiving a lot of attention, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. When you plan your goals in reverse, you start with your end goal and then work your way backwards from there to develop a plan of action.
For example, if you want a career promotion, rather than focusing on the first steps, you would start by planning what that job will look like and when you would like to have got it. You then identify the last action you would need to take. The interview. What does that look like to you? What research would you have to do to prepare for the interview and to stand out over another applicant. This is a method I work on with my clients and it is proven to lead to more success.
Reward Yourself
One good way to measure your success through this is to make yourself accountable. Write it all down, milestones, micro-habits and all. Keep track of what you are doing and your progress and reward yourself! If you get an interview, reward yourself! If you get a second interview – another reward! Think how you would act towards a friend who is doing all this, you would congratulate them – “well done” for each milestone so congratulate yourself. Big up yourself! Making change is hard. Getting out of your comfort zone is hard so give yourself a pat on the back every time and treat yourself to an extra-large latte, or whatever, to reward yourself!
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
If things don’t go your way, don’t give up. Making a big change is not going to be easy so take your time and if you don’t get the first job you go for, or the second, don’t give up. It’s like dating, you can’t expect every employer and job to be right for you, so just keep going. If you get really stuck let’s have a chat about how I can help you. I am a qualified Career and Leadership Coach. I can help you navigate through the obstacles and help you boost your confidence and self-esteem so you feel strong enough to keep going. Make 2023 the year that you appreciate the positives and congratulate yourself more for the little wins in following your goal. You deserve it!
If you’d like some help to make a change in your career this year, to give you the skills and guidance to take the first steps, let’s talk. Fortem Coaching can help you grow your confidence and self-belief, to set you on your way. Book a free 30-minute coaching consultation so I can help you gain greater clarity. Book now for a FREE 30-minute consultation.