What would make 2022 a great year for you?

My December challenge to you, before the year is out, is to write 22 goals for next year.

Setting goals is planning for success.

Without written goals, your aspirations are too vague to manifest. Defining what you want to achieve allows you to craft a plan to attain it.

Dr Gail Mathews, a psychologist at Dominican University in CA, found that having written goals increases the likelihood of achievement by 42%.

Just by writing down your goal, you dramatically increase your chances of success. Not all goals are the same, however, Some goals are vague, while others are vivid. Some goals are feasible, while others are fantastic.

goals

Routine goals are vague, and feasible. You don’t need to write down the goal that you will brush your teeth, because it’s a routine.

Aspiration goals are vague, and fantastic. Seth Godin once said, “Your audacious life goals are fabulous. We’re proud of you for having them. But it’s possible that those goals are designed to distract you from the thing that’s really frightening you—the shift in daily habits that would mean a re–invention of how you see yourself.”

This is the startling aftereffect of writing a goal down – you are committing to paper that you might become a different person.

Moonshot goals are what make a dent in the universe. These are audacious life goals that also have vivid details, and a plan. Missing a moonshot goal doesn’t get you nowhere. As Les Brown said, “Always shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.”

SMART Goals were first proposed by management consultant George T Doran, in the 1981 issue of Management Review. He used the SMART acronym to design a goal that was:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Assignable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

It’s been estimated that only 3% of all goals are SMART goals, but they are often responsible for 10x the results. Overcoming obstacles to achievement is hard enough already. Stack the deck in your favor by clearly defining your goal, and it will be easier to see it through the fog of the everyday.

masterclass 1221

If you’d like to join a group of your peers and set 22 goals together, I’ll be hosting a live, interactive workshop at the end of the month. It’s 22 minutes long, from 10:03 am NZ time to 10:25.

As always with my live events, there will be interactive games and activities for anyone who shows up early, and if you’d like to stick around for show-and-tell to share your goals in the last 5 minutes, that would be fun.

​See the time in your time zone here.

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