By Daniel Bobinski
Statistically, by the time February rolls around, about 80% of all New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside.
If that’s happened to you, I have some good news: It’s not too late. If you set goals for yourself or for your team and they’ve already started to slip, I’d like to share three techniques that are valuable for achieving goals.
- Clarify your goals in writing every day.
- Stay focused on the path you must take.
- Find someone you trust and stay accountable.
Let’s start by talking about clarifying your goals in writing every day. One famous success story here is Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip. Before his cartoon became famous, Adams wrote out by hand the following sentence 15 times a day: “I will become a syndicated cartoonist.” Yes, in his books and in interviews, Adams says he did this 15 times a day!
Writing down goals is an important part of any goal-setting process, but writing them out every day by hand is ultra-powerful, and neuroscience backs that up. When you write out your goals, you activate what’s called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your brain. This RAS acts as a filter for the thousands of bits of information your brain receives every day, allowing it to prioritize and focus on what’s most relevant to your objectives.
Think of your RAS as your brain’s personal assistant. It’s the same system that enables you to hear your name whispered across a crowded room. When you consistently write your goals, your RAS begins collecting pertinent information and routes it to the conscious part of your mind. You become aware of opportunities you would never have noticed otherwise. Then, when you recognize those opportunities, it’s much easier to step into them.
Recent research confirms this power. Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University found that people who wrote down their goals and shared weekly updates with a friend had a 76% success rate, compared to just 43% for those who didn’t write them down.
So step one is to establish specific, measurable goals and write them by hand every day.
The second step is mentally picturing yourself doing the activities needed to achieve your goals. Whereas the first step uses words, this second step capitalizes on visual imagery. Think about it. Driving instructors and motorcycle safety instructors tell their students to focus on where they want their vehicle to be, not where it currently is.
Allow me to give an example of when I put this trick to work. Decades ago I would ride my bicycle to work, and on the way home I had to ride up a long hill. My goal was always to reach the top without stopping, and because I was giving it all I had, my focus was on the ground a few feet in front of me. Sometimes I would see a small rock in my path and I would think to myself, “I’m going to miss that rock.” Except I didn’t. If I was looking at the rock, I ran over the rock, no matter what words I spoke in my head.
After a few times of that happening, I remembered my motorcycle safety training, and that we go where we’re focused. After that, whenever I saw a rock in the path of my bike tire, I would simply focus my eyes a few inches to one side of the rock, and behold, my bike tire would go where I was looking, thus avoiding the rock.
This same practice is powerful for achieving goals. Myriad distractions exist in our lives, so one glance in the right direction doesn’t do it. To achieve our goals, we need to regularly “see” ourselves on the path to what we’re trying to achieve.
Finally, let me talk about having an accountability partner. A word to the wise: Choose this person carefully! It should not be your spouse (too close to you) nor someone who is not concerned about your success.
A good accountability partner should be someone you trust, and someone who has experience in pressing through obstacles to reach their goals. It’s best if this person is outside of your chain of command, but still has an appreciation of what you’re trying to achieve. It should also be someone whom you don’t want to let down.
The research on accountability partners is striking. According to the Association for Talent Development, individuals have a 65% chance of completing a goal if they commit to someone. That number jumps to 95% when they schedule specific accountability appointments.
Finding the right person can take some time, but it’s important to find someone who wants you to succeed, plus someone who has time to connect with you regularly. Meetings don’t have to be long, just consistent. You can even meet over the phone or online.
Once you’ve identified an accountability partner, connect with that person a minimum of twice a month. Weekly is even better. Talk about your progress, but also talk about the obstacles you’re facing. It’s also best if your accountability partner does not lecture you. Ideally, he or she should patiently ask you pertinent questions to help you think through your own solutions and actions, offering advice and pointing out cautions only as needed.
Also, don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to one accountability partner. There is a proverb that says, “Plans fail for a lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” Still, if all you have is one, that’s way better than none.
Bottom line: There’s no reason to be shrugging your shoulders three months from now wondering why you didn’t make progress on your goals. You will go where you’re focused, so if you want the best chances of success, write out your goals every day and get focused on the path for what needs to be done. Then get an accountability system in place, and soon you’ll be achieving your goals and enjoying success.
Daniel Bobinski, who has a doctorate in theology, is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach him by email at DanielBobinski@protonmail.com or 208-649-6400.
