There’s something cleansing about the start of a new year. While nothing has really changed between 12/31 and 1/1, there’s the feeling that we have a fresh canvas to paint the life we’ve imagined. Many of us do this through resolutions. I

I’m a fan of resolving to do better. Heaven knows there are many areas of my life I need to work on. Yet, as most of us have experienced, the resolutions at the start of the year often give way to life’s realities, and we lose our… resolve. Instead of the traditional resolutions to do better, get healthier, write that book, or whatever you resolve to do, we need a bit more structure to sustain our energy and efforts.

Properly developed goals beat resolutions

Yeah, I’m going to use the ‘G-word’ for Goals. Unfortunately, we have almost as many problems with these characters as we do with resolutions. (In my experience, goal-setting in organizations is often horribly mismanaged. There are too many. They are too trivial. They aren’t regularly discussed. And so forth. Let’s not make those same mistakes.)

The potential to grow, learn, and ultimately sustain our efforts is greater with well-defined goals than with trite resolutions. There’s structure and tools for sustaining your efforts. Ideally, there’s public accountability.

Uncovering the right goal to focus on starts with the right questions

Selecting the right goal at the right time is an exercise in creativity and brainstorming fueled by introspection. There’s always a lot I want to do, but just a few things that are genuinely meaningful and potentially impactful to me at this moment and life stage. The challenge is tuning in to that just-right-thing-right-now, selecting it, and then building your goal plan.

Here are some questions I ask myself when contemplating my personal/professional goals:

1. What’s my sense of purpose right now?

Yeah, I know that this one can be a rabbit hole. Don’t let it. However, it’s essential to spend time pondering what it is that you perceive is your highest and best use at this stage of your life and career. Alignment with your sense of purpose provides rocket fuel for the journey.

Chances are, you have an instinctive sense of purpose. In my Career Re-Mix programs, with a bit of prompting and prodding, most individuals can articulate an early version of a purpose statement. Try it and see what you get. Enlist a partner to help you unearth it from the vague, cliché statements that tend to emerge at first in this exercise. More than anything, look for purpose as a compass direction, not explicit GPS coordinates.

2. When was I at my best in the last few years?

What was the situation? What was my role? What type of people was I around? What did I do? What was the outcome?

OK, that’s a lot of questions, but I love the reflected best-self exercise from the world of psychology. (See Dan Cable’s great book, Exceptional.) It points to those moments and roles when we are at our absolute best. The question is, of course, how can I do more of this?

3. What recurring thoughts or worries are telling me something about my inner priorities?

I call this mining the dissonance. We know when something is out of alignment with where we want to be or what we want to pursue. Listen to that inner voice, and it will offer you valuable pointers to a good goal or two.

4. What feedback did I receive in the last year that I ignored? Upon reflection, was it valid? What would I have to do to leverage it now?

Most of us operate with feedback deficits. If needed, ask for input from family and colleagues. If you received feedback that you initially disregarded, mine it for pearls of truth. Often, there’s something there. You just must find it.

5. Next year, when I sit down to reflect and view this year as a fantastic success, what will I have accomplished?

This question forces us to converge on our one or two key priorities. Be specific with your answers. If possible, prioritize them.

6. How can I accelerate my learning in an area vital to me?

A great goal should incorporate a lot of learning. Areas where you feel a hunger to learn and grow are strong indicators of an ideal goal.

7. What should I stop doing that doesn’t align with my sense of purpose and big priorities for the new year?

It’s imperative to create space, and I love identifying what not to do. It’s also liberating when you stop! I recently concluded that my time in university classroom settings no longer aligned with my sense of purpose and priorities. Eliminating that from my schedule frees 8-10 hours per week to focus on areas that matter more to me right now.

Use a S.L.I.M.M. format to define your goal.

I like S.L.I.M.M. over other formats. Adapted from Marc Effron’s S.I.M. framework, the components stand for: specific, learning-focused, impactful, meaningful, and measurable. I particularly appreciate the push from the L.I.M. portion toward learning, impact, and meaning.

Want to write a book? You’d better dedicate yourself not only to LEARNING about your subject and competitive offerings, but also to the publishing process. You have to create processes for writing, reviewing, gaining feedback, and engaging with an editor. And the world of book marketing is all new to first-time authors.

Want to run a marathon? It’s essential to LEARN about nutrition, training and conditioning, injury management, race strategy development, and much more.

A great goal demands LEARNING.

A great goal has a significant IMPACT on something or some group important to you.

And finally, a great goal — one you will be inspired to pursue, must be MEANINGFUL to you at a deep level.  It’s this meaning that will sustain you through the hard times and low points.

One caveat. S.L.I.M.M. doesn’t call out time as a component. I don’t like restricting big goals to a calendar year. My biggest professional accomplishment took three years, yet it transformed the organization for the better.

Practices that support goal success

This topic is book-worthy, so here’s the short form:

• Select your goal carefully. Use the earlier question prompts to help you think through this goal identification process.
• Craft your goal using the S.L.I.M.M. format. Specify each component.
• Make your goal public. This simple step builds in personal accountability.
• Begin building simple processes for bringing your goal to life. The front end of big goals is typically loaded with the need to learn.
• Define a process for gauging your progress.
• Engage with individuals who have experience succeeding with similar goals. I love the familiarity principle at work here, and you can be the beneficiary. As needed, find a coach.
• Find an accountability partner. Whether a friend, colleague, boss, or significant other, it’s priceless to have someone who will call you on your baloney when you are stalling or in danger of derailing.
• When your energy or motivation slips, revisit the M for Meaningful. Remind yourself why this is important to you. Then get back to work.
• Celebrate milestones. They can be small. Just remember to celebrate.

For more, check out Heide Grant Halvorsen’s excellent book: Succeed — How We Can Reach Our Goals.

The Bottom-Line for Now

Whatever is impactful and meaningful to you at this life or career stage is worth codifying as a S.L.I.M.M. goal. The structure and practices around goal pursuit will sustain you long beyond the faded resolutions too many of us make at the change of the calendar.

Wishing you success and discipline in your pursuit of what’s important to you.

If one of your goals is shifting in your career, consider one of my Career Re-Mix programs.