It’s been almost three months since New Year’s Day. Did you make a resolution? Have you kept it? According to Forbes, only about 8% of people keep their resolutions. I say forget resolutions. Make goals…realistic, achievable goals.

We get so caught up in life and work that many of us forget to focus on our goals. Every week I sit down, look at my goals and think about what I need to do to achieve them. Some are short term, while others are long term. We all need them. We need to work towards something. If we don’t have anything to work towards then what the heck are we doing?  Think about how good you feel when you accomplish a goal. A goal that you worked so hard for, a goal that you put blood, sweat and tears into. That, my friends is one of the best feelings in life.

Set Your Goals
Let’s talk about your career. Think about where you want to be in a year, three years and even five years. Whether you work for someone or own your own business, you need to start thinking about this.

For business owners, where is your company now? Are you growing or staying the same? What does your marketing and public relations plan look like? What are you doing that’s different? Where do you want to be? How are you going to get there? These are some of the things to think about when writing your goals.

Check Yourself
Now that you have your goals, don’t keep them in your desk drawer. Every Monday, take out the list and look at it. Figure out what you’re going to do to get yourself closer to achieving them. Now, hold yourself accountable. On Friday, go back to the list and write down what you did to move closer to success. If you don’t do this, you will get off track. It’s like a food diary. Once you start writing down everything that you eat, you realize what you are really eating!

Revisit 
Looking at your goals each week is great and it will keep you on track. But, you should also take some time every couple of months to really review them. Do you need to adjust them? Do some soul searching, be creative, and even reach out to friends and colleagues for help.

Every three months, I re-evaluate my goals. Things change, businesses changes, goals change.  So, today I revisited my goals. Some stayed the same, while others became even bigger… and I’m really excited about that!

I read a blog yesterday that really inspired me.  Alexandros Finomenos wrote Being Good is Not Enough. How to Make the Difference. One line that he said has really stuck with me, “If those that surround you disagree with your decision, ignore them. It’s your call not theirs. They don’t know what’s inside you. Only you can feel this fire burning in your chest. Don’t let it turn off.” Read Alexandros’ full blog here.

Surround yourself by those who inspire you. Now, are you ready to make your goals and make some big changes? Go do it!