I talked about goals in the last Fast Tip Friday, and I wanted to dive a little deeper into one part of that before I circle back to the big idea about not going overboard. We've run this goals program, I don't know, three or four times a year for close to 30 years, so we've spent a lot of time on it. And one thing I know a lot of people don’t think about too much, but I believe it's my responsibility to remind you of, is this:
When you're making big goals and aiming for big changes, there are a few things you need to consider as you push yourself to be as great as we know you can be.
I'm a subscriber to James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, and he has some really great insights. If you sign up for his weekly emails, he sends out his “3213” — three ideas, two quotes, and one challenge. It's great stuff. One of the things he posted recently was, "What do you have to let go of to facilitate the changes you want to make in 2025?"
And I think that’s an important question to consider as you think about where you are today and where you want to be on January 1, 2026. So I wanted to throw a little bit at you about what it takes to accomplish that and make it more realistic.
I want to talk about the five elements of commitment because goal setting is great, but goal achievement — that’s what really makes a difference. So, there are five things you need to ramp up your commitment:
Tools: You need the right resources and implements to make it happen.
Time: You’ve got to commit the time necessary to make the changes, invest in yourself, and figure out what motivates you and what demotivates you.
Willingness to Change: Change is the essence of commitment. Talking about it doesn’t matter if you don’t actually do it.
Risk: Understand that risk is always part of the equation. You can’t do things differently without risking something — either something you’re giving up or something you’ll need to replace with something better.
Failure: Along the way, you will experience failure. No one makes changes or takes on challenges without risking failure. It's part of the process.
So, take care of all five of those elements, but at the end of the day, remember this: To get where you want to go, you’ll have to let go of some of who you are today. As someone taught me years ago, in my early days in the training business, "You can never get to second base with one foot still on first."
Go ahead, take second base — but don’t trip yourself up by trying to do too much without letting go of enough. That’s my advice. I hope it helps. Go make it a great year!