Use (Good) Habits to Keep Your Goals Alive, Pt. 2

Jacquette M. Timmons

The New Year is here; your excitement is high; your momentum is elevated. You are ready for to take on 2011!

If setting goals gets you and your family ready for the New Year, replacing “bad” habits with “good” habits are what will keep them alive throughout the year and beyond. Good habits will help you rebound from the unexpected (yet inevitable) setbacks; good habits will reenergize you when you begin to loose steam. Good habits will make traveling the road to “goal accomplished” a lot easier. But only if you define “good” and “bad” correctly! (Read more)

If you read part one of this series, you know I recommended a “family goal planning” date. I intentionally omitted a how-to component because goal-setting is a multi-part exercise, and the how-to element should come last.  Figuratively, habits are the bridge used to either close (preferably) or widen (not so much) the gap between the present and the future. And, it is done via the choices you make…daily.

So, when you and your family i) list your goals, ii) specify what makes the goal important to you, iii) by when, and iv) the estimated cost (see part one), the next critical question is: “What do I need to do daily to accomplish this goal?” In essence, what you are really asking is: “What good habit or choice will veer me in the right direction and what bad habit or choice will take me in the opposite direction of where I really want to go? And, how do I do more of the former than I do of the latter?” This part of goal-setting is frequently overlooked.

The benefits that come from knowing what habits will help you and your family achieve your goal/s are plentiful, including the following:

·         Helps you align your values with said goals;

·         Provides direction to the actions you take;

·         Helps you tune into the things you can control;

·         Helps you experience positive “self-talk” when you need to talk yourself into doing the right thing;

·         Helps you maintain discipline when you least want to – creating a positive pattern of behavior; and they

·         Enable you to maintain perspective and focus.