With all the hype around the first month of the new year, you’ve probably heard people encourage you to dream big, shoot for the stars, plan to crush lofty goals in 2020!
Tell me something, honestly: How does that feel?
Are you invigorated at the thought of doing big things in 2020 or intimidated?
Does your inner BS detector start beeping at the suggestion that this year will be different than the last one?
It’s good to dream big, but it’s the “how” that makes us break into a sweat. Sure we want to crush our goals, but the process isn’t clear – and that’s stressful.
If the idea of big, meaty goals for this year doesn’t resonate with you, I’m going to suggest a different approach.
Focus on small wins and small steps to accomplish big things.
Wait, what?!
That wasn’t a typo. I do indeed mean small.
Research and my own experience have taught me that the best way to go fast, at times, is to go slow.
Here’s what happens to a lot of people at the start of a new year, let alone a new decade: They go racing in with sky-high goals and expectations, only to come crashing down when stuff inevitably hits the fan.
Look at gyms, as an example. By the time January 1st rolls around, they are packed with new members. Classes are full and enthusiasm is high. Everyone is going to have six-pack abs by the summer.
But by March, the numbers have dwindled. Bye-bye good intentions.
It’s the same thing with weight-related goals.
And money-related goals – pay off debt, make more money, secure more clients. When we fail to hit our aggressive targets, we feel like failures.
The debt isn’t going down as fast as we’d like.
We still haven’t managed to earn as much as we want to.
We have some successes, but the failures pile up and in our mind we give up. Same old, same old. There goes another year.
Well I’m not going to let that happen to you this year. We’re going to use research and an unrelenting focus on tiny improvements to crush your goals.
We will expect set-backs because no path to success is linear. The ride will get bumpy at moments, but that’s OK; we’ll get back up afterwards, every time, with the support of our community.
It’s doable.
It’s measurable.
And it’s sustainable – all essential ingredients in creating lasting change.
What small steps could you take?
In my next blog post, I’ll pop back with a video about your financial game plan for 2020. We’ll look at what research tells us about the best way to crush our goals.
For now, I want you to think about who you want to be or become by the end of 2020. Then, identify some mini goals that will move you in the right direction.
If, for example, you intend to be debt-free, even if that’s not possible by December 31st, think about the small ways you can move closer to that goal.
Maybe you do as one of my Women’s Money Group members did and you declare January to be a no-consume month whereby you only spend money to replace essentials, like food, toiletries, laundry detergent, and the like.
Or, maybe your small step could be to open the credit card bills as soon as they arrive in your mailbox, or your inbox, and review your spending, with a view to increasing your awareness.
Perhaps you renegotiate one service, like your insurance or internet provider. During the last Women’s Money Group monthly workshop, members shared stories of saving $700 in insurance and $1,200 per year in cell phone package fees with a single phone call! Apply that cash to your debt and it will save you a heap of interest.
Small steps and small improvements can have a big impact. Remember, when it comes to goals, small is beautiful.
Let me know what small steps you plan to take. I’d love to hear your stories. Share them below.