GETTING cynical about New Year’s resolutions? Don’t just yet. Maybe your goals just needs a little tweaking to get you all perked up and dedicated all year through.
We’ve all heard about “smart” goals – goals that have to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. This principle has been drilled into our heads for the longest period of time. Since the 1950’s to be exact. And our world has made a giant leap since then.
What has been applicable to an era where getting the highest numbers is top priority is no longer working for a generation of tech-savvy, globe-trotting innovators.
Maybe because of the lessons from the past and the urgency of our times, we now know that our greatest fulfillment comes from growth out of breaking boundaries and surviving great challenges.
We live in a period where previously inconceivable ideas have been made a reality. Our current heroes are inventors, critical-thinkers, and disruptors who create new and better ways for us to live. All over the world, start-ups are thriving as technology offers opportunities that have never before been available to the masses.
Mark Murphy, a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Leadership IQ, strongly stated in his book “Hard Goals: The Secret to Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” that what we need now is construct “hard” goals. This means that they have to be:
H = Heartfelt: Whether we like to admit it or not, we are emotional beings. The more you put your heart into your goal, the more you will be motivated to keep it. When we have an altruistic motive of serving or leaving a legacy, then the goal takes on a whole lot of meaning.
A = Animated: Imagine it as if it’s already happening. Visualize it until you see the color of your dress, the smiles and nods of approval around you, or the office of your dream. Texturize it until you can actually feel success and the taste of that congratulatory champagne. Play that movie in your mind until it becomes reality.
R = Required: Research says that the most successful people are a little bit on the obsessive side. It might be true. Don’t make the mistake of making your goal an option. Make it a requirement, an urgent obligation that you hold yourself personally accountable to. Maybe for a stronger push, think of it as your duty to your higher power.
D = Difficult: The greatest stories are those of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. When you cross the bridge from suffering to triumph, nothing can compare. Life is meant to constantly try us. After all, we’re here to learn, grow, and develop to go to somewhere more permanent.
As the famous Helen Keller said: “Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”