10 Ways to Change Your Thinking and Set Better Goals in 2015

My business requires me to fly often. When I look at my boarding pass, it not only has my name but also “where I am now” and “where I am going”. It lists my boarding and departure date and time, my seat number, and other valuable information. It occurred to me that a boarding pass represents much of the information needed to set effective goals.

Effective goal setting requires that we know where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going.

In my previous blog post I suggested you pause and reflect and consider, “Where have I been? and “Where am I now?”

After I pause and reflect, I spend a lot of time in a mental “ping pong” match and start thinking and asking myself “Where am I going?” What are my 2015 plans and goals? What do I dream to accomplish?

One of the reasons people don’t achieve their dreams is that they desire to change their results without changing their thinking.

Since everything begins with a thought, …

When you change what you think, you change what you do, and you change who you are! – Bobby Albert

By the way, you can download my newly redesigned and popular Goal Setting Workbook FREE by “clicking here”. This workbook gives you an easy way to set your goals for the coming year.

Every person can set better goals in 2015 by applying the following ten principles to transform their thinking.

Commitment vs. Interests

In order to make this a banner year, you need to understand the difference between interests and commitment.

“There is a difference between interests and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you only do it when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” – Ken Blanchard

Lack of decisiveness has caused more failures than lack of intelligence or ability.

You need to have a mental no-choice list…If you never give yourself the option to eat dessert, you’ll never have the struggle.

“To-Be” list as well as “To-Do” list

As you prepare your 2015 goals, plan to live your life with a “to-be” list as well as “to-do” list.

Who you are becoming is so important…It will drive what you do.

“Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.” – Robin Sharma

Ask “Why” as well as “What”

It generally requires a person to ask questions to figure out what’s really important and what isn’t.

“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” – Anthony Robbins

Asking and understanding “Why is this important to me?” will give you the emotional, motivational energy to keep moving forward when you struggle in the middle of a 2015 goal.

Remember, you will lose your way when you lose you why.

“Others” Focused as well as “Me” Focused

Often our plans and goals are very “me” focused. Could I suggest you add an element where you have an “add-value to others” focus? Think about how you can impact and influence others.

Consider doing something for or giving to someone without expecting anything in return.

“You can’t live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” – John Wooden

Stagger Start vs. All at Once

Our tendency is to start ALL of our plans and goals on January 1. But when we start all of our plans and goals simultaneously, we quickly become overwhelmed. Then we’re likely to quit pursuing ALL of our plans and goals.

Change your thinking and stagger the start dates for your goals over the course of the year.. This allows you to focus on one or two important goals at a time..

“Vital Few” vs. the “Trivial Many”

Managing priorities are having control over what you do. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant (or urgent) is the key determinant of your success in life and work.

Effective, productive people discipline themselves to focus on the most important task that is before them. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier.

Healthy Fears vs. Unhealthy Fears

Healthy fears, like a health scare that stirs you to positive lifestyle choices now, produce good results.

Unhealthy fears, like comparing yourself to others or worried about what others will think of you, will cause you to freeze and not progress forward.

Unhealthy thinking reminds you of all of those past failed attempts and often sounds like “woulda”, “coulda” and “shoulda”.

Think about it, the new year is a time for new beginnings!

Progress vs. Perfection

We are looking for progress, NOT perfection as we think through our 2015 plans and goals.

Your goals must be challenging but realistic. Reaching for perfectionism will only frustrate you, your friends, your family and your co-workers. You’ll give-up before you reach perfection.

Adjust vs. Fixed

As you implement and execute your 2015 plans and goals, expect to adjust them as the year goes by.

When you move forward, you will learn something new that you had not considered before that would lead you to an even better path. Be willing to adjust your goals and plans accordingly.

Stop to Start

Once you determine what you want to accomplish for the year, its important to count the cost of your goals.

Often, we’ll need to stop doing certain things so we can start new routines that will get us where we want to go.

Consider making a “Stop Doing” list that contains the activities and behaviors that you need to remove from your life to make time for your newly identified goals.

As you can see, the way we think can be just the ticket we need to achieve our goals in 2015!

Want an easy way to get started on your goals for 2015? Simply download my Goal Setting Workbook! Get yours FREE by “clicking here”.

Could you share how you have changed the way you think about setting your goals? Click <here> to share your thoughts in my comment section.