For December, my weekly posts are about wrapping up 2020 and getting ready for 2021. Last week I wrote a post about five things to change in 2021. December is a great month to ask yourself, “Am I where I thought I would be this time last year?” If your answer is, “No,” then now is a great time to see what went wrong. Think about where you want to be a year from now and what you want to accomplish. Today is the time to start properly setting goals for 2021.
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Properly Setting Goals For 2021
I’ve written a few posts about goals and as always, I like to keep things simple. Goals are simply something that you want. Think about what you want, write it down, put a date on it, and that’s a goal. They’re your roadmap that will keep you on track and get you to your destination.
Many people have goals but never accomplish them. There are several reasons for failing to accomplish what you set out to do. First, you fail because you don’t commit to achieving your goals. Secondly, you don’t have a good plan. Third, you don’t put in the work. There is nothing free in this world, you must put in the work. Fourth, you don’t know how to properly set goals.
Mistakes Made In Goal Setting
Some of the mistakes you make when setting goals are your goals are too general. They don’t have an end date for them. Your goals can’t be measured so you cannot tell if you’re on track. One of the biggest mistakes is you didn’t write them down. An example of a poorly designed goal is, “I have a goal to read more next year.” This is too general; it is not specified what you will read or how much.
SMART
One of the techniques I talk about in my course, Setting Goals That Work, is using the acronym SMART. In conducting research I found that some people like using this approach and others don’t. I believe there is no one cure for everything. Find what works for you and use it.
- S – Specific
- M – Measurable
- A – Achievable
- R – Relevant
- T – Time Bounded
Using the example above, a properly set goal will read like this, “I will read 24 Self-Improvement books by 12/31/2021.
- Specific – It specifies exactly what you’re going to read, Self-Improvement books.
- Measurable – You’re going to read 24 books.
- Achievable – If every book averages 400 pages then you would need to read 27 pages per day. This is very achievable.
- Relevant – If you are looking for self-improvement, then this is a relevant goal.
- Time Bounded – There is an end date, 12/31/2021, attached to the goal.
Break’em Down
You can also break this yearly goal into smaller goals. Write down how many books you would want to read every month. Set a weekly goal of how many pages or chapters you will read. Also, set daily goals of reading for a specific time or number of pages. This will keep you on track and you will be able to see how you are progressing toward your yearly goal.
Types
This SMART technique can be utilized in setting different types of goals. I always set three types of goals, personal, business, and relationship. You can set goals for wealth building, your health, and improving your relationships. By properly setting goals for 2021 in these areas, your life will change.
Plan
When your goals are set, the next step is to develop a plan to achieve your goals. Set up a time frame of when you want to check your progress and analyze your plan. For a yearly goal, you should do a progress check at least every quarter. If you find yourself off-track and not making the progress you expected, change your plan but never change your goal. If you want to learn more about properly setting goals for 2021, you can check out my course and preorder it above. The course will be published early in January.
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If anyone has any tips or techniques on setting goals or stories on how goals have worked for you, I would love to hear them in the comments section. Don’t forget to like, follow, and join our team by subscribing to the email list.

“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”
Scott, helpful reminders. Looking forward may be one antidote for the depressions which many people are experiencing right now. I have read several blogs this week where people are having problems with depression, which is common at the holidays, even in a normal year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family! <3
Thank you, Cheryl. I hope they can get some help dealing with their depression. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family as well. 🤗
This is amazing 👍 thank you
Great post.I like “SMART” strategy in goal setting.Have a nice day.🌷
Thank you. I appreciate your comments. Take care. Scott
♡ I Totally Agree; if there’s one thing I would offer as a possible addition to this Wisdom is to consider whether the “Goal” is “wrong”
…♡♡♡…
Thank you. I appreciate your comments and you make a great point.
Always great to set goals, thanks for the reminder
Thank you for reading and commenting. I hope all is well with you. Have a Happy Holidays!! Scott
This is Amazing!
Thank you, Shreya. Take care. Scott
✌🏻 your welcome
[…] Since our goals are simply what we want they are easy to analyze. Did I accomplish them or not? Doing an end of year self-analysis of your goals is crucial to set goals for next year. I break down my goals to make sure they were specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bounded. If I accomplished my goals easily, I know I need to set more challenging ones for next year. If I did not accomplish my goals, I want to find out why. Maybe I overestimated my abilities and set unattainable goals. […]
“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: We will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.” – Göran Persson
Wishing you 12 months of success, 52 weeks of laughter, 365 days of fun, 8,760 hours of joy, 525,600 minutes of good luck, and 31,536,000 seconds of happiness.
Kally, Thank you for your wonderful resolution and wishes. I pray 2021 brings you much love and abundance. Scott
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[…] a new year full of promises. My goals are set and my plans are in place. Now it is time to put the work in as the journey to success begins. Seeds that I planted in 2020 […]
[…] They set goals. […]