How To Achieve Your Goals In 2022

How To Achieve Your Goals in 2022

By Mark Wager

Now that we are in a New Year, there’s a good chance that you have joined millions of people around the world and have set some New Year resolutions taking the opportunity to make positive changes to your career and your life. It may be a promotion you are seeking or a desire to start your own business or even something more personal like losing weight or finding a new relationship, yet despite the nature of your goal and your current level of optimism the harsh reality is that every year on average only 8% of people will actually achieve their goals with around 80% of people giving up even before the end of February. In this week’s article I want to explore how you can avoid the mistakes that the majority of people make so that you can achieve your goals in 2022.

Aim high 

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” - Michelangelo 

If you are going to achieve something in 2022 then you might as well achieve something worthwhile so when thinking of setting your goals aim high. When I coach people for success it’s incredibly common for people to have a false perception of the difficultly of the goal they want to achieve. They can either underestimate or overestimate the difficulty which often means a goal that a person believes is unattainable is in reality very much possible. If you set a goal that doesn’t scare you then that’s a clear sign that your goal is too low. Aim high and you will be surprised by what you can achieve. 

Success is not a singular pursuit. 

“You are the average of the people who you spend most time with.” - Jim Rohn

No matter what you want to achieve personally it can’t be obtained without the support and help from other people. All success is built on a foundation of mutually beneficial relationships so it’s vital that you as much as possible spend time with people who share your passion for success because you will be able to inspire support and encourage each other. In addition look for people who have already achieved what you are aiming for and learn from their experiences. The  obstacles they faced and how they overcame them and the best thing is that in today’s world, these people can be anywhere in the world. Social   media allows us to connect in a way that was once thought impossible.

Have a clear vision. 

“Whether you think you can do something or whether you think you can’t you’re right.” - Henry Ford

When trying to achieve a goal one thing is always certain and that is belief precedes evidence. You can’t achieve something unless you first believe you can achieve it. Your mind controls your performance which is why it’s import that you have complete clarity over what you want to achieve because any vagueness will hamper your chances of success. If your goal is to gain a promotion or start a business,   you need to ask yourself what does that look like, what job do you want? What does that job entail, what skills are required?  I know from experience of coaching many people that those who have clarity over what they want are always better equipped to achieve their goals.

Be confident. 

‘Your success will be determined by your own confidence and attitude” - Michelle Obama 

It can be a challenge to be confident about achieving something that you haven’t done yet this is absolutely necessary. So let me share a tip with you. Here’s a mistake that nearly everyone makes. They have their goal written down which is good but it’s often phrased like “I want to be head of sales by the end of the year.” Now at a first look there seems nothing wrong with this but ask yourself how powerful is this statement? Now imagine if you phrased your goal as an absolute. By this I mean talk to yourself as if it’s a certainty and that it will happen so it should look like “On 20th December I will be Head of Sales.” This subtle change in wording will make a big difference to your confidence levels. 

When looking ahead at 2022 the most apprehensive aspect is uncertainty. We just don’t know what the future will bring especially with the world still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic yet with uncertainty comes possibilities. When the future is uncertain it means we are able to shape what will happen and create a better life with our own ambitions whether professional or personal. If  we approach our goals in the right way, with ambition, confidence and clarity then we can be that rare kind of person that makes a New Year resolution that becomes a reality.