Did you know that 60% of people make New Year's resolutions, but only 8% achieve them?
Ouch! I know you're not shocked by this, but most people who set New Year's resolutions don't achieve them. It seems so futile that most of the leaders I talk to have given up entirely on even making them. That's unfortunate because, if you're like me, you can quickly identify areas in your life where you genuinely want to experience real positive change.
If this is you, one of the biggest reasons may well be that you don't have a good plan for how you can realize the change you seek.
Good goals are a vital part of this process. The question is what constitutes a good goal. I have a process that I call MAPIT, which contains the critical elements of the kind of goals that can lead to real change.
MAPIT is an acronym for Motivational, Actionable, Precise, Important, and Time-lined. If you employ each of these characteristics in your goal setting, your chance of success increases exponentially.
**At the end of this post, I want to give you a complimentary tool that I use when coaching leaders through goal setting. It goes into further detail about using the MAPIT method of goal setting. It's my gift to you -- to say "thank you for reading."**
MAPIT isn't a secret formula that will automatically help you reach your goals -- but it does give your goals teeth. Why? It is because MAPIT goal setting makes progress toward achieving your goal measurable.
Once you can measure a goal, you can track your progress over time. In other words, you always know how you're doing in pursuit of your goal.
Peter Drucker says, "what gets measured gets improved," and I couldn't agree more. This "measurability" helps you stay on track toward achieving your goal while also providing a level of accountability. Plus, as you get closer to your goal, you can feel the excitement of your achievement!
How many more new year's resolutions would come to fruition if their goals were measurable?
Perhaps, instead of wanting to "lose weight" this summer, a MAPIT and more measurable goal could be, "I will eat 2500 calories per day on Monday-Friday throughout the summer."
Or, instead of "becoming healthier this year," a more measurable goal would be to "I will wake up each morning at 5:00 AM to work out for 30 minutes."
A measurable goal is attainable because it can be tracked, charted, worked at, and eventually completed.
What goal of yours needs to change into one that is measurable?
Fact: What gets measured gets improved
