Every year we make New Year’s resolutions, but do they really matter? How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution and come February, forget all about the goals that you had made? So what is the point of goals? And why do we have them?

What are goals?

Goals are achievements that you aim for. Typically they are reachable, and you aim to get them done within a certain timeframe. A good goal is reasonable, smart, and achievable. I’ve written a lot about goals and how you can create them to help you with the things that you want to accomplish. However, sometimes there is just more than the goal itself that matters. Truthfully, your goals, need to matter. To you, that is.

Finding your balance

I’ve recently written how to achieve work-live balance. Much of what I advocate is that the plan of action that you put in place to help you live a healthier life are in line with your overall priorities in work and in life. I think that your New Year’s resolutions or goals also have to align with your priorities. When you think about your goals, make sure that the goals that you set think about your priorities and attempt to ensure each one aligns to your priorities.

If goals are applied correctly, they can motivate you to the next level. Instead of having a big goal like “I want to lose 50 pounds”, you can break their goal up into several small goals. This will help to quickly achieve your goal, and motivate and push yourself to the next level. Goals help you keep what you wish to obtain obtainable.

No goals, no problem

So what happens if you don’t have any goals at all? Well, if you don’t have personal goals, then you have no personal achievements to look forward to – at least initially. Without goals, you can find yourself mindlessly completing tasks that do not have a focus or point. With that said, you must be really happy and content with your life to the point that establishing personal goals don’t matter. If that is you – then go for it. However, most of the people that I know really would like to try new things and learn more.

Mistakes – they happen. Goals can help.

Mistakes do happen. Sometimes establishing a new goal for yourself can ensure that a previous mistake made, won’t happen again. Goals can help train you to not make a mistake again and enable you to learn more. For example, if you realize that you didn’t create a budget for a meeting and it cost you significantly, perhaps you create a goal to help you and ensure a budget is created for every event.

Perhaps we don’t look at goals as the enemy but our friend. A friend that holds you accountable and pushes you forward to complete your ultimate in work and in life. What goals will you be making this year? What New Year’s Resolutions have you made? Have you found a process that works well for you? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. Until next time!

P.S. Want to find out some more tips on surviving a New Year? Check out this post on actions you can take.