#MTtalk: Making Your Goals Work for You!

This is the story of my 2017 (and the goals achieved) so far:

• Page 1 of 365. Mostly blank. A few pleasurable activities.
• Page 2 of 365. Doing things. Going about life. Nothing special.
• Page 3 of 365. Doing things. Washed washing. Bought groceries.
• Page 4 of 365. Busy with life. Doing stuff. Thought of my goals for 2017 again. Maybe I should write them down. Spent half the day catching up on Facebook.
• Page 5 of 365. So busy! Also had to catch up on four episodes of Game of Thrones! Wrote down my goals.

Today is page 10 of 365.

Every year, while the earth simply continues on its cycle, we celebrate the invention called New Year. Many of us leave the old year with regret and guilt, knowing that we didn't give it our all. We may have set goals at the beginning of the year, but we didn't follow up on our good intentions, and continued our bad habits and poor choices.

The New Year once again brings another chance to leave the failures and lost opportunities of the old year behind. We feel the joy of knowing that the moment of transition brings new beginnings and new promise.

But what if we repeat the cycle year after year?

Our #MTtalk Twitter chat on Friday was "2017 - Making Your Goals Work For You." We talked about the specific things that we need to do to bring about real change.

Here are the questions we asked, and some of the excellent responses from our participants:

Questions about "2017 - Making Your Goals Work for You!"

Question 1: What are some of your most life-changing goals for the year?

@WonderPix: "Stand taller, speak louder and shine more."

@BiscuitByte: "I am going it on my own. Had some bad experiences with so-called 'business partners,' and learnt my lesson."

@danceswithlyons had an interesting answer to this question. To her, it’s all about not having goals. She said, "Not having stringent goals! Working with themes that I can anchor things I want to do on. My themes are stretch, deepen, collaboration & kindness (to myself & to others)."

Question 2: What practical skill do you need to learn, and how will it benefit you?

@MicheleDD_MT: "Set better boundaries for what is acceptable and what is not. I will develop greater resilience, strength and courage."

@LynnCareerCoach: "I really need to learn more about business development, marketing, that kind of thing so I can grow my business."

@hindhaugh123: "Becoming more assertive will help me to cope with situations without getting stressed & anxious."

Question 3: Which new habit would you like to adopt, and how will you do it?

@amypen64: "To be mindful. The how is the hard part. I need to stop, listen, pay attention, think before I speak, be non-direct."

@intrepidperf: "Reading every day! Accomplishing this by keeping a book on the night stand and in the office."

Question 4: What one thing will you change in your behavior this year, and why?

@ShereesePubHlth: "I'm going to stop pulling work all-nighters. It's not healthy and negatively impacts my day-time productivity."

@Jikster2009: "I am going to change the way I approach goal setting by thinking longer term than the next 6/12 months. I have no ultimate goal/vision of where I want to be longer term and I lose focus frequently."

Question 5: What resources (people, things) do you need to help you achieve your goals?

We don't achieve goals in isolation. We need people and things to help us.

@BrainBlenderTec: "The world is a resource. You just have to be humble and courageous enough to ask for help, and it will be there."

@THEDAYjobsCT: "Other local community and business organizations would be a great collaboration for us!"

Question 6: What attitude or approach will help you to achieve your goals?

Being courageous, facing fear, and not being scared of making mistakes was a common theme.

@FloraBarton: "Having a growth mindset, always looking for the positives and not being afraid of mistakes! Bring on the challenge 2017!"

@ZalkaB: "Be fierce. No regrets - life belongs to the bold ones. Breathe and embrace every moment in life, because I’m where I’m supposed to be."

Question 7: What will be the biggest obstacle to achieving your goals?

@Midgie_MT: "OK … going to be open here… biggest obstacle is my own self and procrastinating due to fear!"

@tweetgayusri: "The only obstacle would be my negative thoughts."

Question 8: How will you overcome the obstacles mentioned in Q7?

A number of people mentioned the lack of time when responding to Q7. Here's how some of you intend dealing with it:

@MikeBarzacchini: "Setting aside structured time each day to work on goals. Revisiting goals in the morning & evening to keep me on course."

@singh_vandana: "Setting rewards for task completion, mono-tasking and asking for help if required."

Question 9: How do you deal with unexpected life situations that could get in the way of achieving your goals?

@Lovemyproxy: "Take care of those unexpected areas and get right back to work. It will happen, it's life."

@AlishaMBridges: "Life doesn't end at a plan A or B. Life is about readjusting & the alternatives are ENDLESS! Never give up, just readjust."

We loved the honesty from @BNBBooks: "Sometimes very badly. Then buckling down and focusing on what has to be done immediately & reassess after the fact."

Question 10: Who will you ask for support in 2017, and who could you help?

@Dwyka_Consult: "I believe the right person crosses your path at exactly the right moment - to help or to be helped."

@FloraBarton: "This is always where the Twitter community is amazing! There is always someone who will support with expertise in what you need."

And I added my own thought (@Yolande_MT): "Help whomever you are called or moved to help. It’s how you 'Pay It Forward.'"

Today is page 10 of 365. What will you write on it?

Next time, on #MTtalk...

Setting meaningful goals is often linked to having a strong sense of purpose. We'd like to know how purposeful you feel at work. You can let us know in our Twitter poll, here.

In our next #MTtalk on Friday, January 20, we'll be talking about "The Power of Purpose at Work." We'd love you to share more about how purposeful you feel at work, and its effects on your performance. Please join us at 1 p.m. EST (6 p.m. GMT).

To participate in our chat, type #MTtalk in the Twitter search function. Then, click on "All Tweets" and you’ll be able to follow the live chat feed. To join the conversation, simply include #MTtalk in your tweet and it will show up in the chat feed.

Further Reading

In the meantime, here are some resources if you'd like to learn more about setting and achieving goals:

• How Good Is Your Goal Setting?
• New Year’s Resolutions
• Golden Rules of Goal Setting
• SMART Goals
• Eight Goal Setting Mistakes
• Using Well-Formed Outcomes in Goal Setting
• Using Stretch Goals With Your Team
• The Power of Good Habits
• Backward Goal Setting