Goal Setting Strategies for 2014

I tend to see goal-setting like Clint Eastwood in a western; one man, one gun and one goal (one gal as well but that’s beside the point). The War of Art is a book I consider a must-read but it too tends to eschew the view that pursuing a goal is a one man enterprise. There is some of that but effective incentives and processes are more complex.


To set goals you can put it all out there as James Clear does in his 2013 Annual Review in which he evaluates the past year; what went well, what didn’t and related goals for 2014. This is the wrong thing to do---according to a post on Donald Miller’s Storyline Blog titled, “Don’t Share Your Resolutions.” I understand that sharing my goals robs them of energy. What energizes me is completely different.

Miller recommends you don’t share your resolutions but promotes personal coaching as a means to accomplishing your goals. I am an extrovert—which means I gain energy from interacting with others. Setting my goals and having others come alongside to encourage and challenge me in accountability consistently aides in my progress in multiple areas. While I won’t be hiring my own personal coach I will be enlisting others to assist me in my pursuits.

Each strategy to accomplish one’s goals incorporates some level of being energized and pushed toward achieving your specific outcome. The authors of Bicycling magazine (January/February 2014), in talking about weight loss goals, note a strategy called “incentive-based weight loss.” The idea need not apply to weight loss but can apply to any goal---“many people who struggle to get leaner can succeed by pursuing short-term gratification. So…give yourself a decadent cycling vacation or cash bonus if you hit a weight loss goal.” Set your goal and treat yourself when it’s accomplished.

My first goal of the year is to lay out my basic goals similar to the post by James Clear. I’ll have those up on Tuesday. That’ll help me get this year kick started—my hope is that you’ll be helped along the way as well.