1. Set system goals

 What helps you achieve results is not your goal itself but the systems or habits you set. For example, if you have a body goal (cliché example), you want to achieve 20% body fat; currently, you are at 30%. Think about HOW you can achieve the final results, WHAT you should DO. In this case, maybe you need to work out regularly, build up muscles, eat healthily. Then, I would suggest your goal is: run 5km every Monday, Wed, and Friday. Or Do 20mins strength training every Tuesday and Thursday.

 This is your system goal. If you manage to follow the routine for a week, you have already achieved your goal for that week. A small achievement can be a big incentive to carry on with your healthy routine. If you are working towards your big goal, the action is already a success.

 2. Use time as a measurement.

 There are 52 weeks in a year, and you have 52 chances to complete your system goal if it is weekly or 12 chances to complete your system goal if it is monthly. You can track your progress after week by week. Even if you fall short of one week, so what?! You can still accomplish your goal next week. I know many of us feel defeated if we don’t achieve our goals, but setting our goals this way can allow us to have another chance to achieve results because each week, it is a rest. You will achieve results if you take action, even if it is not a full 52 weeks. My advice is not to focus on your BIG goal; focus on the system goals measured by time, and take actions towards them.

 3. Find accountability partners

 Social pressure can be an effective tool to ‘push’ you towards your goal. If you have workout goals, why not find some friends to do it together or join a workout group. You go there once, twice, three times, and you are ‘expected’ to show up. If you do not show up in your weekly group workout session, you will feel guilty. If you pick a sport that you like, it is even better. Imagine you have a tennis partner; how do you feel if you disappoint your tennis partner by not showing up?

 Last year I tried a morning workout session with Julian Mental Sixpack. The session starts at 9 am on each workday, and I managed to stay on for several weeks before I moved to the regular running sessions.

 If you are brave enough, share your goals publicly. Let the public be your accountability partner. Pat Flynn once said that he missed an episode, and one listener sent him an email reminding him that there was no episode released on that day! Till now, he has released 538 episodes of the SPI podcast!

 The most effective way of achieving goals is to find out WHY I want to achieve them. Once I identify the WHY, I design a system to break the big goal into system goals and use time as a measurement.

 In 2022, my personal goals are:

1. Read a minimum of 12 good books. One book a month.

2. Work out three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes.

3. Meditate every day.

4. Stay invested, grow our family net worth by 100%

5. Travel once a quarter (conservative goals due to the Covid situation).

6. Write 26 articles

7. Release 26 podcast episodes

 What are your personal goals in 2022? Please share, and let’s be each other’s, accountability partners!