This is the time people like to re-assess their lives, but most New Year’s resolutions don’t survive through February.  If you follow good goal-setting practices by writing specific, tangible, and trackable action plans, you have a better chance of success.  But the most important reason resolutions, goals, and ideas don’t survive is this:  they weren’t real goals in the first place. 

Here are five quick ways to check to see if your goals are real:

1. The clarity check:  Can you see it, taste it, feel it, smell it?  Can you envision your life once you have achieved this goal?  Do you know exactly what steps you will take to achieve it?  Vague but emotional thoughts like “I’ll know it when it happens”, or “I’ll finally be happy when..” tend to be red flags.  In this case pick one step that is clear to you, and focus on that.

2. The purpose check:  Is it worth it to you to go after the goal, even if you don’t achieve it?   If not, you will find it hard to stay motivated.

3. The gut check:  Do you dread the thought of “going without” whatever you are planning to give up?  Will it take lots of will power to achieve your goal?  Then ask yourself what you get from your habit – and find a new way to get that need met so it will be easier to let go of.

4. The duplication check:  If you’ve had this goal several times before and haven’t succeeded, make sure you are doing something different this time.  You need to be able to answer the question, “What’s new this time that will give me a much better chance of success?”   Get a support system – it’s the most significant difference you can make. 

5. The commitment check:  If it’s someone else’s goal, how excited are you about achieving it?  What will you get out of it?  Do you understand the rationale behind the goal?  If that person were not invested in the goal, and told you to set your own goal, what would it be?