With 2019 wrapping up, it’s time to start thinking about goals for 2020 and what we wish to accomplish. And I already have a feeling that 2020 is going to be a great year for many, including myself. But what’s the best way to go about meeting your goals?
That entirely depends on you and how much effort you’re really going to put into the process.
Setting Realistic Goals for 2020
One of the reasons why so many people will fail at their goals in 2020 is because they aren’t realistic with what they want to accomplish.
Sure, it would be nice to have a million dollars in a savings account. But is that something that you’re capable of doing in reality? A very small percentage of you can.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t work to vastly improve your station in life. What about something simpler, like doubling your income?
My point is that you need to be realistic with your goals in 2020 as well as yourself. Discover your limitations and understand the person you are. Because succeeding this year is 100% up to you.
The most important aspect of setting realistic goals is to prevent setting yourself up for failure. When you don’t meet objectives, it can have a negative impact on your overall outlook.
Keep Your Feet Firmly Planted
It’s OK to reach for the stars, just as long as you keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. This means you can reach for really high goals while keeping yourself in reality.
OK, let’s take that one-million-dollar goal from earlier. That will mean you need more than $2700 per day coming in. Is that realistic? Probably not. But, you can work towards that goal by budgeting your money well and saving up.
You might not reach that milestone this year, but the work you put into it will make the goal easier to accomplish down the road.
Start off with an easier goal but still work for improvement. When you accomplish the easier goals, you build confidence. And this contributes to your capacity to achieve greater success.
Break Up Your Goals into Smaller Ones
Try not to focus on the big goals for 2020. Instead, break them up and see what you can accomplish on a daily basis. It makes it easier to meet your objectives while making them seem less extravagant.
For instance, one of my goals in 2020 is to write one million words. I’ll talk about that in a moment. But instead of focusing on one million, I am going to strive for 2,740 per day.
When I think about the smaller goal, it seems less daunting. And 2,740 words per day is relatively easy for me to accomplish.
Modify Your Goals as You Go
There’s nothing wrong with adjusting your goals throughout the year, especially if you see you’re they’re a bit easy. In fact, I find it better to start with a simple goal and boost it as the year goes by.
Case in point; I know that one million words is very easy for me to accomplish. After all, I used to do more than 2.5 million per year. But, it’s something I haven’t done since 2016. Once I start meeting the daily goals on a regular basis, I’ll increase my goals for 2020.
Of course, this can go the opposite way as well. Let’s say you made a goal that is a bit too difficult for you even though you’ve put in the best effort possible. This might mean you’re simply striving for too much at this point in time.
Turn down the goals a bit. Remember, it’s all about knowing your own limitations. And always strive to improve as you go. Just don’t beat yourself up if you’re reaching for something that is simply too high.
Put in the Effort
And lastly, it doesn’t matter what goals in 2020 you set if you don’t put in maximum effort.
I know a lot of people who will say, “I’m going to go to the gym and work out at least four times a week.” But, I have yet to meet anyone who has consistently done this throughout the entire year.
Success in anything in life is all about effort. Sitting on the chair playing games or watching videos isn’t putting in the effort to accomplish your goals. Well, unless one of your goals is to become Twitch or YouTube famous, I suppose.
Still, what you do every day impacts your overall goals for the year. Don’t waste too much time dwelling on being unproductive. Do something every day that moves you forward.
What are My Goals for 2020?
So, what are my goals for this upcoming year? Well, it’s nothing too extravagant, I assure you. However, they are all obtainable as long as I put in the daily effort to meet them.
And the secret to my success is living each day one at a time and doing what I can to improve myself within that 24-hour time span.
Writing 1 Million Words
I announced on one of my recent YouTube videos that I am aiming for one million words written in 2020. As I said earlier, I used to strive for far more. But it’s been a while since I’ve been that productive as a writer.
Every day, I am going to focus on creating 2,740 words on content. This includes:
- Writing My Own Blog Posts
- Writing Content for Clients
- Creating scripts for certain YouTube videos I publish
- Putting out content on Hub Pages, Vocal Media and Medium
- Working on my own creative pieces, such as VII
I’m including every piece of content that I create that others are able to read. Personal journals and such will not count towards my goals in 2020.
Continued Growth of Blogs
The next thing I am working on is the continued growth of my blogs. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with writing one million words. The more content I create, the greater the audience I’ll attract.
But it goes a bit further than just creating content. I need to find what people want to read and do what I can to put the blogs on the top search results page of Google.
This will also mean I’ll have to go back and revamp older articles with new and relevant information.
So far, every site but one is growing. Thanks to Google’s algorithm changes last year, CrossingColorado.com was torpedoed. I’ll have to work hard to get it back to where it was.
Building Some Self-Confidence
One thing I am lacking, but still working on, is self-confidence. I have a severe problem with Impostor Syndrome, and it affects a lot of things in my life.
However, it’s not as bad as it used to be. I think helping people on YouTube has made a huge difference in how I view myself.
In fact, I am starting to see and believe the value in myself that many others point out.
Continue Working on Fitness
I could say that I failed in my fitness challenges for 2019 as I am still not at my goal weight. Or, I could say that I am about 15 pounds lighter today than I was at this time last year.
Again, it all boils down to effort.
One of my goals in 2020 is to put more of that effort to work. Even if it’s just getting back to walking around and playing the Xbox Kinect twice a day, I need to get back into my more-healthier habits.
Here’s something a bit embarrassing. I haven’t really run much at all since my Freshman year at High School. So, one of my immediate goals is to set some personal records for distance and time running.
And, I’ve already started by maintaining myself well throughout the end of December 2019.
Get VII Ready for Publication
I want to finish VII on Wattpad and then work to restructure it for actual publishing. So, the Wattpad version is merely the rough draft manuscript of what I am going to put out as an actual book.
One thing that will help me reach this goal is the one-million-word goal I mentioned above. And, putting in the effort to finish the novel.
To Be More Productive Overall
In essence, I want to be more productive in 2020 than I have been. This means keeping to a working schedule, forcing myself to get back into good habits and putting in the effort to succeed.
In reality, most of the above goals will help me achieve being more productive in 2020. You see, most of them work in tandem with the other. This means they all work in unison, which makes accomplishing the goals that much easier.
The bottom line is that you won’t be very successful without being productive. Don’t just sit and wait for something to happen. Go out and make it happen.
Achieving Your Goals Requires Effort
In the end, the amount of effort you put into your goals for 2020 will dictate whether you’re successful or not. It starts with you and asking yourself, “Am I really going to do this?”
Before you start wasting time, is there anything you can do right now that will help you achieve those goals?