Many of us get into a car everyday and drive somewhere. Let’s say to go to the office… There are no buts about it. You wake up, get ready, enter your car, and most times, end up at work. You take control of the steering wheel, shift necessary gears, signal, and brake all with the intention of getting to work. Once you are in that driver’s seat you behave like someone who is going to get to the office. No question about it. Many people start reflecting on what they want to achieve that day, who they have seen, what meetings they have, who they have to talk to. Some of us even use time on the road or while stuck in traffic to make calls ahead of actual arrival in the office. And the result is we get to the office. Sometimes of course there are things outside our control that may delay or stop us from getting to work. You wake up and your child is sick. There’s unexpected traffic on a certain route. You get a flat tyre or even get involved in an accident. But by and large you get to work most of the time. As we get to the end of the year, I find myself reflecting on goals. While at it I am also being requested to go speak to people about setting goals (especially financial goals) for the next year. Goals that actually work! Now, I don’t have a magic formula to this just in case you’ve leaned in a little more. But if you can relate to the car, you will probably gain an insight on how you can make your personal goals to be more effective. Here is the problem we all face. We have all set goals from time to time. If some of us were to be totally honest with each other, we will realize that we keep on declaring the same resolutions over and over again and…… but nothing has changed.
Why do you get up and go to work everyday? Possibly for the paycheck that turns up every month. Whilst there may and should be other reasons, the paycheck is a good general motive that we can all relate to. We’ve got to pay those bills. What’s the equivalent of that for the goals you set? I have found that we sometimes get into the trap of setting goals because we have been told to, and we know we should do it. It’s the logical thing to do. However we are often not motivated by the mere fact that we should do it. We then tend to set goals that mimic the ‘should be done stuff’. Save more, buy a house, buy a car, retire well, invest more etc. Well, if you feel like you’ve been writing the same thing down year in, year out, chances are that you are not motivated enough. Do you really want that house? Or that plot? Or that business? If so, Why? I think the ‘why’ has got to be stronger than the ‘what’. The same way getting the paycheck is stronger than the fact that going to work is the logical thing to be doing with your time. Dig a bit deeper and ask yourself why you need to be motivated to achieve those goals. (Click to Tweet this thought) This motivation turns out to be the key you put in your ignition to rev up the engine. Most of us don’t get to start the engine with our goals. We set them and hope something will happen mysteriously. Like somebody will come and jumpstart your car for you. Or hoping that another car will pull you along until you get to work. You don’t hope you will get to work in the morning. While in your car you behave like somebody who knows they are going to get to where they are going. If we removed mysterious occurrences from our financial plan e.g. unexpected tenders, bonuses, rich relatives etc., what would we actually do? If we fully accepted that it is only us who can make this happen, would we actually step up and drive this car? Hope without hard work is really appealing but possibly that’s where we have gone wrong.
We need to become like actors in a movie. I have watched interviews of actors where they admit that after shooting the movie, the needed to take a break because they became so immersed in the role. Their personality for that period shifted to the character they were playing. To act well they needed to believe that they were that person. In a way so do we. Because if we can believe it, we will act like it, think like it and give it the best possible chance of succeeding. You want that salary increment or bonus payment next year. Act and work like the person who should be paid that. Stand out and put your hand up for extra assignments. Don’t hope that your employer will notice the hidden qualities in you and pay you for potential that has not surfaced. Or that you will hide in the general overall good performance of the company (i.e. hard work of others) and somehow get that raise. You want to get into certain investments. Don’t wait for money. Rev the engine and start doing the research. You want to increase business turnover next year. Think at the level of the entrepreneur with those kinds of turnover. Wondering how to put it into action? Pretend you have achieved these goals and you were telling others how you did it. What is it you would be saying you did? Do that. Want to make 2017 goals and resolutions different? Check on your motives and make sure that they are compelling enough. Combine that with the conviction that it will happen and add in the action. In summary drive that car and enjoy the process as much as you can.
Waceke Nduati-Omanga runs programs on Personal Finance Management, Entrepreneurship and Career Success. Find her at waceken@centonomy.com| twitter @CekeNduati| Facebook /CekeNduati