How to make 2020 the most successful year yet

As 2019 comes to a close, everyone starts looking to 2020. What will I accomplish?  What do I want to change? What will make 2020 the best year yet?

Along with everyone else, I’ve been asking myself these questions.  But, I think they are somewhat premature. I think it is important to look back before we look forward. It is in the reflection that we can gain insight into why some goals survive the year and why some are forgotten or remain out of reach.

What did I accomplish in 2019?  What did I expect/want to accomplish?  What did I want to change? Did I actually change it?  What were the wins of 2019 and also what were the struggles?

As I reflect on 2019, here are my wins and struggles:

Wins:

Paid off my student loans a month before my goals

Practiced speaking 2 hours per week (on average)

Kept my apartment “company ready” in terms of neatness

Struggles:

Keeping my car clean

Being 5K ready all year

Sending 2 letters or packages per week

When I reflect on my wins/struggles, the secret to successful goals becomes obvious.  External pressure drives my goals. I consider myself an internally motivated person so this is slightly difficult to admit.  But when I look at where I had the most success, it came with areas where there was accountability. The areas where I could have done better were the ones where I had no outside pressure.

I was great at practicing speaking when I had a speaking engagement coming up, I was great at keeping my apartment tidy to have company, and I was able to stick to my aggressive student loan payments because Becca was going through it with me and a bunch of other people kept up with my progress.

- My car was an absolute mess most of the year.  It seems I can only keep my apartment or my car clean and since I hardly ever have passengers and I couldn’t keep it clean for more than a few days at a time.

- I had no one I was working out with most of the year and let that goal go the most.

- And I only sent letters/packages when necessary for birthdays and holidays.

Knowing this about myself is powerful.  As much as I don’t want to admit it, going forward in 2020, I need to make sure that all my goals have some aspect of accountability.  

As you’re reflecting on your goals for 2019, consider the following questions to make sure you’re even more successful in 2020.  (If you didn’t make any goals for 2019, consider using our Goal Rebellion to develop yours for this coming year).

Questions to Consider:

1. Which goals were successful?
2. Which goals were inconsistent or ignored?
3. Are there any patterns between the goals that were successful and those that weren’t?
4. Are the goals that got ignored still important or still align with my values?
5. Are there people that can help me achieve my goals?
6. Is there anything that could have made my goals more enjoyable in the process?

Check back here in 2020 to see our goals and also share your own. Sharing your own here will help your external visibility which improves your chances of succeeding. If you share your goal, we will email you and ask about your progress if you would like.