There’s just something refreshing about a new year.

It’s a brand new opportunity to wipe the slate clean and get a reset.

Each year we hit the reset button, and we try again.

Now, I love resets,

I love new opportunities,

I love new seasons,

but I hate repeats.

I don’t like repeating myself, and I hate going around the same mountain.

And after a while the views can get a little boring and monotonous, and you don’t feel very accomplished.

So today, I want to help you to make 2023 the year that you change your view. The year that you actually achieve your goals, so you can aspire to new ones.

From losing weight to getting out of debt to spending more time with your family and with God, we all love to take the new year as a new season to set out to, maybe be a better person.

But a dream without a plan is just to wish.

So, today I want to take you through, four surefire steps to help you nail your goals every single time. 

These are the same 4 steps that I apply to everything that I wish to accomplish.

#1 Clarify

This seems to be an obvious one, but many miss this.

If you can’t properly clarify your goals, how are you going to know when you hit them?

So, get clear on the goals and the dreams that you have and start by writing them down.

There is something powerful that happens when you take it from your head to your hand.

Vividly describing your goals is strongly associated with goal success and it increases memory retention. 

Now, you may be saying to me, “Kris, believe me. I’m not going to forget that I need to lose 20 pounds.”

But, writing those goals down doesn’t just help you remember. It makes your mind more efficient in finding the solution to that goal.

And, this is not to be confused with the bogus Law-of-Attraction teaching.

Proverbs 21:5 reminds us that the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 

When you write down your goals, your wishlist becomes your to-do list.

So, start writing, and don’t worry about the details just yet.

Don’t dismiss your goals as unachievable just yet. Just get them down on paper and then take the next step. 

#2. Identify.

I want you to identify what has stopped you from accomplishing these goals in the past.

And, don’t just transfer your goals from last year’s notepad to this year’s. Stop and take a moment to rethink, “what stopped me from accomplishing this goal before?

And be honest. This is not the time to be swimming in denial. It is the time to put your big girl, your big boy pants on and own your stuff. 

If you’re saying, “Maybe I wanted to lose 20 pounds, but I was lazy.” “I wanted to earn another $50,000, but I had too many other interests.”

Or maybe, “I wanted to earn that same $50,000, but I had way too many responsibilities at home with the kids.” Or, “I wanted to start a YouTube channel, but always felt overwhelmed.”

“I wanted to stop flying off the handle and respond more calmly, but everyone keeps pushing my buttons.”

You get the picture.

Identify what stopped you in the past. It’s not an excuse-it’s an evaluation. It’s time to ask yourself, “What’s changed?”

If you were lazy before, what’s changed?

If you were too busy with the kids, what’s changed? Have they graduated? Have they gone off to school?

If your circumstances have stopped you, and you can’t or won’t change them, how is this year going to be any different? 

The roadblocks need to be removed before you can have free passage.

So let’s say you had a goal to drive across the country.

And your motivation is at an all-time high. You’ve been dreaming of this your entire life. And, you even bought the most reliable vehicle you can afford. And, you set out only to sit in a traffic jam because the bridge was out. And, this bridge is notorious for being closed, so you turn around, you go back home, and you try again later only to hit the same broken bridge.

You don’t check the traffic.

You don’t plan an alternate route.

You don’t buy a boat–anything–to get past that problem.

You just keep going back home defeated because something has stopped you.

Sound depressing?

Well, it kind of is, but let’s be strengthened by the words in Galatians 6:3-5, “For if anyone thinks he is something when he has nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each one will have to bear his own load.”

#3 Quantify 

Here is where you’re going to start with the end in mind and now work backward.

And this is where you’re going to need to be smart. S.M.A.R.T.

When quantifying your goals, they need to be smart, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. 

So, now it’s time to take that goal purged from step one and start to refine them.

Is it specific? Let’s say your goal is to read your Bible more. You are going to want to be more specific about what is more. Do you want to read your Bible for 20 minutes a day? Do you want to read through the Bible in a year? These are specific goals.

Is it measurable? If your goal is to read the Bible in a year, how will you be able to measure whether or not you achieve that goal? 

Is it attainable? Setting a goal to be a pro ball-player when you’re 5’ 4” and 56 years old. Not always an attainable goal.

Is it realistic? Is it realistic to get a second job when you have three young kids at home?

Is it timely? Say I want to start a business by June that has a measurable time factor, but just saying, “I want to start a business” has no end to it. Achieving your new year’s goals for this year is going to take a little bit more than motivation and a couple of resolutions. It’s going to take diligent planning. Luke 14:28 reminds us, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it.” 

#4 Solidify

In the solidify phase, it’s time to come out of the clouds and onto the road.

It’s time to start putting the pedal to the metal and take action.

So, what actions are needed to achieve your goals? Keep in mind, even God won’t steer a parked car. 

And, once you’ve determined that your goals are SMART, you can now break them down into bite-size, actionable items.

And, this is where many people are going to lose their focus because this is where the goals lose the luster.  It’s certainly not the sexy stage. This is the stage, however, that separates those who rely on motivation with those who depend on discipline. 

Look, it’s fun and exciting to brag about your goals but nobody is around in the messy middle, Nobody but you and God. 

So what are the steps that you were going to need to take to get to your goals?

If your goal is to lose 50 pounds this year, then you’re going to need to break that down into daily, actionable steps.

Identifying specifically how many calories you’re going to need to cut, how much more exercise you’re going to need to do based upon the fact that there are 3,500 calories in each pound of fat, can give you a good starting point for what needs to be done to achieve that grand goal of 50 pounds.

Is it always going to be smooth sailing? Absolutely not.

But it is easier to course-correct a ship. That is only a few degrees off mark, then one that is miles out to sea.

It’s actually simple it’s just not always easy, but when you clarify identify quantify and solidify your goals,  You will be well on your way to hearing those wonderful words. Well, done, my good and faithful servant.

And when you make a plan, your wishlist becomes your to-do list and your to-do list becomes your to- done list my friend.

It is my hope that you will step out of the toxic expectations of others and live God’s goals for your life.

If you’re ready to find and fulfill your God-given purpose, I want to encourage you to check out my online course called Destined in this self-paced course, I give you the road map to discover the call of God on your life.

If you want to learn the 4 lies about your purpose that God never said, click here.