3 Ingredients To Accomplish Your 2025 Goals

If you're reading this, then you have a lot of New Year's resolutions with little to no progress being done.

Ever since New Year's Eve, you had in mind a list of goals to turn your life around, to become successful. Yet, your list of goals remains unchecked.

“But that's alright,” you say to yourself. “There's still time left for this month. In fact, I have 11 more months to get started. What's the rush?” 

However, in the back of your mind you know. 

‘I won't be able to do this.’

This exact same scenario happened last year, the year after that, even the last decade for some of you reading. This is the New Year's Blues.

I'll admit I've been there before and still struggle with it. Luckily, many who do succeed with their New Year's Goals understand the hurdles and mapped out their plans for you to succeed as well.

It all comes down to 3 huge problems, each with a simple solution you can start today.

1. Be Clear

The first major hurdle is that your goals are too vague. Common goals include: losing weight, starting a side hustle, or finding love. These in of themselves aren't bad, the issue arises when you're trying to uphold them daily.

You can't say you only want to lose weight. How much weight do you want to lose? What are you eating or not eating that is causing you to weigh as you are now? Do you have a reasonable exercise regimen?

For every goal made, there are 10+ questions you need to answer.

How are YOU going to achieve it?

What does the goal look like to YOU?

Why is it important for YOU?

You're going from good goals to having smart goals to follow.

In fact, the SMART framework is a great approach to detailing your goal.

• Specific - how would you answer this goal using the 5 W’s?

• Measurable - how can you keep track of the progress of the goal?

• Achievable - is the goal achievable now or after some preparations?

• Relevant - does this goal align with who you are or will it get in the way of who you are?

• Time Frame - what are the milestones & tasks related to this goal and their due date?

Apply these 5 questions to each of your goals to understand all aspects of it and how it will look throughout this year.

This leads to the second problem many people face, the goal is forgettable.

2. Break It Down

Many people write out their goals and plans to achieve them only to leave them collecting dust on a page in a random journal on their bookshelf. By the time they find the goal, it's already the end of summer and Christmas is right around the corner.

The problem is how life - responsibilities and lifestyle - will come and take your focus and energy away from them. You default to what you're used to - whether out of necessity or from poor habits - instead of trying something new.

The solution goes back to the SMART framework, the Measurable and Time Frame category. You need to measure large goals by breaking it down to smaller goals (milestones) for each month or annual quarter (3 months). Then you go more in-depth with weekly or biweekly projects you need to do.

This feeds into the motivation cycle, as illustrated below by easy, actually:

To gain motivation, you do work that is simple to complete yet challenging. Once you complete the work, you gain motivation to do the next work. The momentum you build will lead you to growth and confidence.

This is how you break away from the default lifestyle and enjoy the upgraded lifestyle.

This is the same trick gamification techniques use. You're leveling up your character with mini quests (projects) to face the bosses (milestones), all part of completing the game (main goal).

Yet, like any game you have a preference for, some goals may not resonate with you & cause more harm than good.

3. Be Yourself

Going back to the last problem, you have goals but you feel like your default life is in the way of completing them. You've broken down the goal into milestones and projects with a perspective of a game. Yet, you feel drained from playing the game even after breaking it down to manageable playthroughs.

The issue is you're allocating your limited resources - time, focus, and energy - into a goal you don't enjoy.

An example is having a goal to become an entrepreneur, because you've heard it's a secure way to earn money. You decide to quit the 9-5 and make a game plan to become a successful entrepreneur. Yet, all this freedom feels draining compared to how you were in a structured setting.

You start to realize while all these millionaires enjoy the creative freedom, this doesn't fit you. In fact, with careful planning, you could’ve found success through the 9-5 with budgeting and networking.

The solution is once again found in the SMART framework, the Achievable and Relevant questions.

Applying this to your goals, you first need to understand you shouldn't need a lot of goals. Simply having 2-3 goals is enough to accomplish in a year while managing your energy and time.

Another way to limit your goals is to consider postponing some for another year or breaking it down down further into a smaller goal (eg. a goal of becoming a pro bodybuilder becomes a goal to maintain a healthy weight this year).

Also know, if your goal isn't one you're interested in then get rid of it. Just because someone you admire or trust has that goal doesn't mean you need to follow suit. You will only achieve goals if they're relevant to your values and your growth.

This will save you time and energy as you're developing yourself.

Encouraging Tip

You've done it. You've written down clear goals using the SMART framework. You made it enjoyable with milestones and projects. You took time to see if they’re goals you want to complete now, later, or never.

Before closing off, you'll need this final tip to shift your mindset on goals.

Understand that your goals will change.

As you complete the milestones and projects, take time to review what you've learned and what you've failed at. Even mistakes are compasses for your success.

Around every 3 months, get more specific with your goal and how this goal will impact your future self 5-10 years from now.

You may even realize the goal was something else entirely or one you no longer want to complete. That's ok. Goals not only give you success and challenges in life, but clarity and self-growth as well.

In essence, your goals will adapt to who you're becoming  And in order to become the person you want to be, you have to do what that person does every day.

Feel free to share your goals and game plan for this year down below, as it's a good way to build encouragement and support.

Blessings on your journey!