Check out this Webb-Site: The Importance of Goal Setting

By Joe Webb, National Sales Manager

As we begin the new year, it is important to set goals. These are different from the old-school new year’s resolutions, vague intentions to eat healthier or get in shape or work harder to earn more money, which often collapse before Valentine’s Day. If you have ever been to a gym on January 2, you know what I’m talking about. These resolutions are often doomed before they start, not because of laziness or any other moral failure, but rather because we don’t set ourselves up for success. Goals require short, middle, and long-term quantifiable steps in order to be reached.

The key to this approach is accountability, which enables incremental successes and increases momentum. Set your long-term goal and then work backwards: Where do you want to be in one year? Six months? Three months? Devise a strategic plan comprised of weekly goals. As you start this process, ask what has been a barrier to success in the past. Once these impediments are identified, you can begin overcoming them.

It’s important to review goals on a daily or weekly basis: choose a set time to assess progress objectively and revise as needed. I like using Sundays as a jumping-off point for the week; checking what is on my calendar helps prepare for the days ahead. When trying to establish goals it is often helpful to use existing routines that have worked in the past and build on those. If to-do lists are effective strategies, make one every week and cross off the tasks you achieve them. This tangible record of your progress can be highly motivating. Phone alerts, set schedules, affirmations, personal reward systems…find what method suits your personal style and stick to it!

Short-term goals should not take up much time, but rather deliver a slow and steady build towards the ultimate plan. Expectations should be reasonable in order to decrease burnout and cause you to abandon the whole enterprise. Remember the January gym crowd?

Goals, like life, should be well-rounded. Avoid complete focus on work or finances, home repair, fitness or family. Take an objective and open-minded look at the three most important areas of your life and set a goal for each. Balance is critical; pay equal attention to each area to ensure that you maintain healthy progress across the board.

I plan to focus my 2025 goals around leadership: as National Sales Manager at SIGMA, in my community as a coach, and setting a good example as a father (not just a wrestling referee).

I wish you a happy, healthy, successful 2025.