How to Stick To Your Goals, For Real This Time
- fullifecoaching
- Jan 4, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 18
Are you the type of person who gets a gold star for setting goals, but then fails to…ahem…complete them? (Been there!)
Or maybe you're the queen of crushing your New Year's resolutions during the first three months of the year, only to find yourself three months later wondering what happened?! (Same.)
In my opinion, our goals fail to stick because of society’s one-size-fits-all approach to how we set them in the first place.
To see your goals through to the sweet, sweet finish line, you first have to know how you prefer to navigate life. This is where a navigator personality comes in handy (a.k.a. how you most like to experience life through four unique perspectives).
Visual navigators like to experience life through imagery.
Word navigators like to experience life through the written word.
Auditory navigators like to experience life through sounds.
Kinesthetic navigators like to experience life through touch.
Next, you have to identify the goal-setting technique that best fits your unique navigator personality. Here are four tools & techniques that I recommend:
For Visual Navigators: Create a vision board.
If you're a Visual navigator, vision boards are for you. Most often, vision boards are magazine cutout collages that showcase someone's vision for the coming year. If you’re not feeling crafty, you can use Pinterest or Canva to create digital vision boards.
For Word Navigators: Write SMART goals.
If Words are your navigator language, start by journaling a brain dump about what you want. What do you want to achieve? How do you want to feel? What kind of relationships do you want to have? What skills do you want to learn? Then, write SMART Goals. "SMART" stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time Specific. Make sure each goal begins with the words "I will" to add an extra layer of accountability. Then, each month, review your goals and write down progress notes as needed.
For Auditory Navigators: record yourself.
If you’re an Auditory navigator, record yourself talking about your goals and your vision for the coming year. You may want to do one recording that’s unfiltered external processing, and a second recording that’s planned out and succinct. Then, while you drive or take a walk, listen to the recording each month to stay on track (or better yet, re-record yourself every few weeks to hear how you progress throughout the year!)
For Kinesthetic Navigators: Color in a Life Wheel.
If you're a Kinesthetic navigator like me, a Life Wheel is a must! This pie chart tool takes just 5 minutes to draw and fill in (plus it's a ton of fun). What you're left with is a snapshot of your current reality alongside your opportunities to make change and set goals. (You’ll color in shorter pie chart sections for areas you need growth in and longer sections for areas you feel great about.) To check your progress throughout the year, draw a new wheel each month and take notes.
For Everyone: Create accountability!
If you’re still unsure you’ll ever learn how to stick to a goal, remember this: Very few people can achieve goals based on pure internal motivation. (If you can, we’re all jealous.) Most people need external motivation to get things done, whether that’s a deadline, a group of friends you update on your progress, or a coach whom you meet with regularly.
I’m here to help young professionals achieve their goals—and also to help you understand why you’re not feeling motivated and create a vision that excites you.
Ali Goodin
Ali is a certified career coach, former Disney cast member, and creative professional turned career transition expert based in Central Florida. Founder of Ful Life Coaching, Ali helps job seekers, career changers, and growth-minded professionals confidently navigate career transitions. Whether you're pursuing a new role, switching industries, or seeking greater purpose in your work, Ali provides personalized coaching, job search strategy, and resume support to help you build a fulfilling, balanced career at any stage of life.
or
