4 Steps to Hold Yourself Accountable to the Goals You Set for 2017

Are you ready for 2017? What are you going to do differently than what you did in 2016? I hope at this point you are writing down your goals. This is a very important piece to get what you want. I got into personal development in 2010. And since then, I’ve been utilizing vision boards, writing down goals, meeting with mentors, and performing goal review. I can’t believe there are still people who at a bare minimum don’t write down their goals. And for the people who say these things don’t work, you are right. In order for these to work, you must actually get out and do some work. Your actions must align with your goals. My life has been getting better every year by utilizing these techniques. And when I say “getting better,” I don’t just mean by making me more money. I’m talking spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Create a vision board.

Let’s address the vision board. Vision boards are great. And once your vision board is done you, should hang it up. I meet plenty of people who have done a vision board, then throw it into the attic, never to be seen again. In that case, a vision board probably won’t do you any good. So, be sure to hang your vision board in a place you have to see every day. Now, if you want to be a wholesaler, rehabber, landlord, etc., you should definitely put a house on your vision board.

If you can’t find pictures in magazines to accommodate your needs, then just write it in with a marker. Once your vision board is complete, take a picture of it with your smartphone. And if you think it will help, use it as your phone wallpaper. If you think you might need help creating your vision board, go on Meetup.com and search “vision board parties.” I swear, every January there’s literally 80 or so Meetups holding vision board parties.

Write down ALL of your goals.

Having goals is essential to achievement. If one of your friends pulled up to you and says, “Hey, hop in. Let’s go,” you’d reply with, “Where we going?” If your friend then says, “I have no idea,” you might tell the friend you have better things to do than to ride around aimlessly. Let’s apply that to your life. It’s never a good idea to wander around aimlessly. Therefore, you need goals to know where you are going. Once you identify your goals for the year, then you need to put them on a paper. Try to be detailed if possible. For example, you may want to do six wholesale deals, two flips, and pick up one rental. If that’s your goal, you need to write each of those down. Also, do not forget to write down spiritual, health, and other goals.

Find a mentor.

Let’s just say you don’t have money to pay for a mentor or a coach in whatever specific niche. You can try to attend local Meetups via Meetup.com, BiggerPockets, and your local real estate club. If you are willing, invest time in organizations by volunteering, attending meeting, or serving others. Then you might be able to pick up a free mentor like I did. If you don’t want to do that, then mentors don’t have to be personally in your life. You can have virtual mentors — I’ve had many mentors I never met. I remember first starting out watching motivational videos on Youtube while writing out letters. The key is to listen to them and take action.

Perform a goal review.

After the year is over, it is important to perform a goal review. That means you sit down, review your progress, and figure out what you have to do to be better, why you fell short, and what changes need to happen. Many people do not do this. I actually just started doing this for the first time this year. The review process gives you time to reflect. You can do this alone or with your team, mentors, or coaches — but it must be done. You need to hold yourself accountable to ensure your are making the progress your mouth says you want. Always remember, we don’t get out of life who we say we are; we get out of life who we are.

In conclusion, I hope this was helpful. All these things above, plus the most important piece — which is taking action — can give you a very lucrative 2017. If you do all of this above and take no action, then these things won’t work. There is no shortcut to success. These things I mentioned are just some components to help you achieve your success. If you don’t want your 2016 to look like your 2017 then you should definitely do something different. Remember, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting something other than the same bad results.

What are your major goals for 2017? What tips and tricks do you have for actually achieving those goals?

Let me know with a comment!

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.