Goals goals goals. It’s all anyone talks about. But do they know how to set goals?
You’re not sure the word means anything anymore. People say it like it’s a secret code. Something they know that you don’t. They suggest they’re better, superior, because they’ve got it cracked. But do they?
The first problem can be the word itself. It’s become meaningless. That’s OK. Some people prefer target. Or milestone. Or destination. Pick whatever works for you.
But it’s not really about the word. Is it?
A goal without a plan is just a dream
This is the problem I see most often. Big, exciting goals that are dreams. No start point, no end point, and no plan. Just a beautiful picture in their head. It might even be a movie. You know the one, the perfect start at exactly the right moment that builds and builds into something that looks incredible.
It gets more vivid over time. More detailed. More exciting. It’s amazing in their head. But nothing is happening in real life.
They talk about it. By talking they get clearer on what it is. Still, nothing happens.
Action and planning aren’t the same thing. You can be taking action without a plan – busy but going nowhere. You can have a plan and not take action – stuck in analysis paralysis. But without a plan, your action is random. Without action, your plan stays theoretical.
The goal needs both. A plan that tells you what to do. Action that makes it real.
Tomorrow is different. Right?
Tomorrow is the first working day of 2026. Blank page. Fresh start. Optimism that anything is possible. This is going to be your year.
This isn’t wishful thinking. There’s absolutely no reason why this can’t be your year.
But let’s stop for a moment.
Think about last year. How did January feel? What goals did you set? What did you tell yourself would be different?
Now think about February. March. The rest of the year. Where did those goals go?
Seeing things a little clearer
Look at your 2026 goal. The one you’re excited about right now. The one that feels different this time.
Now look at your 2025 goal. Your 2024 goal. Maybe even 2023.
Are they basically the same goal? Reworded slightly? Same destination, different year?
Now we are getting somewhere.
This is why goal setting doesn’t work on its own.
What’s different this time?
Not your determination. You were determined last year too. Not your motivation. You started last January motivated as well.
So what’s different? Your goal? Or your approach to achieving it?
Most people change the goal. Make it bigger. More specific. Better worded. Then wonder why nothing changes.
The goal was never the problem. Most people know how to set goals. We get taught SMART goals over and over again. That’s as good a place to start as any. The trick is in setting goals that are achievable and knowing how to break down goals into manageable steps.
Three questions to move your forward
Consider how you answered these questions in 2025:
- What were you going to do?
- By when?
- Why? (What would it give you?)
With hindsight, how might you answer them now? I’m guessing your ‘by when’ wasn’t as specific as it could be and you didn’t spend enough time defining what you were going to do in a way that you could identify when it was done. This ‘vagueness’ then extended into your why. In fact, you might have glossed over why thinking it wasn’t important.
Get specific on the action
Let’s try a different approach for 2026.
What are you going to do? Specifically. How will you know it is complete?
My goal is to grow my business. Really? How will I know I’ve been successful? One more client? Ten clients every month? Am I measuring clients or income? Hours worked? Programmes sold?
You see the point? Growing my business feels like a goal. But it isn’t defined so I’ll never know if I’ve been successful. I’ll never know if I’ve achieved my goal.
Now, when my business was my side hustle, and I launched it part way through a year, one client was my definition of success. Now, my goal is to replace my income by the end of the year (so my target is my salary in my last job) by growing my business through three income streams.
Why am I doing this? Because I want to build a business of my own. I want to see it grow. I want to do the hard work and earn the flexibility that I can build in as I grow.
Re-write your goal
Now, here’s a great trick. Re-write your goal as if it’s the day after you aimed to achieve it. So, I’m writing my goal on 1 January 2027. I have a business that grew in 2026 and replaced the income I was earning in my last job. That income comes from three income streams.
How do you feel now? I feel amazing. My business is a success by the measures I set out at the start of the year. Tip: revisit your why. Consider how it feels, has it lived up to expectations? What feels good? Is there anything you would change?
Note: I will further clarify my three income streams and set specific goals around each of them. I apply this approach to different areas of my life, including running.
Break it down
Once you’ve got this broad goal, break it down. What needs to happen between now and the date you’ve set as your deadline?
Aim to write 20 things. 20 actions or steps. If you got to 20 quickly with little effort, keep going until 40. You’re aiming to have a comprehensive list. When you think you’ve thought of everything, add another 10 to the list.
The secret to this exercise is to write down everything that pops into your head. No filter. No consideration. Just write.
‘I need a website’? Write it down. Don’t think ‘but I don’t know how to build one, I don’t have the budget to pay someone’ and then not make a note of it. No filtering means no thinking.
You’ve got a list. Now what?
Now you know how to set goals. You’ve got something to aim at. And, you’ve got a list of way too many things to do.
That list probably feels overwhelming. Good. That means you didn’t filter. You got it all out of your head.
Now it exists outside your brain. That’s progress.
This is already different from last year. Last year you had a vague goal and hope. This year you’ve got specifics. A date. A why. Actions written down.
The hard part isn’t the goal. It’s what happens next. The daily decisions. The follow-through when motivation fades. Turning that list into momentum.
That’s your next step. Take your list, start filtering, prioritising and planning.
That’s where most people get stuck. Not because they can’t do it. Because they’re using the wrong approach.
If you’re struggling to turn your list into action, book a call and we can work through what’s getting in your way.
