3 Things You Need to Move beyond Aspiration to Achievement

There’s just something about the New Year that inspires us to believe we can do better, live better, be better than we’ve been in the past.

The problem, of course, is that aspirations aren’t actions. They are wishes. And wishes don’t come true simply because we acknowledge them. To move from aspiration to achievement, you need these three things:

1) Measurable goals

The first step in turning your aspiration into an action plan is to identify measurable targets to aim for. You won’t know what you need to do to make your dream a reality if you do not articulate your goal in concrete terms. “Eat better” is a vague, low-level goal. “Eat 6 or more servings of vegetables each day” is a specific, measurable, and — for some of us — high goal. If your current veggie intake is zero, 6 or more servings is a challenging goal. And that’s how it should be. Studies show lofty goals lead to greater effort and persistence than easy or moderately challenging goals. Aim high.

2) Knowledge and skills

It’s possible you can achieve your ambitions simply by applying what you already know. But activities that increase your sense of confidence also generate feelings of confidence and increase commitment. Read this description of the 3-C energy cycle to get a better understanding. You can (and should) act like your own coach. Increased feelings of competence, confidence and commitment make it less likely you’ll quit after an initial small success. Take a class. Read a book. Challenge yourself to learn a new way to roast, steam and saute your veggies. Ask you colleagues for insider secrets on how they do what they do so well. If you rely only on your past approach, boredom will drain your motivation. Continually add to your repertoire of goal-relevant skills and options.

3) Feedback

You can’t achieve excellence if you don’t measure your progress. Keep count of completed goal-related activities using whatever system works for you. I keep records in a variety of ways. Lists, spreadsheets and tally marks. Portfolios. Post-it notes. Check marks on the calendar. The method doesn’t matter. If you’re scared to keep track or think it’s too much work, you are sabotaging your own success. Keeping account puts you on the hook to deliver the measurable results you desire.

If — or when — you don’t deliver, use your tracking system and some focused reflection to see where you went wrong. Then get back on track immediately. I was inspired this week by Kelly James-Enger’s willingness to share her own full-frontal feedback about her unmet 2011 financial goals. When it comes to feedback, candor is key. You can’t improve on what you don’t understand. (You can see what Kelly learned from her own self-assessment in this blog post.)