I am writing this blog on the cusp of a brand new year so I thought I would share some strategies I have used to turn my goals into reality in the past. The list may be common sense, but in most cases, when I have failed to reach a goal that I set, I can trace it back to either neglecting or failing to execute one of these basic steps.

Many of us have set goals for our personal and business lives in 2015, so let’s take a moment to review some tried and true steps to make those goals a reality in the coming year.

1. Write down your goals, including the steps to achieve them.

This may seem so basic that you disregard it. After all, you already know what your goals are, why write them down? Simply writing down a goal causes you to think more deeply about it and what is required to turn that goal into reality. Is the goal achievable? What resources are needed? What is the first and second step? It is one thing to talk about goals, but writing them down along with the necessary steps breathes life into them and gives you a road map to follow. So take time to work on this and keep this list of goals and steps in a place you can review it often.

2. Stick to the plan.

Some people take the time to set goals and define steps to achieve them only to abandon the plan as soon as they get busy with the day-to-day of running a business. These goals were something that you thought about in a calm moment and determined them to be a priority for your company, so it must be important to your future. That being said, it is easy to allow the urgencies/priorities of the day to crowd out what you have defined as the highest priorities. I urge you to set aside some time to focus on the things that you have decided are important and to not allow your priorities to become a slave of your urgencies.

3. Review and, if needed, revise the plan.

The final step in realizing your goal is being ready to adapt to the changing realities you face. When you define the goal, it is impossible to anticipate everything you might face in the coming year, so you must review the plan regularly and take these factors into account. Notice, I did not say to give up on your goal when the realities change, I just said to adapt to those changes. If your goals are significant (and I hope they are), they won’t come easily. The important thing is to not give up. Continue to push toward the goal when obstacles are thrown in your way. Even if you do not fully realize it, you might be surprised at just how much you did accomplish by keeping your eye on the prize.

Well, that’s it! I hope that this encourages you to set some new goals for 2015 and follow these steps to accomplish more than you thought possible. Remember, if you aim at nothing, you’re sure to hit it.

Have a terrific New Year! I wish all of you a healthy and prosperous 2015.