I know your inner fire was blazing January 1st when you made your 2012 goals or 'resolutions', but according to the dismal stats, for many of you, that fire has already turned to stone cold ashes. According to a 2007 study by Richard Wisemen of the University of Bristol, 78% of those who set New Year's resolutions fail. 4 out of 5 people simply give those resolutions up, and a whopping 1/3 of them are ditched before the end of January!

We know all about the benefits of making SMART Goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-specific) but how can you ensure your goals have staying power and retain the energy for you to "keep on keepin' on?" To supercharge your goal setting, you must connect with your emotions. You must make sure that your goals are HAIRY. (Heartfelt, Aligned, Irresistible, Rockin' and Yours.)

The term 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal' (BHAG) was proposed by James Collins and Jerry Porras in their 1994 book entitled Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. A BHAG encourages companies to define visionary goals that are more strategic and emotionally compelling.  

I have gone further with the word HAIRY, and have created an acronym to help attach your feelings to your goals in order to prevent them from fizzling out. Why do you want to achieve a particular goal that you have set? It's the emotional element that expertly transfers the picture of your achieved goal into your brain's memory cells. Think about the emotions you will feel when you have achieved your goal. Allow your body to respond to the feelings associated with the picture you have created.   Visualizing a result and adding to it the color of our senses and emotions is like pouring lighter fluid on a campfire. Kapow!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GOALS HAIRY

H eartfelt:  

Tap into your deepest emotions and ask yourself, "What does it feel like in my heart when I think of the goal I have set?" Is your answer: Painful? Exhilarating? Boring? Indifferent? Thrilling? Make sure you set your goal to positively connect with your heart so that when you think of the feelings that will result from achieving that goal, your heart feels like it is glowing and expanding. Make sure your goal is truly heartfelt.

A ligned: Is your goal aligned with your core values and your personal vision? It is critical that your goals be furthering your life in a way that is consistent with who you really are.  If there is a disconnect, there will be a subconscious reluctance to complete your goal.

I rresistible: Make sure your goal is like a super dooper ultra-strong magnet. No matter how hard you try, you keep getting drawn back to that goal. It is passionate, powerful, sexy. You really, really want it.

R ockin': Rock music is always flirting with the edge and pushing the envelope. It's big, it's exciting and it's over the top (think Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show).  Make sure your goal is Rockin'! If your goal doesn't inspire you to push your limits, it is too small. As they say, "Go big or stay home!"

Y ours:  If you want to sustain your goal, be certain that it is your goal and not someone else's goal that you have adopted as yours. What do YOU want really deep inside? Oh yes, we are going back to the heart again. If it is something you think you SHOULD do, you will not stick with it. The goal has to be created by you, owned by you, and felt by you.

In a nutshell: Making your goals both SMART and HAIRY will keep the 4-alarm fire burning all year long!

P.S. Need a refresher on setting SMART Goals? Click here to download the PDF of my Do-able Goal Setting chapter from my book, Harmony from the Inside Out.  

"The more intensely we feel about an idea or goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment"

- Earl Nightingale (motivational author 1921-1989)