Research shows that 95% of New Year’s Resolutions are fitness related, but after just 3 months, only 10% of people think their resolution will last. I am correlating fitness goals to our business. We make goals every year about getting our business fit and fabulous whether it is adding more doors to grow, in size or revenue, streamlining our operations, or hiring a team, but sadly most businesses rarely accomplish their goals.

So why do we give up so easily and how can we make sure our goals not only last, but are met?

10 Reasons we give up on our New Year’s Goals

1. Going Solo

Many of us set our goals and then try to achieve them alone. We won’t tell anyone what we’re working towards in fear of failure. In fact, we need to think more – strength in numbers, by sharing our goals with others we are more likely to succeed for two reasons.

  1. You are accountable to someone. Sharing a goal suggests you’re truly serious about wanting to make it happen, as you wouldn’t want to be seen as a failure.
  2. A problem shared is a problem halved. Partnering with someone towards your goal, be it a mentor or a coach adds twice the motivation and can help to ensure you don’t let yourself, or your partner down.

2. Too High Expectations

It’s important to set goals which are realistic, specific, and measurable, you can’t expect a Christmas miracle to conquer your New Year’s goal for you. If you want to add more doors, put a number on it that’s achievable, rather than leaving it open-ended. For example: Adding 5 doors per month for 12 months. Take a good hard look at whether your goal is manageable. It may mean downsizing your goal for now but keeping it as a goal to work towards in the future, as part of your bigger picture. This might include getting all your systems and processes in place. That usually is a goal that takes time and once done is always being revised and updated.

3. Giving up too easily

January is a tough month, it’s cold, it’s dark, everyone’s recovering from the holidays, talk about January blues…because of this, it seems to take less of an excuse for us to give up on our goals. We need to hang in there! Having a plan of how you’re going to achieve your goals once the excitement wears off can help you to stay focused. Once you’ve achieved a goal, you’re far more likely to set and achieve another because you know you can do it, you’ve proved it! Anything worth doing takes effort but it is well worth it in the end. The important thing here is to just show up. Show up daily, weekly, annually and you will make progress.

4. Not Enough Time

As with any goal, sometimes it’s hard to find the time to make it work and this can be the reason we fail. Batching tasks into 1-hour slots or breaking task into 15-minute segments can help to knock your goal down into more manageable time frames. For example, EHOH, every hour on the hour, is a technique where exercise is broken down into a few minutes at a time to combat the negative effects of having a sedentary office job. The same technique can be applied to anything we do in property management. If your goal is important to you then you will make the time to do it. This is where being connected to your WHY is important. Often people think they must set aside hours to create their processes or update PM Agreements or do the accounting. Try batching and using the EHOH method to peck away at your tasks and goals.

5. Not Enough Money

A new goal usually comes at a cost, whether it’s a new piece of software, paying for marketing or hiring a new team member, money can be a deciding factor in achieving your goal. It can also be used as an excuse to not get started. While sometimes the initial startup does cost a lot, you must see it as an investment in yourself. Choose products and software which is designed to grow as the business grows to save money down the line. Paying for a membership in NARPM both at National and State levels can help you achieve your goals and provide extra support to make sure you get there. Keep things simple in the beginning. If your goal does have a high price tag, then start setting aside a little money each month and build your fund. Partner with someone and share the expense. I shared my bookkeeper with two other property managers, so it was affordable to me since I only needed her 15-20 hours a week. Ask others in property management what products they use for certain tasks before you spend your hard-earned money. Lastly, look at the memberships you already have and leverage all the benefits provided before you go off and join more organizations or buy more products.

 6. No Plan

A person who fails to prepare, prepares to fail. This is a saying I stand by 100%. If I don’t have healthy food choices at the office, I’ll snack off plan, or starve and binge, neither are great. If you set off on a journey you’d never been on before without satellite navigation or maps, how would you make it without checking the route in advance? Planning and preparation prevent a poor outcome. Yes, you can hire a coach or consultant as your guide, but you’ll still need to plan when and how you’re going to work with them. A goal without a plan is just a wish, you need to put your words into actions to achieve your goal.

7. No Motivation

Motivation might be what gets you started, but it fades, so you need to use that initial motivation to create habits that will keep you going, especially once the initial excitement is a thing of the past. Have a strong WHY so that you can tap into it when you just don’t feel like doing it, whatever it is. Sometimes all we need to get our motivation back is to act. Make a decision even if you aren’t sure, it is the right one. Guess what? If you don’t like the outcome or where the decision is taking you, you can make a different decision. You are never married to your decisions. You can change them at any time.

8. No Self-Belief

Sometimes we could really do with someone reminding us there is no such thing as, I can’t. This is a big contender when it comes to goals, as you have to believe you can do it. We also don’t compliment ourselves enough for the progress we make along the way even if we haven’t hit our goal. If progress has been made, it should be recognized and proves that it can be done. Don’t think you can do it? Prove yourself wrong! Save the positive reviews and emails from clients to remind yourself that you are a good property manager and others value you. We often focus on the negative, the 1% that complain versus realizing that 99% love us. You are the expert which is why people hire you. Your thoughts guide your actions so choose positive thoughts when the negative ones appear.

9. Social Situations

Over the holidays it is natural to overdo it. Isn’t that why we make the Fitness Resolution to begin with? For a fit business you need to surround yourself with positive and successful businesspeople who can cheer you on when the going gets tough, and it will. Attend business events, meetings, and conferences where you are educating yourself, networking with other professionals and keeping the tank full. Isolation leads to burnout and depression. Property Management is a field that entails problem solving daily so make sure you have people to connect with in your personal life as well as professional life. We are social beings and just knowing we aren’t alone in our journey can support us when the road gets bumpy.

10. You Forget

You made your resolution drunk at 12.01am New Year’s Day and woke up on January the second completely oblivious. Perhaps a drunken resolution is destined to fail. This is a great example of what happens to us when we attend a conference get pumped and then return to the office and everything is out the window. We are plunged back into the daily grind. Don’t forget your goals. Write them down. Share them. Check-in monthly to monitor your progress. Be reasonable in your expectations and time available to work on your goals. Lastly, celebrate the progress not the win at the finish line.

I always say your business should support your life not the other way around. Get fit in your life and set goals to create a fit business that supports you, is profitable, and contributes to your community. What you do in life and business matters so make it count. Here’s to keeping your New Year’s Goals for a Fit and Fabulous business!