Do your 2022 Goals meet the ‘follow-through’ criteria? 7 Questions to Ask Yourself

Don’t you just love the energy of January? Many people are making new year's resolutions and setting goals, it’s a time of new beginnings and fresh starts.

The sad truth is though, many of those who are setting goals, won’t follow through on them. Have you ever set a goal that you were all excited about and then let it slide? I've done it more than once. 

There are abundant reasons and excuses why people don't follow through on their goals but the bottom line is that the goal was not compelling enough, it wasn’t exciting enough, or perhaps it was not in alignment with who they truly are. They start out all enthusiastic but then, when the goal feels too hard, too overwhelming, too uncomfortable, they give up. 

To up your chances of success, set goals that are aligned to who you are, who you want to be, and how you want to live your life.


So for each of the goals you set for 2022, ask yourself my top 7 questions, to make sure they're going to be something that you do actually follow through on.

Question #1 Do I absolutely want this?

The first question to ask is; Is this goal really important to me? 

Know what your values in life are, what's most important to you, and set your goals accordingly. 

The bottom line is if you don't care about it that much, you're not going to do it. 

You can ask about your goal; if no one else cared whether or not I achieved this goal, would I still want to do it? 

Now you might be thinking, well, why would I even set a goal that I don't care about? I'll get to that in a minute, but it happens a lot. Read on...


Question #2 Am I chasing my own dreams?

Your goal should truly be yours. It's got to be something that YOU want, not something that someone else wants for you, or what someone else thinks you should do. 

This is especially important if you're in business, as we are constantly bombarded with information by others and experts, telling us what to do, how we should do it, who we should do it with. 

You’ve been influenced all your life by parents, teachers, school, friends, family, religion, community. Many ideas of what you should do in life have been handed to you. Perhaps you should get a steady career, or you should buy a house, or get married and have 3.5 children. Great goals as long as they are truly yours.

The point here is that you've got to get honest with yourself about what your truest desires are for your life. Figure out what's actually important to you so that any goal you set, is truly your goal, not what your partner thinks you should do, or what your mother thinks you should do.

The question… is this goal truly mine?


Question #3 Why do I want it?

You must have strong enough reasons backing your goal otherwise you're not going to follow through. Make sure you're convinced!

Sell yourself 100% first on the idea and remember that it's not necessarily the outcome,  that makes you happy, but the feelings you will have by getting there.

For example, if you want an extra $30,000 this year, it's what you are going to do with the $30,000 that excites or inspires you, not the numbers in your bank account.

Digging down a level deeper, it's not even the things that you are going to do or have with that extra money, it's the feeling you think having or doing those things is going to give you. There's always a desired feeling underlying anything that you go really after in life. 

Your 'why' or your 'reasons' for wanting to achieve a goal are your driving force, so make sure they are compelling. 

Ask yourself, why do I really want this?

​Question #4 Is my goal a stretch or a back-breaker?

Set your yearly goals with the right amount of difficulty. Goals that are too easy won’t keep you inspired or excited, and goals that are too difficult, become very overwhelming and disheartening. 

Mindset is a huge part of succeeding at your goal and you want to set yourself up for a sense of progress and a feeling of achievement. I am all for dreaming up big but don't set goals that are likely impossible to achieve in the next year. 

Keep a bigger vision but break it down into some smaller goals, and milestones along the way that you can reach sooner.  Goals that are too big, too soon, become disheartening and you won't follow through. 

The question… Am I going too easy or too hard on myself with this goal?


Question #5 Is my end destination clear so I don’t get lost?

What exactly are you aiming for with your goal?

Be as detailed and specific as you can. To get healthy or make more money is not specific. Throw in some numbers, describe what getting healthy means to you and define it clearly until you will know, without a doubt, what the outcome is.

Define what healthy (or wealthy or happy) means for you. It could mean that you want to compete in the next Ironman challenge, or that you just want to get up off the couch without moaning and groaning. It was a big variation there, so just determine what it is for you. 

Ask has my goal got the detail that I need to make a specific plan to achieve it? And to know when you've achieved it? 

Clarity is key and if you don’t have it, you won’t be compelled to keep working on your goal.


Question #6 Does my goal light me up?

Or will my goal help me feel the way I want to feel?

Sometimes we set goals that are kind of empty and don’t help us feel the way we want to feel or live how we want to live. If you set a goal that requires you to work 80 hours a week yet one of your top values is family time, it’s probably not going to be a good match for you. 

Make sure your goals make you feel good about what you’re doing and who you are being.


Question #7 Have I got some steps in place?

It’s essential to create a plan of action for every goal you set. 
Ask yourself, do I have at least the first few steps written out for this goal?

You don't have to know every single step of the way, but you've got to work out how you're going to get started. So the question here really is what are at least three actions I can take right now to get started on this goal?

Write out your steps as much as you can, so when it's time to get started, you know exactly what to do. It's going to be far less stressful, confusing, or overwhelming.


Follow these steps and ask these questions for each of your goals. Get the clarity and drive that you need in place, and you’ll be off to a flying start. And...

Ditch any goals that don’t meet up to your personal values and how you want to live your life.


Feel free to let me know what you’re working on, I’d love to hear about your goals for the coming year. 

And if you want to get into action on your visibility and biz goals for 2022, so you can show up more, have a greater impact and make more money, I invite you to join the waitlist for Project REAL. 
Details and waitlist here.

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​Meet Melissa Kay 
A mother, lover of life, personal growth, and good coffee, Melissa has a passion for inspiring and helping others to dream big and take action. She owns and runs Melissa Kay Coaching where she focuses on empowerment and lasting transformation, so her clients can create a life and business they truly love. 

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