EARLY in a new year, many people make purposeful pledges to accomplish important tasks that they believe will make a significant difference in their lives. However, many of them find that their firm resolutions do not last through the year, and many of their hopeful plans remain unfulfilled.

Last week we looked at ways to determine if you should go ahead with, postpone, or call a halt to the goals that you may be contemplating for this year. Obtaining relevant information, getting expert guidance and obeying your instincts are key elements when creating a goal ‘traffic light’.

If you have already embarked upon your quest, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent pace until you arrive at your destination. The journey is often fraught with distractions, disappointments and delays that can divert you from the pathway which can successfully take you to your goal.

It would be helpful if there were tangible goal signs that would direct you away from danger and point you safely to your target. Let’s look at how to decipher some of the possible signals that you may encounter as you traverse the long, and often treacherous, route to accomplish your goals.

NO PARKING

You have been guilty of procrastinating on the steps in your goal plan. You write to-do lists for all your unfinished tasks, but never seem to get around to carrying them out. You keep resetting the timeline on your goal end date, making excuses why you have not moved further along.

The ‘No Parking’ sign admonishes you for wasting precious time when you should be working on your objectives. Stop deceiving yourself; your laziness is only going to kill your dreams. Revive yourself from your stupor, rev up your engine, and restart your journey immediately.

INTERSECTION AHEAD

You have been travelling easily along a straight road, as the first steps in your action plan were simple and uncomplicated. However, you have reached a new point in your journey where you need to make a big decision that could determine the ultimate failure or success of your plans.The ‘Intersection Ahead’ sign indicates that you need to take some time to make prudent choices about your next actions. You may need to seek guidance from expert sources, or carry out additional research to obtain all the information required to decide which way to turn.

REDUCE SPEED

You have been racing along your journey, revelling in the initial victories from your efforts. You are getting a little overconfident, boasting to everyone how easy it will be to attain your objectives. Your arrogance is leading you to make poor decisions that could potentially wreck your plans.

The ‘Reduce Speed’ sign warns you that haste makes waste when you are working on long-term goals, as there are no shortcuts to success. There are major pitfalls ahead, which your excessive speed and inexperience will prevent you from seeing. Proceed with caution in all your actions.

DETOUR AHEAD

You have been comfortably driving a big, smooth highway, but you’re not on the most effective route to arrive at your destination. You don’t want to leave your comfort zone to traverse a road that is unknown to you, so you prefer to continue in your current direction.

The ‘Detour Ahead’ sign informs you that you need to take a different course if you eventually want to reach your objective. You have to be courageous enough to experience unfamiliar new pathways, and be willing to learn and grow from any challenges that may come your way.

LOOK OUT FOR FALLING ROCKS

Your route has taken you to a stretch of roadway that is filled with hidden dangers. Although the passage seems clear, at any point in time a major risk could appear which could severely derail your progress or even put an end to your entire journey.

The ‘Look Out for Falling Rocks’ sign alerts you to be on the lookout for probable hazards that are common to the goals that you are pursuing. You need to implement risk- mitigation strategies that will help you to avoid or recover from a negative event that comes with the territory.

NO U-TURN

Your attempts to carry out your objectives have not met with the results you anticipated and you think that you don’t have what it takes to achieve your goal. You begin to second-guess your ideas and you wish you could just return to the person you were before you started chasing your dreams.

The ‘No U-Turn’ sign reassures you that it is not possible to go back in the opposite direction as you have already made significant progress on your journey. Although you may not realise it, your experiences have helped you to develop into the person you need to be to attain your goals.

Once you learn to recognise what your goal-directional signals are indicating, you will gain valuable insight on the next steps you need to take on your journey. Just keep your eyes focused on your target and persevere in your efforts, and you will eventually obtain your reward!

Cherryl is a money coach, business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. Her upcoming book, “The 3 Ms of Money” will reveal all the secrets she learned about financial success. Get more advice on money and business matters at www.financiallysmartadvice.com and www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com. E-mail comments to cherryl@financiallysmartonline.com.