Ahmad J Azmi shares five tips to help crush your goals in the coming new year

A new year is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. It’s a new dawn that presents a host of opportunities to throw off the baggage of the past and begin anew. It is a time for optimism and rebirth and to reassess your life and re-evaluate what’s important. A new year is also the time for resolutions to finally chase that long-held dream or reach for that cherished goal. Unfortunately, for many of us, as the year rolls on, the ambitions we had in early January slowly fade and die a lonely death.

Entrepreneur and military veteran Ahmad J Azmi is no stranger to dreaming big and achieving bigger, and although it is always an uphill struggle, he believes insetting tangible goals in the new year and sticking to them is a sure-fire way to be successful. He explained, “Make no bones about it; it will take discipline, tenacity, and patience to crush your goals in the new year, but it’s the perfect opportunity to seize the day. Of course, you need to be practical about it and have a well-thought-out plan. A strategic approach is a key to success.”

With this in mind, J Azmi has five crucial tips he believes will help you crush your goals in the coming year. He explained, “Firstly, prioritise which goal means the most to you and focus on that 100 per cent. Too many people try to overachieve and end up achieving nothing at all or way less than expected. Take one step at a time. Once you’re happy you’ve achieved one goal, it’s time to move on to the next. Secondly, anticipate all potential pitfalls. The road between you and your goals is a hard one to travel, and there’ll be many obstacles along the way. Never make the rookie mistake of thinking it’ll be easy. As the saying goes: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Thirdly, create a timetable and stick to it. You need a definite start and end date; otherwise, you’ll just drift.”

J Azmi’s last two tips are to accept but never be defeated by failure and always be willing to innovate and adapt as time ticks on. He explained, “Everyone experiences failure along the way, but the trick is to not get disheartened and always persevere. Learn from your failures and bounce back stronger. This brings me to my final, and in many ways, most important tip. Always be ready to adapt to changing circumstances—it’s the mark of a true entrepreneur. When you become too rigid and inflexible, your goals will quickly pass you by. So stay fluid, be willing to think on your toes, and simply go for it.”