🎯 Are You Still On Track for Your 2025 Goals? 5 Science-Backed Steps to Ensure Success

Happy Sunday, !

I hope you've carved out a little downtime today to recharge and reflect. Before we dive in, grab your favorite beverage, find your most comfortable spot, and prop those feet up—you've earned this brief pause. As we transition into the third month of 2025, it's the perfect moment to check in on yourself, recalibrate, and ensure you're staying on track with your ambitions for the year. Today, we're going to break down five simple, science-backed steps to help you not just set goals, but actually achieve them—making this year your most rewarding one yet.

But before we get into the newsletter, here are some treats for you…

• Twelve years of knowledge and wisdom packed a 20-minute episode of Pay or Quit…you won’t want to miss. Listen here or click the thumbnail below!

• If you’re a big fan of learning on YouTube, like I am, check out my channel @ShawnAustinJohnson 

We're about to enter the 3rd month of 2025—can you believe it? It's the perfect time to pause, reflect, and check how you're progressing towards the goals you set at the start of the year. If you haven't yet defined clear goals, no worries—we'll start there first. And if you have, here are 5 scientifically-proven strategies to dramatically increase your chances of success.

Research shows that 83% of people who set specific financial goals feel better about their finances within a year. Yet, surprisingly, many people don’t set formal goals at all.

As the saying goes:

Let’s dive into five simple, evidence-based steps to turn your aspirations into concrete achievements.

✅ Step 1: Write Your Goals Down

A well-known study from Dominican University of California asked a simple but powerful question:

"Does writing down your goals significantly increase the likelihood of achieving them?"

The answer was a resounding YES!

In fact, you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by putting pen to paper.

Action step:
Take 10 minutes today, write your goals down clearly and specifically—then place them somewhere visible.

✅ Step 2: Activate Your Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Ever decided you wanted a specific car, and suddenly you saw that car everywhere? That’s your brain’s RAS in action, highlighting what's important to you.

Your RAS can work the same magic with your goals, keeping your mind hyper-aware of opportunities and connections related to your goal.

Action step:
Every Monday, review your written goals. Make it a weekly habit to keep your goals top-of-mind. This literally only takes 1-2 minutes per week and will accelerate your goal achievement far beyond a 2-minute investment in time.

✅ Step 3: Regularly Monitor Your Progress

Psychological research published in Psychological Bulletin shows regular progress monitoring significantly increases goal achievement. To simplify this, try a quick color-coded system:

• 🟢 Green: On track

• 🟡 Yellow: Slightly off track, but have a clear plan to correct

• 🔴 Red: Off track without a clear plan (time to get one!)

Action step:
Once per month (like right now!), quickly check your progress and adjust if needed. Focus only on a handful of crucial goals. For me, I have found that 3-5 is optimal.

✅ Step 4: Practice Mental Contrasting (the WOOP Method)

Developed by psychologist Gabrielle Oettingen, the WOOP method helps you prepare for obstacles, making you far less likely to quit when things get tough.

WOOP stands for:

• Wish: Clearly identify your goal

• Outcome: Vividly imagine achieving it

• Obstacle: Honestly anticipate potential hurdles

• Plan: Strategically decide how you'll overcome these obstacles ahead of time

People don’t quit their goals dramatically—they quit quietly, one small compromise at a time. WOOP helps you prevent this subtle quitting.

Action step:
Apply the WOOP method to your most important goal this week. Identify your biggest obstacle and outline precisely how you’ll tackle it.

✅ Step 5: Tie Goals to Your Identity

People who align goals with their identity find intrinsic motivation easier. For example, if your goal is running a marathon, don't just say "I'm going to run a marathon." Instead, frame it around who you want to be:

Note: This isn’t about “manifesting” or just using positive affirmations. It's about reinforcing behaviors that align with who you see yourself becoming.

Action step:
Take your each goal and clearly state the identity you want to embody. Remind yourself of this frequently.

🎯 Bonus Step 6: Share Your Goals

If you want to turbo-charge your chances of success, don’t just write down your goals—share them!

People who write down goals and share them with a friend or family member are 76% more likely to achieve them compared to just thinking about their goals privately.

Action step:
Tell one trusted person about your most important goal. Ask them to help keep you accountable through periodic check-ins.

Here are some common mistakes people make so you can avoid them:

• Not setting clear goals at all 👎

• Not writing them down

• Never revisiting their goals

• Trying to achieve too many goals simultaneously (focus is key!)

🏆 The Goal Line

As we move further into 2025, take a moment today to review and reflect on your goals. Implementing these 5 (+1 bonus) evidence-backed steps can transform the way you approach goal-setting and dramatically increase your chance of success.

Remember, goals don’t happen overnight. They’re accomplished through deliberate, consistent action. With these proven strategies in your corner, you're more equipped than ever to make 2025 your best year yet.

You've got this. Let’s do great things together.

Have an awesome week ahead!