With a new year, brings new resolutions. What are some of your resolutions or big goals that you hope to accomplish in 2014? Considering your track record of goal accomplishment, how likely are you to achieve them?  

Not long ago, I stumbled across a very inspiring story of a man named Roger who set some pretty big goals for himself...and in less than a year, those goals were realized. How did he do it? 

First, his goal was SMART (follow the link to learn more about SMART goals). SMART is short for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Responsible and Time Driven. Rick's goal met all of these criteria. He was going to run a marathon, on a specific date (Specific, Measurable, and Time Driven). His goal was achievable. He knew he could do it, though I seriously doubt anyone else thought it was likely to occur. And Rick took on the responsibility himself to make it happen. He got help, but he knew he was responsible for making it happen. All of these characteristics are key to setting accomplishable goals, but the next reason is why Rick was so successful when no one thought he could be.

Second, his WHY was HUGE!! He was running for his niece. To raise money to save her life. How much harder would it be to blow off your alarm clock on a cold winter morning, if you knew you were running for your niece?

The lesson is this. Don't set goals that don't have a huge why behind them. Your why might be totally about you, but that is OK as long as it is a really big deal to you. Big enough to get you out of bed in the mornings and keep you up late. Once you have your why, use the SMART framework to set the specifics of your goal. Lastly, just like Rick did. Get help! We all need help. It might not be more than an encouraging word from your spouse, but we all need a cheering squad. Enlist people to be on yours.

Here is the rest of Rick's story:

In 2008, Roger set out on a quest to lose weight, get healthy and eventually run in the Boston Marathon. But not just for himself, for his niece who was born with Cystic Fibrosis. His goal was to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, along with raising money for research into the treatment and cure of this heartbreaking disease.

On this incredible journey at age 47, Roger beat the odds. He grabbed hold of his health, passion and love, beat his obesity and became an accomplished marathon runner. Roger is a humble man, and continues to run marathons to this day to raise money for CF research. On November 6, 2011 Roger ran the New York City Marathon. It was his 12th marathon in the 2.5 years since he ran the 2009 Boston Marathon.

For all those wondering, his niece Julia is still alive and Roger continues to run for her sake. He works tirelessly to spread the message that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to do. 

If you would like to learn more about Cystic Fibrosis or how you can donate to the cause, visit www.cff.org. 

About Curt Fowler

Curt Fowler is the President and Founder of Fowler & Company, a business advisory firm founded to help its clients maximize the value of their organizations. Curt is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his Masters in Accountancy from the University of Georgia. He also earned an MBA in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School at Northwestern. He has spent 20 years studying and learning from some of the best businesses in America including Verizon, Sara Lee, Cox Communications and many more.