Goal setting can be a VERY hard for many people. It seems so easy when you think about it but only a few people can actually make it work. The thing about goal setting and actually achieving them is that once many people set out on their journey to success hurdles, set backs, obstacles, road bumps, etc start to pop up and this is the point where things get hard and many quit. BUT setting and achieving goals doesn’t have to be that way for you. There are a few steps that I have found to make setting goals stick and WORK. As I was flying home on Monday from our little mr.’s birthday vacation trip I really got to thinking about writing this blog. We hit some turbulence that required the pilot to hit the fasten seat belt sign; thats when it hit me. Now, i’m sure by now you are aware that I am a firm believer in personal development. Well, awhile ago I read a GREAT book that explains the process of goal setting to a T. Brian Tracy, one of my all time favorite pd authors, wrote the Flight Plan: The Real Secret of Success. In the book he uses the example a plane flight to describe the process of reaching your goals. If you’ve ever been on a plane before you know that you might have to go off the planned course in order to reach your destination. The pilot might come across turbulence, storms, snow, rain, lightening, etc that may make him adjust his course, but at the end of your flight you have reached your desired destination. This is exactly how life happens. You sit down and set yourself goals that you want to reach, you start to work for them, but you inevitably will need to adjust your course along the way. Now here is what I’ve found true time and time again, time management comes into play when these scenarios arise. Your ability to manage your time will determine how you handle set backs and adjust to reaching your goals. I mentioned earlier that setting goals isn’t where people fail. Actually reaching their goals is another story. What stops people from reaching the end of their journey is their inability to adjust their time or productivity along their journey.
Here are some steps I’ve found that work without fail to reach your goals.
- Figure out what you want to achieve
- Break down how you will reach the goals-step by step
- WRITE IT DOWN
- Keep at it
- Every day work towards your goals
1. Figure out what you want to achieve –This might seem self explanatory. Simply ask yourself what you want to achieve. I suggest starting with a year time frame because you can change anything in a year. If this is your first time really trying to achieve a big goal stick to one goal.
2. Break down how you will reach the goals – Now that you know what you want to achieve its time to outline how you will get there. It’s one thing to say you want to reach a goal but if you only have a general idea of where the end will take you there wont be a way to hold you accountable each day. So break down your goal step by step. Just like in Flight Plan a pilot needs to plan how he will get you from point A to point B you will also need to know how you will reach your goals. Start from the end and work your way backwards creating steps you’ll take to reach your end goal.
3. Write it down – I can’t stress this point enough, you MUST write down your commitments. By writing down what you plan to do you are signaling to your brain that you are serious and invested in your project. I don’t use the word investment lightly, as humans when we invest in something we don’t like to lose our investment so we try to do anything to keep that from happening. From personal experience when I write things down in my to-do list, planner, or on a white board it is easier to stay on track and focused. WRITE IT DOWN.
4. Keep at it – Ok, you have figured out hat you want to achieve, you have a road map to get you to your goal, you’ve written it down now it’s time to get at it! Yes I know this sounds easy but this is another step where many tend to fail. Every day you must remind yourself that you CAN achieve your goals. The power of positive thinking can do wonders for your end result. Create ways to keep yourself motivated and on track. Establishing an environment for success will be key to keeping your momentum going. *Make motivational notes *create a dream board of things you want to do once you’ve met your goal *surround yourself with positive and motivating people *change your desktop background to something relating to your goal *Leave Yourself Notes In Your Planner *Use special stickers to help stay on track *On a separate piece of paper or a white board write your BIG goal so that you can see it daily
———–Some of my favorites to staying on track————– Sticky Notes Pad White Board Super Awesome Stickers Erin Condren Planner
5. Every day work towards your goals – This is the easier part of all five steps. If you want to reach your goals you must work on your goals EVERY SINGLE DAY! I’m not saying you have to spend 8 hours every day getting stuff accomplished-sometimes you only have 10 minutes because you’re a busy ass momma. But every single day accomplish something that will lead you to your end goal. The more you accomplish the closer to your end goal you will get. This is called using The Compound Effect to your benefit! If you haven’t read The Compound Effect you NEED to. Literally if you read nothing else to get your business started, your life goals going, or your personal secret goals you MUST read the compound effect Truly, creating goals is super simple but sticking to them and actually reaching the end goal is quite a bit more difficult if you don’t have the right tools and mindset to follow through with. If you found this helpful I highly encourage you to join our community of mommas on a mission to reach out goals! Every day there is a little nugget of wisdom shared, encouragement offered, support given, and WINE-we drink Wine On Wednesdays 😉 —> JOIN US! xoxo, Lauren
P.S. Don’t Forget –> COME DRINK WINE WITH US!
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