10 steps to set goals right for you
Goal setting success!
It is that time of year again, you know, when people ramp up their interest in setting goals. Career goals, health goals, couple goals.
These turn into huge plans, new menus, gym membership and long list of books to read.
Then a few weeks later, the overwhelm is too much to handle, all the enthusiasm wears off, and the goals fizzle out.
But what if this year it could be different? What if this year is the year you nail your goal?
Here are some steps to take.
Step to create goals that are right for you.
Recap on the year just passed.
Explore what went right and what didn’t. Reflect on how you felt, if your life moved forward, and even if you liked the direction. Learn more about how to conduct a Yearly Review.
Reflect on who you are and your values.
Define what matters most to you in life and what gives your life meaning. This sometimes means looking at what you don’t want.
It is important to know what your values are too, as if your goals are not aligned with these, it just won’t work. Nor sure what your values are? Look at where you spend your time - this will show you what you value.
For example, I spend quite a bit of time cleaning and cooking. And this is because my home is important to me - I actually enjoy taking care of it, and cooking myself and my family nutritious home cooked meals. A big part of who I am is a homemaker and I get a lot of joy and energy from fulfilling that role. So setting a goal such as “Become a 7 figure coach” will probably be in conflict with this identity and value, and unlikely to be reached.
Declutter your mind.
Our minds are full of ‘stuff” that we ‘need’ to do. From spring cleaning the house to filling in the tax return. Sometimes this stops us from thinking clearly or creatively. If this is you, try these steps:
Write down your “to do” list & audit
Delete not important ones
Delegate the ones you can
Date the rest and commit to doing these
Clarify Your Vision.
A vision is a clear mental picture of what the future could or should look like. It is an idea of the kind of life you want to lead, the person you want to become, it is aspirational and provides direction and purpose.
Envision the future you desire. What are you doing? Where are you living? What do your relationships look like? Who is in your life? What work are you doing?
Clearly define what success looks like for you in different areas of your life. What does your ‘Rich Life’ look like?
Identify the key areas in your life.
What are the main areas of your life you want to focus on? Think holistically as you are more than Pick between 6 to 8, as too few and you may miss something important, and many can get confusing. Here are some ideas:
[1]Health [2]Career/Business [3]Relationships & Social Life [4]Finances [5]Environment [6]Contribution [7]Spirituality & Faith [8]Personal Development
Explore what you want in each area.
There are many ways of doing this, and I recommend you try our more than 1 way. Each gives a different picture. Here are some ways to do this:
Journaling - Ask yourself powerful questions, and pay attention to the images in your mind and the feelings they invoke.
Dreams List - List all of your dreams/wishes. Dream big, don’t hold back, be creative!
Vision Board - Create a visual representation of what a great life looks like.
Vision List - Simply a list of your key areas with your vision of each written under them. Potential to be more detailed and clearer than a vision board.
Wheel of Life - Visual tool that helps assess and prioritize different areas of life.
[1] List the key areas of your life that you want to assess and improve.
[2] Create a circle divide it into sections, one of each area of your life.
[3] Score each section from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least satisfied and 10 being the most satisfied. Mark the score on the wheel.
[4] Connect the scores. This will reveal the overall balance or imbalance in your life. Where are you highly satisfied and where needs improvement?
[5] For each area, what is your desired score? What goals do you want to set?
Understand what goals are.
Goals are targets or objectives that you set to guide your actions and efforts toward a desired outcome.
They provide a clear focus and direction, helping to channel energy and resources and serve as a roadmap for progress and success.
Goals stop us drifting through life and help us to act on opportunity.
Without them we live our lives on autopilot or to other peoples plans which may lead to frustrations.
Now set those goals!
Which ever method(s) you have used, create a set of goals for each area of your life.
What do you want to achieve? What part of your vision are you creating? What would add to your rich life?
Should goals be SMART or DUMB?
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
DUMB goals are Dream-Driven, Uplifting, Method-Based, and Behaviour-Driven.
SMART goals are great for setting short-term, specific objectives. But they can be limiting when it comes to long-term, ambitious goals.
DUMB goals are better for long-term, open-ended targets. They inspire you to dream big and believe in your ability to achieve anything you set your mind to.In summary, while SMART goals provide a structured and analytical approach, DUMB goals emphasize the emotional and aspirational aspects of goal-setting. Choosing the right framework depends on your personality, the nature of the goal, and what motivates you most effectively.
Goal Audit
Before diving into these goals, take a moment to do a bit of an audit.
Write them down as if you had achieved then.
How do they make you feel? If they don’t make you feel excited, they are not for you.
Are they aligned with your values? If not, you won’t stick to them.
Are they aligned with who you want to be? If not then are they the goals for you?
Will achieving them impact your life positively? What would it do to your life?
Imagine going through all the steps. How do you feel about this? Can you imagine enjoying the process?
I hope you have found this useful.
Learn more by being part of the Live Goal Setting Workshops.