10 Tips for Successful Goal Setting
What if your current reality is a direct or indirect result of all of your life’s choices up until this moment? What if the decisions you make and actions you take create your own life path? Are you proud of the person you are now? Did you learn many valuable lessons on the way? Would you have done things differently or set different goals?
Well, as human beings we all have the power of choice and that is what directly shapes our destiny. You are the captain of your ship, the lead actor of your movie and the president of your company! By making the conscious decision to set goals as milestones for the creation of the life of your choice is integral for major and minor achievements as well as your joy and overall happiness.
Give yourself permission to achieve anything, whether it’s a considerably small and attainable goal or a super BIG DREAM that is waaaaaaaaay out there!!! Focus on over-achieving and by default you will attain your milestones. Sometimes you will learn the hard way and take it on the chin. This will give you an indication to reanalyze your goals and genuinely feel IF you are going in the right direction. Listen to your gut and follow your heart. It is always right. Other times goals will be achieved smoothly, efficiently and effectively with ease and grace which will make you proud and fulfilled knowing that you are right on track for massive success!
Whether you are new to goal setting or an expert, here are 10 tips which provide you with some valuable goal setting tools to start living the LIFE of your DREAMS!!! Let’s get started…
1. Plan the work and work the plan: Write it down! Any goal setting is usually done best if it is documented and put into writing. Set the intention by putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and make yourself a list of 10 small and big goals that you would like to achieve. List them in chronological order with a target date for achievement. Once they are clear to you, break them down into individual tasks, activities and action steps you need to take to make the milestone a reality. It is especially important to break down the earliest goals NOW seeing that they will be the first on the list of things for you to accomplish.
2. Set realistic deadlines: It is integral to set a time frame for each goal to determine that you will have sufficient time for the tasks and activities needed to achieve that milestone properly and effectively. As you work through each milestone, each task and each activity you will truly realize whether or not the time frame you gave yourself is realistic or needs to be updated. Deadlines allow you to track your goals and give you accountability and this is something that we all need at times!
3. Believe that you will accomplish the goal: Listen to your inner voice. The little voice that is continuously and sub-consciously judging yourself. This is the engagement of self-talk and personal commentary on each situation that you encounter in life. It can both positively and negatively affect the outcome of your goals. Positive inner dialogue and thoughts support the accomplishment of our goals and obviously negative chatter will undermine your self-confidence, self-esteem and self-image which will deter you from reaching your milestones. You can control and change its tone for the better by believing in yourself, positive outcomes and successful resolutions.
4. Visualize the outcome: Paint a picture of what the end result of accomplishing a goal will look like! Really focus on what it will feel like when you get there. Close your eyes and pretend that you have already achieved it. How does it feel? I’m sure it feels great! Utilize that great feeling to give you the fuel needed that will continuously motivate you to move forward in the right direction. If need be, go back to the refuelling station and get some more good feelings. All it takes is the power of visualization. It will be your guide. Personally, I am a big fan of vision boards. Go out to your local magazine rack and pick up 10 inspiring magazines that cover a variety of topics that you enjoy. Go through them and cut them up into smaller pictures that you can paste onto a big sheet for you to refer to on occasion for inspiration. It is really cool to pull them out in the future and see some of the things you have accomplished over the years by implementing the Law of Attraction. Believe me, it works! I live the principles every day and every moment. I am already on my third vision board…
5. Make your goals measurable: Use the SMARTER acronym:
• S = Be Specific. Make sure you are precise about what you want.
• M = Make your goal Measurable. Accurately measure your achievement.
• A = Achievable / Action oriented. Choose goals that you plan on achieving.
• R = Realistic. Set a goal that can be realistically attained towards greater success.
• T = Time-frame. Measure the success of your goal and set milestones.
• E = Exciting. Make it exciting so goals aren’t boring and tedious.
• R = Recorded. Writing it down will allow you to clearly focus on your goals.
6. List the benefits: Unless you know exactly why you are attempting to achieve any goal you will not be willing to make the effort needed to fulfill it accordingly. Why are you really trying to accomplish this? Why are you investing valuable time and energy into this? Why is it important to you? Answer these questions so that you are clear about your reasons for wanting to achieve your goal. It will guide you in realizing if it is a worthwhile project or if it needs modification so that it will become more important to you.
7. Share your goals: It is wonderful to have a support network around you when attempting to accomplish any goal in life. Make your goals public and be accountable to them. Share them with family, friends, co-workers, teachers and even your boss if you have one! Of course it is best to only share with those that are supportive of your dreams. If you don’t feel that someone whole-heartedly believes in you nor has good intentions then sometimes it is best to keep your goals to yourself, quietly achieve them and make them aware of it once they have been accomplished!
8. Identify and eliminate any obstacles: If your progress is slow and you are unhappy with what you have achieved to date on any specific goal then you must ask yourself if the goal is really important? Why did you pledge to accomplish it? Are you going about doing things the right way? Are there specific obstacles interfering with the finalization of that goal? Attempt to do a root cause analysis to determine why you are not making the progress you desire. Be honest with yourself and take steps to change the picture if need be. If there is a roadblock, figure out a way around it. Be a problem solver and move through it or just realize it isn’t part of the master plan and try a different path.
9. There is NO failure: Sometimes you will experience temporary setbacks and disappointments which are really just opportunities to learn from and readjust your strategy. Embrace them with an open mind and recognize the opportunity that lies within each. The Chinese symbol for tragedy is actually made of two; tragedy and opportunity. Ask yourself, what opportunity arises from this? Your goals may morph over time because of this so adapt to the change and update your goal list and action plan accordingly. Personally, I have fallen off track many many times and tried numerous projects on my way to progressive success. These set-backs and apparent failures are what have morphed me into the well-rounded and practically educated person that I am today. Most really successful individuals that I know have failed more than those who live a mediocre life and don’t act on their dreams. The ones that do, take massive action and have more options to learn from in the real world plus the ability for far greater success in their life! You can too!!
10. C E L E B R A T I O N Time!!! By rewarding yourself graciously every time you reach a personal goal it will be very satisfying and help to identify your achievements! It will give you energy and enthusiasm knowing that the next reward is waiting for you to be celebrated after the accomplishment of your next goal! You have devoted time and effort to the success of that milestone so it is integral to recognize that by doing, getting, buying, eating, participating and/or enjoying something SPECIAL of your choice is key! Then move on to the next goals with focus, drive, passion and persistence and look forward to celebrating again and again and again….
Set yourself up for success by applying these ten goal setting tips from Joyzone and thoroughly enjoy the rewards! If you can dream it you can achieve it! Just remember that ACTION creates the ENERGY needed to accomplish anything, so get started NOW no matter how you feel and reach for your dreams! Consciously co-create the life you wish to manifest by genuinely listening to your heart, taking massive passionate action and paying attention to the signs of UNIVERSAL guidance. As cliché as it sounds, “Just do it!”
Healthy regards,
James Erdt
PORT BODY BLISS
Inspiring Joy, Abundance and Healthy Active Living!
