We all have goals. Big. Small. Safe & bold.
You wish to become an artist, to buy a house, to write a book, to eat healthily, to exercise more, to become financially free, or to run a marathon. The list is endless…
And goals come in many types. Ultimately, all goals boil down to one thing…
Change.
We want to move from one state to another, from where we are now to where we want to be.
So, how do we do it?
If something is vital to us, we need to make plans.
Goal setting is widely accepted as the most effective way to focus our attention on the right pattern, to move forward towards what we want most in life.
Goal setting provides us with a means to navigate through a complex world and encourages our long-term persistence.
So if you’re ready, use the techniques and tools that follow to inspire you to find out what you want to achieve, and to figure out your ‘why’, and how you are going to do it.
Set a goal to become a millionaire for what it makes of you to achieve it, for the person you become by striving for it. The purpose of the goal is not the goal itself, but rather the person you become while pursuing it.
Long-Term Goals.
It might sound like a simple task to sit down and write what you want to achieve in life.
But how aware are you of what you truly want? And how certain are you that you can indeed achieve your goals?
The answer should not be too difficult, nor should it be too easy.
So if you’re ready to find out, turn off all distractions for a few minutes and follow the steps in this Workshop. They will help you uncover genuine answers from within, enabling you to become more aware of the most meaningful things in your life.
(modified from Ivtzan, Chan, Gardner, & Prashar, 2011; Ivtzan, 2016):
- Sit comfortably, rest your shoulders and close your eyes.
- Become aware of your breathing. Inhale deeply and slowly. Concentrate on each breath; observe it.
- Visualise yourself in the future, living the life you want for yourself and your loved ones.
- Connect fully to the experience and visualise more details. Try not to dwell on how you got there.
- Shift attention to your body and feel the sensations and excitement that arise.
- Breathe into and explore these sensations; let them spread over your whole body.
- Upon opening your eyes, take a moment to reflect on the effects of your practice. Although the intensity of these effects can vary among individuals, do your best in creating a vivid and realistic picture of the meaningful and fulfilling life that you desire. This can help you become more conscious of what brings happiness, joy, and purpose to your life.
It’s time to write down what you visualised during the previous exercise. These visions are your personal goals. Write them all down. And remember, the more vividly they are captured, the more likely you are to accomplish them.
As you refine your goals, make sure they continue to align with the picture you have created of the meaningful life you want for yourself.
Try creating a manifestation journal or a vision board to help keep your dreams front and centre. Make visualising part of your morning routine to start every day with your future in mind.
- Why are your goals important?
- Which of your values do these goals express?
- Will these goals require you to get out of your comfort zone and exert yourself? How?
- Will you be able to see whether you’re making progress toward your goals along the way?
- What resources or knowledge will you need that you don’t have yet?
- What risks do these goals require you to take? What can you do to be ready to face them?
- How can you make yourself accountable to maximise your commitment?
- What do you need to say “No!” to in order to focus on your goals?
- Among the people around you, who will be supporters and who will be roadblocks?
- How can you enhance your environment to support your efforts to reach your goals?
- How will you recognise and savour the successes along the way?
- How will you recognise when you’ve reached one of your goals?
S.M.A.R.T Goals.
Specific.
Is your goal written clearly so anyone reading it can understand it?
Measurable.
Will you be able to track your progress and know when you reached this goal?
Attainable.
Are you being realistic about your goal? Is reaching this goal possible?
Relevant.
Does this goal make sense with your vision and values?
Timely.
Is there a completion date?
Short-term goals.
Short-term goals can be very diverse, ranging from daily tasks to weekly accomplishments or monthly progress. They also serve as stepping stones for your larger, long-term goals.
Think of your long-term goals as the ultimate desired outcome that would not occur without your input. And your input is the actions you take now to make your larger goals achievable.
Let’s say that your long-term goal is to buy a house in five years. Then short-term goals could be something like:
*Pay off credit card debt in a set amount of time.
*Save half of the down payment by the end of next year.
*Increase your monthly income and savings account contributions by starting a side hustle project or working on weekends.
*Reduce living costs by becoming a smarter shopper and cutting off needless expenses.
In other words; your short-term goals act as the milestones that keep you moving forward.
They’re achievable; These goals should not be difficult to accomplish so you can meet tight deadlines.
They create momentum; Since you can achieve them quickly, short-term goals provide a sense of accomplishment, which boosts your motivation.
They keep you on track; Short-term goals are most powerful when structured to support a larger ambition. With the right planning, they’ll bring you closer to your larger goals.
They ward off procrastination; The shorter deadlines for your short-term goals will push you to keep working towards your larger goals.
With that being said, keep in mind that not every goal has to ladder up to a bigger one. If you simply woke up today and wanted to finish work early to see the sunset on your evening walk, that’s a perfect short-term goal.
Regardless of where it fits into your plan, each step, from small health goals to big professional goals, will contribute to building the life you’re aiming for.
While there are many strategies for creating and achieving short-term goals, there’s no one silver bullet.
Successfully reaching your milestones requires self-awareness and patience. It requires comfort with failure and demands adaptability.
With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s help you set meaningful short-term goals with these steps:
1. Visualise the finish line.
The first step involves identifying what you hope to accomplish in the long run. We’ve already established that your short-term goals depend on your long-term ambitions. So keep your long-term goals in mind so you can recognise the actions that you must take now to achieve them.
2. Work backwards.
Now that you have your targets defined, create a plan to achieve them step by step. Your plans can consist of multiple short-term goals.
Like a trail of breadcrumbs, each will bring you to the next, guiding you toward success. If you need to finish one short-term goal to start on the next, like acing a midterm to finish an online course, plan it out that way.
3. Develop your discipline.
When getting started, it’s important to take things slow to minimise the risk of failure.
If you’ve ever overexerted yourself at the gym, then you know the consequences of biting more than you can chew. Instead of working out every day as you planned, now you need days to recover.
The same idea holds for your goals. So to avoid overwhelm and discouragement, start small and gradually build towards your larger projects. This will develop your discipline incrementally and encourage you to keep going.
4. Schedule your goals and efforts.
Set aside regular blocks of time for achieving your milestones. Whether it’s 20 minutes of reading every day or spending 10 hours per week building your business, block it off in your calendar, and use this time for distraction-free work.
5. Track your goals.
To make sure your efforts lead you to your purpose, review your progress often to stay motivated and avoid getting lost in the process. Many goal-tracking apps are available digitally, or you can go old-school with a pen-and-paper method. Keeping a progress journal is a great idea as well.
6. Reward yourself.
Probably the most underestimated, yet essential step of all.
I left this one to the last because I know first-hand that many hard-working overachievers are guilty of working around the clock, without taking the time to rejuvenate and reward themselves with much-needed care and attention.
You owe it to yourself to create an extrinsic motivation system to reward yourself when you reach your goals regardless of their size and impact.
Sometimes rewarding yourself means taking the day off, or cooking yourself your favoured meal. You know yourself better and know what resets your body and energy and boosts your motivation to keep going.
Finally,
Imagine acting on the dreams that you keep tucked away, the ones that seem too big or too personal to share.
Make them real.
Write them down as goals, regardless of their size.
Let them inspire you and transform the world around you.
Use goals to become the best possible you, and take small and big steps every day closer to the life you want for yourself.
So, go ahead, take the resources from this Workshop and identify significant goals that excite you. In whatever method you prefer, break them down, define them and turn them into something realistic and achievable.
By crafting them into something tangible and working through the individual actions, and encouraging your long-term persistence, you will grow into the person you need to be to complete them.
Don’t let your goals remain a list of wishes.
