Now, I generally just start a new goal and something to work on whenever I want. Once I get a few habits in place and goals set out and I have been working on those for awhile, then I will start a new focus in my life, but whether it is January or October, I believe that whenever we are feeling excited and ready for that improvement in our lives, that is when we would start and use that momentum to get us on a running start.
The other part I have been thinking about concerns what actually constitutes a goal. Goals are not just wishes we say when talking to acquaintances. Goals have been set and have a plan to reach them. Goals do not have to be hard or painful or grandiose (in fact, those will probably feel impossible to reach if you are not in the habit of following through with yourself), but goals do need to have an end date, a way to measure and some fire within you to help you reach those goals.
The end date will tell you how long you are working on this goal and have a date to work towards.
A way to measure your success is so important, otherwise, how will you know if you have reached your goal? If I want to do something once a month for one year, that gives me a measureable and trackable amount of time to work on my goal.
Goals that put some fire within you will help you actually sit down and write our your goals as well as to actually figure out how you will reach your goals. We cannot take on everyone else's goals and only say those are our goals without taking the next action. Otherwise we just have a few things that will sound good when January comes around and everyone starts talking about their resolutions.
Writing down goals that actually matter to you is a wonderful start.
The last step - the one I often see missed - is to implement it into your life and make sure you have a way of checking up on yourself.
Some ways to do this:
Add a reminder task to read and check up on your goals once a week.
Add a reminder task to make sure each month has your plans written into your calendar.
Break down your goals into step-by-step tasks and plans to daily and weekly help you turn your goals into realities.
If you have a one-time goal you are reaching for, decide what you are going to do each day and month to reach that goal. Those small steps can still be added to your daily and weekly tasks.
Some of my goals are actually life-long habits I want to implement into my life. I will generally start out with a six month or year mark to work towards. When that is up, I will continue to extend that mark out, but I never want to just drop off these worked for habits by not paying attention to them anymore. I will generally still keep them on my task list if there is a chance they could drop by the way if we come up on sickness or holidays or vacations. If they were important enough to work for, they are important enough to have reminders set up to help you continue to achieve those goals no matter what interrupts your life.
If you are just starting out in moving towards a goal, make sure you really want this; write it down; break it into manageable, daily tasks; give yourself reminders to check up on yourself and evaluate how you are doing, and keep going. If you miss one day, do not throw everything you have accomplished out the window. How you get up and continue to pursue your goal teaches your brain how to deal with the next set back.
You decide what you put energy into and what you give your time to. You can get caught up in what everyone else is doing, or you can discover a little fire in you for something you truly want and find yourself being propelled towards your goal through daily and weekly, seemingly small tasks.
Happy Goal Setting!
No comments:
Post a Comment