Successful Goal Setting can truly transform your life.
My mission for this blog and website is to help everyone achieve and design their ultimate life, and bring with that the time and financial freedom to do whatever you want.
I believe happy people are content and then contribute to the world better.
Goals are like magnets – they will pull you towards achieving them and the stronger and more defined they are, the better.
If you want to create your dream life, with the work life balance you wish, you have to start by knowing exactly what you want.
A life best lived is one that is best designed.
Having goals that are as specific as possible, with a value, time to achieve them, look/feel/taste to them all will help you know how you will work towards it and what you want your future to look like.
Goals must be dreams you can act upon, or find a way to achieve and also a way for us to evaluate regularly against how we are getting on working towards them.
A key factor is also to write them down, even create a Vision board (I can help you there here) and start to see your dreams take shape.
Don’t worry about how you will achieve it, just take steps each day towards it.
Successful Goal Setting takes time to do this activity in peace so you can concentrate on what you truly want in life.
// Let’s get started
I can help you here.
I created this workbook and step by step guide to lead you through how to create goals that you can actually work towards and achieve.
Successful Goal Setting and dreams are an amazing way to help you create the life of your dreams, but you have to make them actually achievable if you want to be motivated and committed to making them happen.
Your life is a reflection of what your commitments are – if you are feeling stressed or overweight, your commitments are in the wrong places and that is easy to change but requires getting specific and with a time limitation on those goals.
So for every goal you wish to achieve, and let your brain run wild with the possibilities, we need to create a specific time period for the goal and an exact amount of what that goal requires.
For example, if you want financial freedom and never have to work again and live off your savings, you have got to know how much in savings or investments you need to make that happen or else how can you work towards it each month broken down in smaller parts.
// Group your goals into time destinations ahead
In the workbook you will see we aim to break down our goals into immediate, short term and longer term goals.
Do this with your ideal life goals, and from your immediate goals write down the very ways you can work towards them each day.
I stress that daily action is like compound interest, and that the smaller action over time are more powerful than the larger gestures in your life.
Your habits shape your commitments and your future far more than a one off action.
// Think about creating a Vision of your dream life – A Vision board
One of my favourite things in my house is my Vision Board.
It is a simple slighter larger than A4 pin board in my bedroom with a collection of photos of the life I hope to create soon.
It contains my ideal home, my ideal car, words like “Add value” and “Our home is one of love”.
All the key messages and focus areas I want for my life right now.
Seeing your dream life in picture form helps your mind create it in physical form through daily actions, and if you have never created a board before – why not give it a go?
I put together a video all about how to do this here to help you too.
// Break down your immediate goals into 12 week blocks
One of my absolute game changer books was the 12 Week Year and the reason being in that if we break down our goals into 12 week time periods, we will achieve them more and our commitment will be easier to keep.
Reason being the destination is a little closer and we can focus for a shorter amount of time to see products of our efforts.
Take time to pick up a copy of this book, it is wonderful and strongly recommend it for anyone serious about achieving more with their life than just the normal day to day.
// Kick start each day with a focus
Now you have your weekly and 12 week goals in place, it’s time to commit each day to making them happen.
Starting each day with a little quiet time to yourself to set your intentions for the day, particularly as a busy parent, will allow you to focus and connect with what you want to achieve.
Even if it is just a small 15 minute time period to work on reading your favourite book or do some exercise, all the little actions add up towards what you want your ideal life to look like.
Remember, usually we are not afraid of what is to come for us – it is really what potential we could have to create good in the world and our power to make that happen.
I wake up each day at 5am, two hours before my children usually start their day, and do a form of meditation and then exercises followed by either some work on my side businesses or personal development.
That is even before it is breakfast and I work full time.
If I can do, and force myself out of my warm cosy bed, then you can do it – and the reason being that I have a strong enough why to make me leave my bed each day (and sometimes even that is hard work).
// Be prepared to have to change
Goals are not the end destination but the person you need to and will become as you work towards them.
Perhaps your goal is to become fitter and healthier. You will actually end up needing to master the art of discipline and structure if you want to get to that goal with consistent effort.
Perhaps you have a goal to become financial secure.
You will need to master the art of meaningful spending and thinking about your future rather than impulse buying all the time.
And the list goes on and on.
Become excited and think about what the person will look like that you need to become to achieve your goals.
Once you know what characteristics they have – it’s your job to start working on those talents.