So, you have a million goals running through your head, but what are you doing about it? Are they stuck in the “one day” phase?
“One day I will own my own home.”
“One day I will work for myself.”
“One day I will go on a cruise.”
“One day I will have a rockin’ 6 pack!”
“One day I’ll live life more spontaneously!”
You see where I’m going with that? So many times, our dreams and goals get stuck right there in the “one day” phase. We still want each and every one of them, but they never move beyond that.
Why you ask?
Well, it’s simple, you either don’t set goals, or you don’t set goals correctly. You need tangible, written out, achievable goals. Goals are your roadmap for each and every one of your dreams. They are what help you get from the “one day” phase to the “reality” phase. The day where your one-day dream has become your tangible reality.
I have made goal after goal after goal in my life and more times than I’d like to admit that’s as far as I got. I never put my goals into action or if I did, it was so short lived it was pathetic. I’d tell myself, “Ok, at the end of the year I want to have a 6 pack.” I would be super excited and I’d work out 2 times the first week and then the next thing I knew it was the end of the year and I had a better chance at taking a trip to the moon than I did at having a 6pack.
My goals failed because I kept them in my head, I never put action to them, and once I realized I was behind on achieving my goal, BOOM, I was done. The towel got thrown in, life moved on, and I never thought about that goal again. Just kidding! I thought about it a lot, but only to judge myself hard core for failing once again. I know some of you are the exact same way.
So, what changed? I did!
The way I was setting goals was NOT working. They remained just goals and never moved beyond that. So, I decided to give my goals structure and a purpose.
Here is how I did it!
1.GOT ORGANIZED | In order to reach the reality phase you have to be organized. You can’t just write down, “One day I will…” and call it a day. That is what I call a short cut goal. You write it down with the expectation that one day it will just magically fall into your lap with rainbows and unicorns topped with sprinkles. Reality Check! That’s not how this works. Sorry to burst your little bubble, but there are no short cuts in achieving your dreams. None. Nada. Zilch. Got it? Ok, moving on!
2.WROTE THEM DOWN | This ties back into being organized. You can’t keep your goals in your head, you have to write them down. This gives your goal its first sense of reality. Studies have shown that just by writing your goal down you are 42% more likely to achieve them. So, get them out of your head and put them down on paper and read them often, just don’t let it stop there.
3.BOKE THE GOAL DOWN INTO STEPS | You need to take your big goal, (the goal that is so big it scares you a little) and break it down into 2 categories. The first category is what I call “The Near Future.” This is where you give yourself a deadline that is, you guessed it, in the near future. Typically, this is 6 months to a year in the future. The next category is what I call “The Here and Now.” This is where you break down your Near Future goal/deadline into actionable goals that you can accomplish by the end of the day, this week, or by the end of the month. Breaking your goals down into sub-goals and action steps is like giving your big goal its very own treasure map. As long as you follow the map’s directions, eventually you will find the treasure.
4.TOLD SOMEONE | Telling a friend or family member your dreams and goals is a great way to keep you accountable. Having someone on the outside to ask you how things are going, remind you of why your goal is important, and encourage you along the way helps keep you on track. Make sure that the person you choose to tell is someone who believes in you and is 100% supportive. Sometimes that means you don’t tell a certain family member or close friend who always seems to be the Debbie Downer when it comes to your dreams and goals. They are your Kryptonite. So when it comes to your dreams and that certain someone keep them on separate continents.
5.GAVE MYSELF GRACE | Last, but not least, actually it’s hands down the most important tip I can give you, GRACE, give yourself grace. Maybe you missed a deadline, hit a couple bumps in the road, or dropped the ball completely. Guess what? That’s ok. Just go back to the drawing board, makes some adjustments, give yourself some grace, and get back to crushing it. If we had success every time we tried anything in our life and never had any setbacks than achieving our dreams wouldn’t mean as much to us. Having setbacks is normal, just don’t let them define you, overcome them! This, for me, was key!
If you’re reading this right now then I have reached one of my biggest goals, My Blog. This baby has been in the works since September of 2017. If I told you how many hours I spent researching, praying, planning, and writing you may just pass out. Honestly, I lost track real quick. So many times, I felt like I was walking alone in the dessert, lost and confused. I looked at blog after blog, read post after post, made goal after goal, did a thousand brainstorming sessions, cried too many times to count, and even had my own share of set-backs. At times it was devastating, but I wouldn’t let myself give up. I was determined. This goal wasn’t going to be like the others. This goal would become my reality. With the help of those 5 tips listed above, it has!
Never think chasing your dreams will be easy, but always remember it’s worth it.
For more help on achieving your goals check out my post ‘How the Achieve Method Will Help You Actually Reach Your Goals’
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