Goals Setting 101

Do you want to achieve your goals? Having a clear picture of what your goals are is a good start. Most of the persons who are successful have clearly defined goals and visit them often. Sounds simple. For many, making a set of defined goals is a difficult matter. What I will share with you, in this series of articles, is an easy way to put your goals into existence. Let's get to it!

The first step to defining your goals is to know what it is you want to achieve. Here are a couple of exercises you can do to find out what it is you really want in your life: Look in the mirror and ask the person looking back at you. "What do I want in my life" This may be uncomfortable at first. That is alright. Keep practicing and you will soon be able to have that conversation with the person who is always there looking back at you. 2) Take a large piece of paper and write down your ideal life. What you would like to become. Who your friends are, where do you live, what carreer do you have. Everything you can imagine you would like you life to be, write it down. You may also draw or paste pictures of your ideal life on this sheet. What does your home look like? Where is it located? Where would you vacation? You get the idea. Do this. Thinking about it in your mind is great, however, putting it down on this paper so it is a visual and tactile representation is very important. I will cover this aspect, in depth, in future articles.

Great! Now, it is important to note, at this point, you are not tied to any one goal you have made. Your goals will change as often as you would like them to. This is an ever-changing process. Also, be aware that you are not required to put forth extreme effort in achieveing these goals. You do not have to strive or use undo effort. If you do find excessive resistance, you may wish to re-evaluate the particular goal and decide if it is truly something you wish to achieve. Once you have your goals firmly set, the process of reaching them will flow easily. Notice how the true nature of life is the simplistic flow, finding the path of least resistance. Defining your goals allows you to have a clear purpose in mind and sets you in the direction to gain the vision you have set for yourself.

Still with me? Super! Next, take another piece of paper and write down the following headings: Personal Growth Carreer Relationships Self-expression Income Possessions Fun The Earth Now, under each heading, describe what it is you would like to have, change or achieve in that column. What would you like to do to grow? Learn another language? Learn to paint? What kind of work would you most like to do? What are the attributes of the persons you have relationships with, who are your friends? How would you like to think about yourself? What income do you wish to have? Where would you like to live, what kind of car would you drive? What would you do for fun? Travel? Learn to fly a plane? Go Scuba diving? And, finally, What would you do to make a difference on this planet? For the people who live here? This is not a difficult exercise, simply write down anything that comes to mind. There are no wrong answers. Spend some time with this, reflect and use your imagination. This is an exercise to stimulate your mind to create all of the possibilities you could achieve in your life. Once you have started this process, you will find yourself thinking of more and more possibilities. Notice the feelings you have when you are thinking about these things. Notice and remember these feelings as they are a key to your attaining your goals!

Once you are comfortable with this exercise, it is time to take the next step: defining your goals. On a fresh sheet of paper, write the following phrase: "This would be my life if I could be, do and have anything I wished". Using the pages from the previous exercise, write out your desired life. Phrase this as though this life is already yours. Ex: I am grateful I have a partner whom I love very much and who is supportive...I live in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home in the mountains..and so forth. Cover all of the areas in the previous exercise. This would be your ideal life!

Now, review what you have written there. What are the top 8 to10 things you have written? Which of those make you feel the best? Which of these are you most passionate about? These ideas contain your 5-year goals. The 5-year goals may look as though they are unattainable from where you are at this point. That is good! Those goals should make you feel uncomfortable, make your palms sweat, and make you excited at the prospect of them coming true. Great! Next, keeping in line with the 5-year goals, put the heading "My 1 year Goals" on another sheet of paper. Choose 6 or 8 goals you would like to achieve and write them down. Remember to keep these goals in line with your 5-year plan. They are another step to getting where you want to be. Also, very important, write them as if you have already achieved them. Ex: "I am grateful I have quit my job and started my own business that is now providing me the time freedom and income I deserve" Once that is accomplished, do the same for your 6-month, 1-month, 1-week and today's goals. Always keeping in line with the 5-year plan. Your goals must be specific and have a completion date. Ex: 'I am grateful I made $20,000 in my business by (specific date)" instead of "I will make a bunch of friends"

A final note. When you are determining your goals, make them real and meaningful to you. Goals that you actually want and not what you think you want (see exercise 1). Remember that you may wish to modify or delete some goals as you progress. Also, you may not attain some goals. That is OK. Review the goals you did not meet and determine whether this is a goal you wish to continue with or something that no-longer fits in your scheme of things. Review all of your goals on a regular basis and modify them as you see fit. Continue to work on your individual goals until the 12th hour. They sometimes have a way of manifesting at the last possible minute! Again, this may take some practice. When you accomplish a goal, celebrate! Pat yourself on the back! Acknowledge your success and be grateful for the opportunity! Once you have mastered this process you will be ready to read additional articles I have produced to further your experience. Thank You for your attention, let me know of your progress.