HOW TO SET GOALS AND HIT THEM

What Do You Really Want Out of Life?

The SMART system is not a new system. It is tried and tested over many years. It works as a method of defining and developing goals. Use these guidelines to identify and write your goals.

• S–Specific—Be precise. Identify your ‘why’. Know what this goal will provide for you. WHY do you have this goal? WHY do you want it? What are you passionate about? It may be health, spiritual, financial, relationships, family ANYTHING! What makes you tick? What gets you excited about life?

Examples:

If you want to drop weight; how much weight will you to take off and what size you will wear? What will this give you? How will you feel? WHY do you want this?

If you want to pay off your debt; know how much you will pay off week by week and the length of time it will take you. How will you feel when you have paid this off? What will you do? WHY do you want this?

Take the time to visualise having achieved that which you desire. ‘As a man thinketh, so is he’.  Visualise HOW you feel now that you have achieved your goal. Get emotionally involved with YOUR  result.

• M–Measurable-- how will you know you are moving in the right direction? Your goal must be measurable. You need to identify your marker.Saying “I want to lose weight” or “I want to earn more money” will not get you the results you are dreaming of. Your dreams will remain a dream. Be specific in your language and state; “I will be a size 12 by December 2012, and comfortably fit into my favourite pair of jeans”. This is measurable and specific.

• A–Attainable–You must believe that you are able to achieve your goal. If you have not lost weight in a very long time set your goal posts closer. Don’t think that you can achieve your ideal physique in a heartbeat. It takes work and consistency. Set your goal outside your comfort zone but not so far that your mind thinks it is impossible. Once you start achieving results you can then re set your goal posts once those smaller goals have been hit. Your goals may seem somewhat unrealistic to you now, but they shouldn’t seem insurmountable. They need to be a stretch for you. Understand that baby steps will get you there. Small steps one at a time allow you to reach those goals as opposed to falling in the ditch of unrealistic expectations. Same goes for ALL your goals, especially financial. Don’t be a dreamer, be a DOER.

• R–Relevant–Your goals should be something you are truely passionate about. You want to get emotionally involved with your goals. Listen to your heart and take your mind with you. Your goals need to reflect who you are, and who you want to grow to be. If you are married, each person should have their own goals – ones that are personal to each individual whilst developing goals you can achieve as a couple too. By working together and supporting one another you can grow your loving bond even closer.

• T–Timetable –Set a date for the expected date of completion. Again make this realistic. If you set the goal posts too close then you set yourself up to fail. Set them too far away then there is no sense of urgency and focus. If you set your date of completion in a sensible time frame and find that you miss it, reset the posts. Its OK to miss the mark- just re group and keep going. Very few people hit bullseye every single time but don’t let this be your excuse for not trying.

The only way to fail is by not setting goals at all. By starting on this journey you have already won. Remember that. So many people today lump their dreams in the too hard basket. That is failure. A dream is a dream until you set a time frame to it, at which point it becomes reality and thus a GOAL. It takes action to complete a goal, dedication and consistency. BUT know that once you start.. and keep going.. you WILL get there.!

• Once you have set your goals, spend time daily reflecting on them. I pray about mine and always ask Jesus for wisdom and understanding to know the Father’s heart. I don’t know if you believe in Jesus but His strength is what actually pulls me through the tough times. Not my strength. I would be worn out, tired and wrinkled if I left if all to me!! But that’s just my belief- you make your own decisions there.
• Identify what actions are necessary to take on a daily and weekly basis to achieve your goals and DO THEM.
• This is important so take note: identify what actions you currently are taking that are NOT in alignment with achieving your goals (ex: TV). Get rid of them!!! They are stealing your dreams/goals!!
• Follow through with consistent, focused action. When you have goals you are emotionally involved with and are passionate about, taking action will be easier.
• Set short term, medium term and long term goals. With a clear purpose, defined goals and focused action, the results are yours! Celebrate each little success in a way that will not negate your dedicated progress. Make sure you celebrate them. Psychologically this is key!!

Go get’em cow boys and girls!!!! Tell me how you go!! I would LOVE to hear your steps of success – what you are achieving, believing for and working towards. xx

Feb 2012

Today is the second day of February 2012. Hold on a minute…where did January go??

If we are not careful this is how our lives can fly by without us achieving pretty much ..anything. The days turn into weeks, which turn into months, and you guessed it, then years. If you really think about it, what were you doing one year ago today? Can you pin point it? And was it ANY different to what you are doing now?

Hmm it doesn’t necessarily have to BE different but perhaps a better question to ask is:

What have you achieved? No REALLY.    WHAT have you achieved? Have you hit your goals? Some goals? Did you have ANY goals to even aim for? Get real with yourself. If you keep lying to yourself how on earth can you expect to be honest with other people? It can be uncomfortable. SO WHAT? Change often is. We are creatures of habit.

Another great question to ask yourself is: If you keep doing what you are doing, how do you expect things to change?

YOU change and the world changes with you. YOU take action and the world takes action.

Goal setting will help you define your progress in life and keep you on track so that the years DO NOT fly by without you actually MAKING things happen.

We are not put on this earth to merely exist yet so many of us do. AND it is incredibly easy for any one of us to get sucked into the vortex of nothingness – our culture encourages it. It encourages us to be mindless consumers, always needing the latest and greatest. How easy is it to swipe  the plastic fantastic card so we are not really spending money…RIGHT?

Wrong.

We pay. Interest is what keeps the banks afloat- YOUR interest. That bargain is no longer a bargain the moment you pay interest on it. Make your money work FOR YOU.

We don’t need everything the television spits out at us. In fact, if we are watching television on a daily basis let me be so bold as to say.. you are in the vortex!! Get out quick!! February will become March will become December 2012 and you won’t know where the year went!! More debt and a few more wrinkles for sure with nothing much to say about the year.

GOALS MY FRIENDS

Write them out! I use a list every day of my life, written out. Iphones are great but there is something about a written list whereby I can cross out my little things as I do them..this gives me a sense of achievement with each little thing accomplished. Pretty soon those little things stack up to make big things. You will be surprised! Try it! TODAY!

Do not wait another day. Tomorrow never comes. Start that plan TODAY. Write those goals out. Make them specific. Tell people about them. BE accountable to someone- that is the REAL test.

If you fall GET BACK UP. If you miss the goal posts, shift them. If you are slightly off track, get back on, or change direction!!!! TAKE OWNERSHIP of your life or your life will fade away.

ENJOY THIS AWESOME LIFE!!!!! HAVE FUN!!!

If your friends don’t support your goal-setting- GET NEW FRIENDS.

DON’T let people hold you back. Some people, often the ones closest to you, want you to stay the way you are. They are afraid of change. Sometimes you have to let those people go in order to grow. If they are real friends, they never go too far away..and you will be surprised who comes back into your life to tell you how much you inspire them – after they were the ones who told you that you COULDN’T.

Welcome them back with open arms and love on them. They NEEDED you to be strong when they couldn’t be.

Soar like the eagle. This life is a blessing and you have been given this amazing gift.

ONE LIFE LIVE IT WELL XX

I will post a note on how to set goals later tonight or tomorrow to help you set goals that you will achieve.