A goal is the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.  Goals are powerful as they can provide a sense of control and effectiveness and it gives you a way to track your progress! They are the first step in whatever journey you are on, and today, I want to talk to you all about Goal Setting and Goal Planning.  I’ll share a few tips that I’ve learned along the way that have helped my clients knock out goals like a champ!

Let’s be honest with ourselves, the most successful people in the world did not get there by accident.  They got to where they are by setting goals, making plans, and executing those plans to reach their goals.  So, come on, let’s Boss Up!  Here are my 10 Tips to Ready, Set, Goal!

• Write down your Goals.

“A goal not written is only a wish”.   Goal setting is critical to knowing where you want to go in life.  If you want to be a Neurosurgeon, you don’t just wake up one day as a neurosurgeon.  You go to Undergraduate school, you major in Biology.  You go Medical school, then you do some type of Internship in your concentration.  There is a path you must take and the same goes for every goal you want to achieve, so my goal is to help you all identify and document your paths to success.

Jack Canfield author of “The Success Principles” says that we are the average of the 5 people we hang out with the most.  That means your lifestyle, income, and success is dependent upon the people you most associate with.  That’s pretty deep, huh?!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a proponent of abandoning your true friends.  BUT I am a proponent of finding people that are doing what you want to be doing and making associations with them via Mentorships, Associations, or even paid memberships.

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

• Create a Personal Vision Statement.

A vision statement is meant to convey your hopes for the future. It should inspire you to push forward to meet your goals. It must give a clear direction and mental image to anyone who reads it.  Wanna hear mine? Of course you do!  “To create a life that affords me the freedom to make an impactful living and serve my community from anywhere in the world.”  So, what does my vision statement mean for me?

1. I’m working towards creating a life (and skill sets) that allow me to work from anywhere in the world
2. I’m creating ways that I can earn money and serve my community
3. I can be impactful through volunteerism and entrepreneurship. I am creating ways that I can teach people how to become self-sustaining through my business model which can serve anyone, anywhere in the world through virtual media and digital products.

• Setting Goal Types.

There are short-term goals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) and then there are long-term goals (3-7 Years).  Set your intentions and be realistic about what you can achieve during those time periods.  We’ve also got what is called SMART and SPIRIT goals.  This is something I learned this past year and have integrated into my life.  Let’s review:

1. SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely
2. SPIRIT: Specific, Prizes, Individual, Review, Inspiring

• Specific: Be specific, the result should be tangible and measurable. You can’t just say I want to be Fabulous in 2018.  You should say “I want to change my wardrobe by eliminating these items and slowly adding in these types of items or changing your makeup or losing x number of pounds”
• Prizes: Reward yourself for achieving your goals.  Let’s say a trip to Paris is on your bucket list of places to see, make this a prize to yourself for achieving a goal.
• Individual: It must be something YOU and only you want to do.  Even with group goals (for work or organizations your support) find something meaningful that you can connect to.
• Review: Periodically review your progress to determine if you are on track, stuck, or need to re-align or adjust.
• Inspiring: Create a fun way to accomplish the goal.  Some people use Vision Boarding as a fun way to envision your path to success.  This is a good segway into my next tip.

• Use visualization Techniques.

Make sure you can see yourself in that goal.  Define out what you really want.  For example, athletes and personal coaches, like myself are huge supporters of visualization techniques because they are effective.  You are literally engraving a picture in your mind of you in your goal.  Then focus on how good it feels and let the vision fuel you with the energy you need to accomplish your goal.  Keep in mind your goals should be motivational, inspiring, and help you to become a better version of you as well as match your value system.

Do you have a support system in place? A mentor, an accountability partner, or resources that can you can turn to for motivation or assistance.  When you write down your goals, next to each one, you need to list your support system or mentors.

• Better Time Management.

Time is money, time is money, time is money!  Be good stewards of your time the same way you are stewards with your money.  Allocate a certain amount of time each day towards various tasks and goals.  This is easiest to do by….

• Setting Routines. 

Create a daily routine that is easy for you to follow.  Like waking up and going to bed at the same time each day.  I know, I know… easier said than done but the more you do it, the easier it becomes to do.  Trust me. You also want to schedule the major things in your life on a daily basis to keep you on track.  For example:

• 6 am: Wake Up
• 6 – 6:30: Prayer & Meditation time
• 6:30 – 7:30: Work Out
• 8 am – Have breakfast and prepare for work
• 9 am – 12: Complete work
• 12 -1: Eat lunch and write a Chapter in a book (combine a small goal while you are eating)
• 1-5: Finish working
• 5-6: Downtime or commute time
• 6-8: Dinner, Homework, Prep time for the next day
• 8-9: Light chores & getting kids ready for bed
• 9-11: Quiet time to journal, read, work on goals
• 11-6: Sleep

Schedules help you eliminate procrastination.  I know if I don’t write down a list of everything I want to accomplish in a day, I may get sidetracked and then procrastination kicks in.   I like having both pen & paper as well as a digital scheduling tool.  For me, there is something about physically checking off the box on my To-Lists.

• Get organized.

De-clutter your homes, develop filing systems for your papers and create some type of organization system that works for you.  If you are struggling with this, you can hire me to help you.  Each year, I go through a round of de-cluttering, getting rid of old papers, books, clothes, and stuff.  As a matter of fact, that’s what I’ve spent most of this weekend and tomorrow doing.

• Put it all together in a plan!

You can write it all out in a journal or several sheets of paper or on a Vision Board.  OR you can use MS Excel or Project:  that way you can create rows & columns to list out each goal and the associated SMART and SPIRIT attributes.

Now that may seem like a lot of steps. But like with everything else, the more you practice them, the easier they will be! Spontaneity is great, but when it comes to goals, planning is the way to go!  So what have we learned today?

Quick recap:

• Select goals that motivate and inspire you
• Set SMART goals with SPIRIT!
• Create your action plan
• Choose accountability partners and mentors
• Go, go knock your list every day like a BOSS!

Until next time,

Renay Butler