Goal setting - kick that goal!

Goals are in our everyday life, we use goals to achieve everything - just saying 'tomorrow I'm going to get the groceries' is a goal. You wake up and decide on the time to go and where to go then you go and do your grocery shopping! When you get home you unpack the groceries and put them away - goal achieved! See that wasn't so hard...

Setting goals in many areas of your life and re-visiting, changing them to suit the life you lead or want to lead and putting actions to the goal all assist you in reaching that goal.

This is part 2 of our coaching year and will help you look at goal setting and help you create the goal or goals you want in your life right now.

My belief is that we can all do whatever it is we want to do (of course flying to outer space may be out of reach for most!) however just thinking about it and then hoping it happens just doesn't cut it! You do have to do some work and ultimately 'feel' the goal you want to achieve. When I say 'feel' I mean the gut feeling that you want it, you can visualize that you have achieved it and you know what you life is like when you have it.

So, let's look at the steps to help you create the goal/s you want so that you can achieve the outcome you visualize for yourself -

1. You and only you can work on your goals Take responsibility for the goal/s. Using blame because you didn't meet your goal/s or achieve a desired outcome is just an excuse! No more blaming outside influences or people for your short comings. Yes, it's harsh but you have to be accountable. If you can't complete a task or follow through on something you have to work out how you will action it once you remove the obstacle. Things are not easy and goal achieving isn't either. If it were we would all be happy millionaires!

2. Make the goal a S.M.A.R.T. one Make the goal Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. Instead of a goal which states 'I will lose weight' make sure the above relate to it - ' On 10th January I will weigh and measure myself and by 30th June, 2018 I will have lost 10 kilo's and 5 cm from my waist' You will notice from this S.M.A.R.T. goal that its Specific (Create 3 action steps), Measurable (Track your progress - how will you know when you have reached it), Attainable (What do you need achieve it?, how will you find time?, Do you need to learn new skills? What people can assist you?), Relevant (Does it fit in with your life and values?) and Timely (How long will it take?Are there any milestones along the way?).

S.M.A.R.T. goal worksheet

3. Ink it I am a great believer in writing things down (or finger tips to key board) and than reading my written word. Every goal I have set I have written down and I've more or less achieved them all! Don't write and forget, remind yourself and give yourself time each day to look at your goals and redefine them if required. Remember they are yours and you can change and amend to suit your circumstances.

4. Break your goal down into small steps Some may have huge goals others smaller very achievable ones however the process is the same. Break each goal down into smaller pieces and add a task to each of these. Once each task is done tick them off your list. I heard a great method recently. Write down all of the small tasks related to your goals on post it notes and place them in a jar. Each day/week/month (however you want to action each task) take one post it note out of the jar and complete that task! Great idea. This means that you are mixing up your goals and also not sequentially completing the tasks (sometimes difficult for some goals). Adds some fun to your goal achieving.

5. Action it Don't just sit on the goal - look at it/them numerous times a day. Write it/them down and place it somewhere you can see it as a reminder of your commitment - your work PC screen, inside your wallet... Share your goal/s with a friend. Whether its a friend with a similar goal (such as weight loss) or a friend you can be honest with and who can assist in making you accountable. Research by Bauer Media suggests that 25% of goal setters team up with a friend to achieve their goals and of that 25%, 86% of these believe that this helped them achieve their goal. So, my task for you this week is to look at the following areas of your life and set goals - - Financial - Health and wellness - Career - Relationships - Fun and recreation - Personal Make one goal if one is what you want to focus on or make 20 - remember you and only you are responsible for the outcome no matter what obstacles come your way.

Enjoy your week of goal writing and next week we will look you core values and ensure that your goals are aligned with these.

If you could I would be delighted if you would like my FB page and visit my website www.innerselfcoaching.com.au and should you want some one on one coaching contact me and we can arrange a consultation.

Bye for now,

Dawn