Unlike New Year resolutions, goals are established to keep us focused on specific areas of progression in life. It has been said that resolutions don’t even make it out of the month of January. Yikes… Have you ever found yourself saying out loud what you will do or not do in the New Year and then you find yourself forgetting what you set out to do before the end of the month? No judging here, we have all experienced that at some point in our own lives.
Are you serious about setting goals this year and actually achieving them? Here are 5 ways you can set achievable goals that can help you progress in any area of your life.
1. Write a List of What You Want. Goals will give you focus. You will have a clearer understanding of what is important to you by setting goals. They also provide you with the motivation to hone in on the tasks that you need to give more attention in order to get closer to where you truly want to be in life. Start with a list of your heart’s desire. Make an actual list. Number the sheet from 1-10 or push yourself to list 50 goals. Write your list.
2. Set Measurable Goals. Once you have created your list and made note of what you would like to work towards, determine how you will measure your progress. The question is, how will you know that you are moving closer to your goal? One way for doing this is by setting deadlines and smaller tasks to complete the goal. For instance, if you want to save $1000 by the end of the year, how much money do you need to actively put away each week or month to reach this goal? How will you be able to measure if you actually saved $1000 and not blew $1000?!
3. Create Action Steps. It’s very easy to write down what we want but creating a plan on how we are going to get there may be where we get lost. And, when we feel lost in our journey, the feeling of giving up and starting over at a later time seems like a better plan. So, let’s commit to not giving up on ourselves by not creating action steps. Let’s stick with the $1000 savings goal example to add more clarity to understanding the steps to goal setting. In order to keep the $1000 goal before you, you would need to see how much you can put away in your savings account (or envelope system) each week or month. This would need to be an active action item in your weekly or daily planning. Your action plan could look similar to this:
a. Open a savings account by _______date.
b. Save $20 a week and deposit directly in to savings each Friday.
c. Take lunch to work each day.
d. Unsubscribe from _________streaming service for the next 12 months.
e. Save money from garage sale on ______date.
These are things that you can place under your goal so that you can see what you need to do to move closer. Placing daily or weekly actions in your planner will be a great way to keep your goal before you.
4. Visualize Your Success. One of the best ways to succeed with your goal setting journey is to visualize your success. What does it look like for you when you achieve your goal? If you are planning to save $1000 at the end of the year, how will you feel? What will you do with the additional money? Find images and words to convey your excitement about achieving this goal. Create a vision board and place it where you can see where you are going.
5. Affirm your Success. Creating positive, faith filled messages surrounding your goals provides you with a sense of personal satisfaction and purpose. You are speaking your success into existence and being your best cheerleader. Make a habit of speaking and believing that your goals are in full motion and you are already successful at accomplishing them.
6. BONUS! Express Gratitude. Simply find ways that you are grateful NOW. And most certainly, begin to say THANK YOU to the Most High for blessing you with the ability to achieve your heart’s desire. You do not have to have all of your goals accomplished to be grateful. When you are looking at your goals, find at least 3 things that you are grateful for now and write them down. And, let’s take it a step further and list 3 things for each goal that you are grateful for (YES, even if it is still in motion!) For example: I am grateful to have $1000 saved in my bank account. I am grateful that I am on the road to financial freedom. I am grateful to have the resources to make things happen in my life.
Happy Goal Setting, Girlfriends!
