I’m a goal lover, but attaining my goals hasn’t always been my strong suit. This past year, though, I knocked my goals out of the water, and I ended the year feeling strong in my heart and body, and excited. I decided to wait a bit, past the new year, to set my goals thoughtfully. I wanted to live in the near year, past the first few days, and then set goals. Maybe I’m superstitious, but it felt more attainable to wait it out a moment.
I want to share a few tips I have found that help, hugely, in setting and meeting goals.
Know What Your Words Mean.
What I mean in this is to use words with precision and accuracy. Be specific in your goals, and don’t rely on catch phrases.
For example, if your goal is to “eat better, eat cleaner” take step back, define that. “clean” means nothing, and sets you up for feeling like your food is “dirty” if it doesn’t get you the results you want or doesn’t fit an ever-shifting definition. Instead, your goal could be “eat more green foods, more often at home, and try a new recipe each month.” that is a GREAT and big goal. It’s attainable, and you know what it means.
Another word to avoid is “try”. Goals that start with “I’m going to try to ____.” usually end in “well, I tried.” Instead, take the earlier advice, set great goals, and achieve them. Here is more help on how to do that.
Set Big Goals.
You are capable of HUGE things. Your big dreams, are goals that are waiting to happen. It’s cliche, you’ve heard it before, it’s what we tell our kids. BUT THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS TRUE. Go after those things!
Start big, work backwards, and break it into smaller attainable steps. This leaves you always moving closer to your huge goals, without leaving you in a “make it or break it” situation or feeling like if you haven’t met that goal in 12mo that you are a failure. Instead, you are 12 incremental steps closer than you were at the start of the year, and that is HUGE and something to celebrate all on it’s own.
Finally…
Make The Goals Happen Physically.
Start by dreaming up the goals, then? SAY THEM. Out loud. Say them to friends, supportive family, your partner, or? if that isn’t working for you, or it makes you feel like you owe someone an explanation then speak them to you. I have, in the past, recorded myself saying my goals, and then gone back to listen to them when I’m feeling far from them and unmotivated, and it was really inspiring to hear my own voice holding myself accountable.
WRITE THEM, there is great power in writing down your dreams, goals, and small steps. It’s also an easy way to work backwards, and write down the steps it will take to meet your goals. I also end up posting mine on my bulletin board so that I can have them right in front of me. Reminding myself, on the tough days, that I have long game plans, and I can meet them.
You can also check out my full Facebook Live video on the topic!
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