Last Monday I talked about figuring out your dream or vision for your life. Once you do that, start writing down your goals to get there. It is weird how when you write your goals down and start focusing on them, it starts coming together! I am a very goal driven, type A person. I do so much better if I have goals set before me. Goals energize, challenge me. You can do anything if you put your mind to it!

Write down your goals on paper

Put them where you can see them every day. You can make a whole list of goals, but start out focusing on no more than three at a time. A book that has helped me so much with this is “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta. It is about setting goals, reaching them, focusing and simplifying your life. He talks about figuring out what your goals are and saying “No” to activities that are not in alignment with your goals. This has been a constant struggle for me; I have a hard time saying no! I want to be involved in everything and I want people to like me. I don’t like to be left out. I want to be Super Mom, wife and business owner. But I am learning in order to be effective I cannot spread myself too thin. Babauta’s  book also talks about time management and how to be more streamlined in your day. I highly recommend it.

Once you set your goals then break them down into projects and tasks to get there. Your goals must be measurable, not just broad statements. For example, don’t say, “I want to lose weight this year or exercise more, say “I am going to be at this weight by this date and this is the way I am going to do it”. Goals seem overwhelming at first, but if you break them down with a timeline and into projects made up of tasks, it is doable. If you have too many goals or make them too difficult, you will give up easily. I read an article in the business section of the Tulsa paper back in January by Harvay Mackay. He talked about goal setting and said “Setting goals is all about taking charge of a situation.” What is it that you really want to accomplish? You have to really want it!

Harvay Mackay cited an example about a company setting a difficult production quota goal. There were 2 different test groups. They both had to reach the goal in 12 weeks. The first group was just told to reach it in 12 weeks, the second group was given weekly goals to reach that same difficult goal at the end. The first group only reached 66% of the goal, the second group exceeded their goal. That is why it is so important to break down your long term goals into monthly, weekly, daily goals.

I love this quote by Harvay Mackay “Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.”

I have divided my goals into different areas-home, business and fitness. I will share them with you over the next few Mondays.

What goals do you want to set?