Easy Steps To Attain Your Goals And Get Results

"You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands - your own.”- Mark Victor Hansen

All month long I have been discussing how to set goals this year using a method that will increase your chances of achieving your goals.

I began this month by having you complete a dream sheet which helped you to release all of your hopes and dreams out of your head and onto paper so that you can see them and meditate on them.

Then we began crafting those hopes and dreams into S.M.A.R.T. goals using the S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet.

How has your goal setting perspective changed?

Today we will continue using the S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet focusing on the “A” and the “R” to craft another portion of your goals. In this post we will make your goals Attainable so that you can begin seeing Results.

Are you ready to begin?

• Attainable Goal Setting

           This portion of goal setting refers to the importance of your goals and if they are realistic. You shouldn’t create a goal that is far from realistic, I will give an example later on in this post. The main thing to remember when making your goals attainable is that they should be challenging and take you outside of your comfort zone but no out of reach.

• Result-Oriented Goal Setting

           This portion of goal setting refers to making your goals relevant and results-oriented, meaning it should move you closer to the vision of your ideal life. A goal should support your vision of what you want your life to be like once you achieve your goals. In this section you should be asking yourself the question what result do I hope to achieve from meeting my goals.

Now, I am going to give you examples of each.

Attainable

Bad Example: Even though I have no formal education I am going to pursue a career as a biochemical engineer.

Good Example: I want to change my career to become a biochemical engineer. Therefore I am going to go to school to obtain the necessary credentials and experience in order to pursue this career.

Results-Oriented

Bad Example: I am going to apply for a job as a biochemical engineer and hope for the best.

Good Example: Once I finish my degree as a biochemical engineer in June 31, 2017 I will begin my new career by finding a new job which I plan on securing by September 24, 2017.

In the examples provided I show you how your SMART goals are aligned with your life vision and how they are results oriented. You want to establish your goals with an end-game in mind and by giving yourself a deadline, you are more likely to continue pursuing your goals until you achieve them.

Is the light bulb going off in your head?

Your homework for this week is to take the hopes and dreams from your dream sheet and take the goals your crafted last week using the S.M.A.R.T. worksheet and incorporate the new strategies of Attainability and Results-Oriented into the goals to make them more complete.

By the end of this week your goals should be near completion.  

If you continue to follow this method of goal setting you will increase your chances of achieving all of your goals.

Subscribe to my blog so you won’t miss next week's post where we will begin working on the Time-Bound section of crafting your goals. This will be the final installment of our goal setting methods before we put everything all together.

Also, leave me a comment or ask me any questions in the comment section below. I would love to hear your feedback.

I hope you got a lot of value out of this post. Please share with your friends.

 

*Info in this blog is strictly my personal and/or professional opinion. Posts and comments are not intended to treat, diagnose or replace any medical advice you may have received. Please contact your doctor or therapist if you feel you need help, and in case of an emergency, dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.*

How To Set Goals And Achieve Them

 

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to the visible.” Tony Robbins.

 

Do you set goals each New Year? How many of those goals do you accomplish?

Have you ever wondered why your momentum loses steam and you never reach your goals?

Would you like to learn a system of goal setting that will help you stay committed and on track to reaching your goals this year?

This month is going to be all about goal setting, how to do it properly and how to follow through. We can set goals all day long but if we don’t follow through they are just thoughts in our head.

I am no different from you, each year I set goals and in the past I haven’t always stayed committed to reaching my goals, that is until I found a method of goal setting that I will be sharing with you today.

One of the problems with goal setting is that most people confuse hopes and dreams with goals. A study done by the University of Scranton in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that 50% of the U.S. population sets goals each new year but only an astounding 8% of that population achieves their goals.  

The method of goal setting that I will be sharing with you this month will help to increase the likelihood that you will meet all the goals you set for yourself this year.

Goal Setting Method - Step 1

The first step is to create a dream sheet. Complete this dream sheet and keep it with you because we will be using this all month long to create your goals for the New Year.

In the dream sheet you will find four sections…

     ·         Have

In this section list all the things you would like to have. Imagine that you have accomplished all of your goals and begin listing the things you will have as a result of accomplishing your goals. For example, you have a goal of finding a better paying job, so now that you have found a better paying job what do you have? Do you have a new car? What kind? A new house? Where? Are you kids in a better school? Which one? etc. List everything, use your imagination, this is why it is called a dream sheet. You are only limited by your imagination.

   ·         Being

What type of person will you be now that you have found a better paying job? Will you be a more active PTA member at your children’s school? Will you be a better investor? Will you be someone who shops more or go out more with your friends?      

                                                                                                           

·         Doing                                                                                                                               

What will you be doing now that you have found a better paying job? Will you be traveling more? Will you be working from home more? Will you be going back to school?

 ·         Top Priorities

Prioritize your list from 1-3 with 1 being of the utmost importance and 3 being the least important.

 Once you’ve determined your most important goals take all of your “1s” and list them from 1-5 with 1 being the goal that you are most determined to achieve and 5 being the least.       

One of the main reasons people don’t achieve their goals is because they are not crystal clear about their goals, they have a vague sense of what they want to accomplish but no definitive plan.

By completing this dream sheet you will be one step closer to achieving all the goals you will set for this year.

 In next week’s post we are going to discuss how to break down your highest ranking goals into actionable items so you don’t want to miss it. Go ahead, if you haven’t already done so and subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss anything this month. It’s going to be powerful and valuable.

If you haven’t already grab your dream sheet now, complete it, and store it somewhere safe. As I mentioned before you will be using it all month long to define your goals and ultimately achieve them. ​

 

Fake It Till You Make It

When you think of successful entrepreneurs, athletes, and politicians what is it about them that makes them so powerful and influential? What allows them the capability to stand out and be the best at what they do? Successful individuals as such all possess certain qualities and characteristics required to take on the responsibilities of their roles. Are these qualities and characteristics something that we are born with and already have? Or are they qualities and characteristics that we all can learn to possess? The common catchphrase “fake it till you make it” refers to acting a certain way until your desired outcome happens. It is believed that this method actually works.

Some say the way to become a fit person is to act like it. So how do you act like a fit person? You start eating healthy like a fit person, and working out like a fit person. Eventually you will become a fit person, because you are taking on the attitude, characteristics, and actions of that type of person. This reveals that the most effective way to move towards your desired change in life, is to act like you have already achieved it.

Begin acting like the person you want to become, and live the life you’ve imagined. The deciding factor in you achieving the life of your dreams, is neither what you have nor your situation, it is simply you. It can be as easy as a decision to change your state of mind or an attitude adjustment. You want to become a CEO of your company? Begin to act like the CEO. Come in to work early, leave late, work diligently, take on leadership roles, engage yourself with your co-workers, learn the business and company. It starts with you! The underlying key in all successful people boils down to one quality, trait, and characteristic, they believe in themselves.

You can start today with positive affirmations. Affirmations are statements that you hold to be true. When affirmations are done right they can change your entire life and way of thinking. Declare affirmations such as “I am the example of success” or “I am successful and prosperous in every area of my life.” Saying these affirmations, writing them, and meditating on them several times a day re-routes your conscious mind to believe them. Consequently, this creates the manifestation of them into your life.

Additionally, creating a Vision Board also progresses your steps leading to your dream life. A Vision Board is a board with images, phrases and affirmations reflecting your highest goals and dreams. Gaining popularity from the book, The Secret, Vision Boards are based off the Law of Attraction. The idea is that your thinking directly affects what the universe gives you. You think positive thoughts =you have positive outcomes. You think negative thoughts =you have negative outcomes.  The Vision Board serves to evoke positive thoughts, those thoughts evoke positive emotions, and thus those emotions stir up actions that lead to manifesting your dreams.

Today, stop wishing and start doing. Create a vision board, recite affirmations, and believe in yourself. Conduct yourself as if you are already living the life of your dreams. Fake it until you BECOME it!

*Info in this blog is strictly my personal and/or professional opinion. Posts and comments are not intended to treat, diagnose or replace any medical advice you may have received. Please contact your doctor or therapist if you feel you need help, and in case of an emergency, dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.*

Fear: The Dream Stopper

"I don't want to get hurt again". "I'm scared 'cause I don't know them". "What if..., what about...".

Does this sound like you or someone you may know? Many of us do not know our true potential due to our fear of the unknown, our fear to step out on faith and see what the world holds for us. I can recall a moment in my life when I used to ALWAYS say I needed to know exactly what was going to happen. I made every attempt to plan due to my fears. Rather than making reasonable and logical plans, I often prohibited myself because I was scared. Someone close to me, who is well accomplished and very secure told me yesterday, "I'm scared to love and get in a relationship because I don't want to get hurt again. It's hard" (then she let out a resounding and high pitched, "ooohhhh-wwweeee")! Now, I can understand this thinking and I'm sure many of you can! I have been at that point in my life too, almost 3 years ago. But, when I did finally let go of my need to control, my fear, and lay my past to rest, I was able to love again AND be loved on a level I could never imagine.

But, here's the kicker for me. As I talked to a group of girls on yesterday regarding anger and forgiveness, one of them said she didn't want to travel (which is one of her dreams), because of her fear of being kidnapped and not knowing foreigners! At 11 years old, she is actually re-evaluating her life's dream, due to a fear that can happen right in her own neighborhood (kidnapping, strangers, etc). Her fear, and many of ours, has become a dream stopper! This hurt me because I thought to myself, what are we teaching our children? We tell them they can be anything they want to be and can do anything they want to do, but as they WATCH us restrict our own goals, they indirectly learn that fears can stop them; that they can be whatever they want to be with the exception of what they fear!

Ask yourself, what would've happened if Martin Luther King, Jr. would've given in to his fear? If Ghandi would've been stopped by fear? What if John McCain would've been stopped by fear when he was a POW? What if Barack Obama would've stopped his dream to potentially be the first African American President of the USA because of his fear? What if you would have never gotten back on your bicycle when you were little because of your fear of falling again? And my ultimate, what if Jesus would've never died to save man because of a fear? The point is, in order to do great things and reach our dreams and goals, we cannot give in to fear!

Have you ever heard the saying, "As a man thinketh, so is he", or "you are what you eat"? The basis is simple, we are only as good as what we think or do. Again, I counseled a 13 year old who told me one day, "I want to be a doctor...but that will never happen". When I asked her why it wouldn't happen, she had no explainable reason at that time. Eventually she was able to acknowledge that her fear of being unable to control her anger due to her past, was the reason she wouldn't be a doctor. She was fearful that her feelings, and her past, would come to haunt her, therefore; at 13 she was ready to give up on her dream to be the first in her family to finish high school, go to college and become "someone big and important". Once she let go of her fear and started to lay her past to rest, she begin to express her dream of being a doctor, not her fear of it!

As you evaluate your dreams, remember that fear contains and holds us. If you give in to your fear, you will be stagnated in learning your abilities and reaching your dreams. Picture it this way. You blow air into a balloon, the air in the balloon represents you and your dreams while the balloon represents your fears. The fear (balloon) is containing you (air), preventing you from escaping and becoming the best you. Now, place a few long pieces of tape on the balloon and use a needle to make a small prick in the balloon where the tape is (this actually works). You will notice that the air is seeping out of the balloon, rather than the balloon bursting. You are no longer being contained by your fears! With one small step, you are slowly becoming a better you!! Sometimes, we have to find the strength (tape) in us and move from your comfort zone and all it takes is a little motivation and push (needle stick).

The tag line of my private practice is: "New Vision Counseling Center: Offering a New Vision To Meet Your Life's Destiny". When we change how we see something, we are able to have a New Vision on what is destined for our lives, we can see how to reach our dreams! But first, we must move fear out of our sight! It can no longer be a Dream stopper, but now a Dream Maker!

Don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts, your dreams and most importantly, how you will no longer be contained by your fears.

*Info in this blog is strictly my personal and/or professional opinion. Posts and comments are not intended to treat, diagnose or replace any medical advice you may have received. Please contact your doctor or therapist if you feel you need help, and in case of an emergency, dial 911.*