How To Stop Agonizing And Conquer Your Goals

“Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What you believe to be possible will always come to pass - to the extent that you deem it possible. It really is as simple as that.” -  Anthon St. Maarten

This is the final edition to my month long blog series about setting goals using the S.M.A.R.T. method. I hope you have not only learned from my post but actually committed to making your goals SMART.

Subscribe to my blog post so you won’t miss next month’s series, love and relationships.

In today’s post I will be going over the last letter in the S.M.A.R.T. goals method. At the end of this post I will provide an example of a goal in its completion using this method.

 

I would love for you to share your SMART goal with me by leaving a comment below.

I have enjoyed teaching about goal setting this month. While teaching you I also taught myself more about crafting my goals better so that I will achieve them.

Has it done the same for you?

Let’s begin crafting the last portion of your S.M.A.R.T. goals, Time-Bound.

Don’t forget your S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet.

Time-Bound

This portion of goal setting refers to setting your goals in a time frame giving them a sense of urgency. By setting a specific date on which your goals should be achieved you do not let life get in the way of achieving your goals. In my last blog post I gave in my example how to set a specific date for completing your goals.

 

Bad Example: I am going to lose 20lbs this year.

Good Example: I am going to lose 20lbs by this year. I will be starting my diet on May 1, 2016 and I will have lost 20lbs by August 12, 2016.   

By setting a specific date you begin to subconsciously place more value and importance on this goal because you have given yourself a deadline.

I have completed explaining how to craft your goals using the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting method.

Have you understood how to implement this new strategy of goal setting?

I will now give you one last example using all five letters of the S.M.A.R.T. goal.

Bad Example: I want to lose 20lbs pounds this year so I can fit into my bikini this summer when I go to the beach.

 
Good Example: Starting on January 1, 2016 I am going to start my diet so that I will lose 20lbs in order to fit into a bikini when I go the Bahamas. I can just envision myself walking along the beach with no self-doubt, fear or shame. I will be confident once again in my own body and my self-awareness will improve. I will begin my diet by changing my eating habits following the Weight Watchers diet plan. I will start walking three times a week for at least 30 minutes and toning twice a week for 15 minutes each session doing upper body one day and lower body the next day. I will have lost 20lbs by May 23, 2016 and I will be able to fit into my size 8 bikini.

 

See the difference in the two examples?

 

The first example is just a vague statement and when reading it doesn’t invoke any excitement, urgency or importance. In the next example however, you have a vision of how your life will be when you lose 20lbs and you have an executable plan of action to follow.

As I bring this blog post to a close I want to thank you for reading.

I cannot say enough how I hope you not only got value out of this but also that you implement the strategies that you have learned.

Leave me a comment below and tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear your feedback.

 

P.S. Subscribe to my blog post so you won’t miss next month’s subject. In honor of Valentine’s Day all month long I will be discussing love and relationship. In one of my post I will be revealing how to use a certain type of sex method to build a stronger spiritual bond with your partner. Subscribe now to find out what it is, next month.

 

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.*

The SMART Way To Craft Your Goals

Failure to plan is planning to fail.

 In order to achieve your goals you must have a clear plan of action.

 

In my last blog post How To Set Goals And Achieve Them, I discussed setting your goals up properly in order to accomplish them. In that post I included a dream sheet for you to complete.

 
Did you find completing the dream sheet to be an eye opening exercise?

 

Now that you have completed your dream sheet, we are going to take those hopes and dreams and turn them into tangible goals by making them S.M.A.R.T. (Specific/Strategic, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Results Oriented and Time Bound).

 

In today’s post we will be dealing only with the specific and measurable aspects of your goals.

 

In order to do this correctly, download my S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet here.

 

Let’s begin by breaking down what this all means.

 

·         Specific/Strategic Goal Setting

           This portion of goal setting stresses specificity rather than vague and obscure. Meaning your goals need to be clean and unambiguous. In order to make them specific, it needs to be obvious what is expected so there is a clear understanding of the target. The strategic refers to the reason it’s important and what’s involved.

 ·         Measurable Goal Setting

           This portion of goal setting stresses the need for concrete criteria to measure your progress towards the attainment of your goals. If your goals aren’t measurable, they seem unattainable. If you can track your progress it helps you to move further along to completion.

 

Does this make sense to you?

 

Let’s begin crafting your goals.

We will only be working with the “S” and the “M” today.

Subscribe to my blog and you won’t miss next week’s discussion on how to craft your goals to make them attainable/achievable and realistic.

Here are examples of goals crafted using specific/strategic and measurable language.

Specific

 Bad Example: Find a new job.

Good Example:  Obtain a new job as a 10th grade math teacher at XYZ high school in Anytown, USA so that I can show the children that math is a life skill which is fun and easy to learn.

Measurable

Bad Example: I am going to do whatever it takes to get a new job.

Good Example: In order to obtain my new teaching job as a 10th grade math teacher in XYZ high school in Anytown, USA I am going to complete an online job application, I am going to attend the district’s and the school’s job fair. I am going to begin networking with teachers at XYZ school and in my free time volunteer so that I can showcase my skills and desire to be apart of the teaching team at XYZ school.

 

Do you see the difference in those examples?

The bad examples are vague and don’t seem well thought out. In fact they seem more like passing thoughts than actual goals. Whereas the good examples are clear and detailed. You can read those goals and understand exactly which path you will take.

 

Are you starting to catch on? Do you see how this style of goal setting is better than your average style of goal setting?

Great!

 So your homework for this week is to grab your copy of the S.M.A.R.T. goal sheet and complete the Specific/Strategic and Measurable sections.

 

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 Attainable/Achievable and Results Oriented sections.

 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.

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. ​

 

Resolutions vs. Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Well, it's been almost one month since the New Year rang in, and exactly one month since some have lost their motivation to maintain their New Year resolutions. In my previous blog, I discussed how to set SMART goals, however, the process can be difficult until you get the hang of it. One friend told me she is no longer excited about her goals and another told me she'd like to make long term changes rather than change for just a few months.

This year, why not make a commitment to being realistic with your abilities. Set goals that will allow you to see the residual effects long after the "hype" of the New Year has worn off. Thanks to my hair stylist, I've decided to focus more on what I speak out and attract to myself to assist me in reaching my goals for this year. I've been listening to The Secret and it has been really helpful.

One way to achieve a lifestyle change is to be willing to adjust and modify your goals to fit you and what is going on in your life. Don't be afraid to assess and make necessary changes as your circumstances change.

Remember, you are in control of your destiny and your vision (goals) can be your reality/life. Don't forget to leave your comments and let us know how you are making lifestyle changes.

*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.*

Are your goals SMART?

For many, January 1, 2009 will bring about new goals and resolutions. As one year ends and a new one makes it way in, we tend to think of ways to be better than the previous year. Often times however, we forget about our New Year resolutions after a few months have passed. Or, we may give up on them because we become discouraged. One way to set and achieve goals is to first write them down so you can have a reminder of them. Next, make sure your goals are SMART. Here's a breakdown of what I mean. Let's take the issue of weight. First, goals must be (S)Specific. Try not make your goals too vague because you won't be able to easily assess your success or the need to modify a goal. Instead of saying I will loose weight this year, change it to I will loose 5 pounds per month. Secondly, a goal must be (M)-Measurable. I will increase my exercise from 1 day a week to at least 3 days a week is easy to measure. A goal should be (A)-Achievable. Many times we fall off the band wagon because our goals are not realistically achievable. To say you will loose 30 pounds in 15 days is not achievable for anyone. Rather, commit to loosing 5 pounds in 30 days. This is more achievable and you will feel better knowing you reached one of your goals. Setting (R)-Realistic goals will also help you achieve them. It is important to evaluate whether or not you have the time, resources and support you need to reach your goals. Lastly, goals should be (T)-Time Framed. Some people spend a lot of time talking about what they want to do, someday. But, without a target date there is no sense of urgency and no reason to take any action today. Having a specific time frame (that is SMART) gives you the push you will need to get started. It also helps you monitor your progress.

So, a SMART goal will look something like this: Within 30 days, I will loose 5 pounds. Or you can say, in 2009, I will live a healthier lifestyle. I will know I am doing this by loosing 5 pounds a month, exercising (walking, cleaning, swimming, dancing) at least 3 days a week for at least 20 minutes, attending all of my therapy appointments as scheduled, getting my dental check up at least every six months and showing within level cholesterol and blood pressure readings at my yearly exam.

Now that you know the fundamentals of goal setting keep the SMART acronym in mind to help you remember the basics. Don't push yourself too hard or too fast and always be your own best friend and never set yourself up for failure. While successful people know you have to stretch your talents to grow, they also know it's important to set reasonable goals. The first step to success is knowing where you want to go. The second step is having a plan to get there. Your goals are your road map. Follow them and you'll be well on your way. Good luck with your new goal setting and have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

*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.*

What's Your Reality?

The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Housewives of Orange County, I Married Myself a Balla', Paris Hilton's: My New BFF, Hogan Knows Best, Whitney and Bobby!

With so much "Reality TV" on, it is easy to loose focus and get caught up in what someone else's reality is. I recently saw someones status on a social networking site that said, "I'm watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta, I can't wait to be like them". And I thought to myself, "why not be like you?"

It is important to live our lives based upon our own reality rather than the life someone else has, or the lifestyle someone wants us to have or even think we should have. When we live for ourselves, we remove a lot of pressure to try to be like someone else. We aren't consumed with keeping up with the Joneses, but we are consumed with being the "best me I can be". Now, I'm not saying to not reach for higher goals, wealth, prosperity and status. I'm not even telling you to not have a role model, so don't get me wrong. But what I am saying is don't loose yourself in the process. Reach for these things because you want to better yourself and your family, not because you want to be like someone else.

Have you ever wondered what a real, reality show would look like? What if a news or TV crew followed you everyday, unscripted and uncut? What if they watched you raise your children to be humble and respectful and they watched you solve a disagreement with your spouse, after you've argued and slammed a few doors. What if they taped you going to work early and leaving late, only to still get caught in traffic. What if the show featured your negative balanced bank account, or taped you making your budget weekly because you weren't too sure how high gas and groceries would be this week. What if it taped your true, raw emotions after a crisis or even after a happy and eventful moment? Would you watch this show? If your answer is no, then my question is why not? Many of us live this life on a daily basis, and even though it may not be the life we want, it is a real life, based in reality! As much as we may want to, we can't "press pause" on our lives, we can't edit and erase situations, we can't live life based upon a script and we surely can't say, "cut, take 2, annnnddddd....action"! Real life, based in reality doesn't happen this way. (We can learn to "record" over the negative thoughts playing in our heads that cause us to feel inferior and incompetent but that's another blog for another day!)

The "Real Life of (your name here)", is the best production running and you are the best critic out there! Let's stay focused on what's real for our own individual situations and make steps to achieve the reality we want. Be Blessed!

"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." -Douglas Everett

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality."-Otto Rank

*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.*