Achieving Your Goals!

10 Steps to Achieving Your Goals - Blog Happy 2016!! With a new year upon us, what does it seem like everyone is doing? Setting New Year’s resolutions! What sadly happens to the vast majority who do this? Those resolutions are long forgotten by the end of the month, if not sooner. Just look around at gyms- the first few weeks of January they are packed. Then people get busy and preoccupied with other demands, and end up paying for a gym membership that they are not even using. Then they try to pull a Chandler and “quit the gym” (Friends, anybody?). What if we were to approach your goals and ambitions in a different way? In a holistic way, looking at every area of wellness! What if you had a monthly check-in, with other people you are accountable to, and professionals who are there to help support you in achieving your dreams? What if you had all that for free? Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. It’s real, and it starts on January 10! There are only a few spots left, so be sure to register today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-year-new-you-tickets-19570181941 In the meantime, here are 10 steps to achieving your biggest dreams and ambitions and make 2016 your best year yet!

1. Get fired up! Get excited about your aspirations. Find inspiration to your soul. What do you want in life? Look at every area of your life- physical, spiritual, emotional, environmental, vocational, financial, sexual and social. This is where my Relational Wellness Wheel comes in, which I cover in my New Year: New You! workshop. Dream big and follow your passion. “Every day, take one step towards your goal, and one day you will wake up to find that you have achieved it” (this was an anonymous quote that got me through university). Your personal goals are important and worthy of your attention.
2. Set goals using the SMART goal technique- Specific, Meaningful (some say Measurable), Action (some say Attainable or Achievable), Realistic (some say Relevant) and Timely. Be precise. For example, rather than saying I want to lose weight, I can say “I want to lose 10 pounds”. Why is this goal important to you? For example, “I want to lose 10 pounds to look better in my bikini”. What steps/resources do you need to achieve it? For example, “I will work out three times a week in order to lose 10 pounds and look better in my bikini”. How do you know that you can achieve your goal? For example, by prioritizing it, “I will prioritize working out three times a week in order to lose 10 pounds and look better in my bikini”. When is your deadline? For example, “I will prioritize working out three times a week in order to lose 10 pounds and look better in my bikini by June 1, 2016”. Now that’s a SMART goal!
3. Share your vision! Share your goals with someone important in your life. This helps you to be accountable to someone, and encourages support. Share with those who you know will cheer you on through your journey. Better yet, share your goals with others who have similar goals to you, so that you can support each other in your mutual accomplishments.
4. Write it down, write it down, write it down! When you write down your goals or create a vision board, it helps you to really focus on what it is you want. You are then able to ultimately manifest that vision that you have created for yourself. Think about how your life will be different once you achieve this goal- how will you feel, how will you act, how would it benefit you or those around you.
5. Make a plan. Figure out the HOW. How are you going to get to your goal? Imagine yourself at the end of the year, having achieved what you wanted, and think of what it took to get there. Break it down into smaller, simpler, more easily achievable chunks. For example, if I want to lose 10 pounds by June 1, 2016, then I need to lose 1-2 pounds every month between now and then.
6. Obliterate obstacles. Break down the barriers that stand in the way between you and your goal. What are some potential road blocks that you anticipate and how would you overcome them? Sometimes your biggest obstacle is YOU! Have faith that you are capable of achieving your goals. Don’t let any fears get in the way- fear of failure, fear of success, fear of judgement, etc. This is your life and you can make the choice to make it great.
7. Prioritize. If this particular goal is something that you are really serious about, then make it a priority in your life. No excuses. I know I’m guilty of this myself, saying I’m too busy to work out. Well, guess what? Three weeks ago, I hired a personal trainer, and I have made it a priority in my schedule to meet with her every week, and to work out in between sessions with her. All things are possible. Also, you may have several different goals- figure out what you want to make as a priority goal to focus on. With too many competing goals, it can get overwhelming to try to juggle them all at once.
8. Review your progress. Every single month, review the progress that you have made. Where should you be at each interval in order to achieve your goal my your ultimate deadline date? What has worked? What has not? How can you tweak your approach to get better results? Achieving your ultimate goal requires regular fine tuning and re-focusing on an ongoing basis.
9. Hard work and determination is key! Nothing that is worth it comes easily. It takes effort and sheer will power. Keep going strong, and you will get there. Don’t give up! If you experience some bumps along the road, it’s ok. It will only provide you with further experience and make you resilient. Continue along your path.
10. Think positive, feel positive, be positive. Whether you believe in karma or the Law of Attraction or are aware of the premise of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or self-fulfilling prophecy, positive thinking goes a long way. How you think impacts on how you feel, which impacts on how you act. In turn, how you act impacts on how you feel and how you think. For example, if your self-talk is berating, such as “I suck, I can’t believe I did that. What a screw up I am”, you will feel self-defeated and will likely continue to make mistakes. However, if your self-talk is empowering, such as “Man, I really took a mis-step there, but I did the best I could at the time. I’ll do better next time”, that allows you to take ownership of what went wrong, without the self-blame or labelling yourself as a screw up. Recognize your strengths and progress every step of the way. Explore positive affirmations to help give you inspiration and avoid negative thinking. You could even write down a mantra on a card that you can keep handy for easy reference. I have positive affirmation cards that you can fill in with your own personal affirmation. Just send me a quick email, and I would be glad to send you one.

I would be happy to help you develop and work on your own personal goals. If you would like a free 15 minute telephone consultation, feel free to contact me. Wishing you much success for 2016! Create an amazing year!