I have never been very good at writing down goals. Todo lists, yes, but never big goals. In the past week I believe that the universe is nudging me to start and showing me the tools to succeed.
- It started with an email from a friend telling me that she has a list of goals on her computer that are broken down into “action steps” that she is taking to reach those goals. She also takes time to break those down even further on a daily basis with a handwritten list. I was very impressed by her ability to see the big picture and what she needs to do to get there.
- The next day, Brett from I AM THE LAB (fabulous site + supporter of makers!) tweeted me asking for my insight about goal setting and linked to this post he had just written. He shared 6 tips that have helped him set and reach his goals. One of these tips was “Write down the steps that you believe will lead you from aspiration to reality.” His list made me realize that I would benefit by giving more attention to my goals.
- On Thursday I was fortunate enough to have a 45 minute Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching call with Sophie from Simply Divine that I had won on this blog. I told her about an idea I have to combine my interests in yoga and creativity (more on that later). You know what she told me to do? Keep making my goals smaller! She talked about how our big goals can scare us but if you can break them down so small it will help remove the fear.
- Then last night the topic in The Catalyst Course that I am taking with the lovely ladies from The Maven Circle was about getting unstuck. Jen and Jena talked about how we can get stuck in different points of our lives and that the best way to get unstuck is to “break it down!” For example, they said you can be fearful of marketing your business because that sounds scary but if you break it down into smaller actions like signing up for a Facebook page you begin to feel like you can handle it and you start to accomplish your goals.
So, you can bet that I have been writing in my notebook and breaking down my goals! I know you have a lot of goals for your business and your life so I thought you might benefit from what I learned last week.
Are you good at setting goals? Do you have any tips you would like to share about creating and accomplishing goals? Please share in the comments!
Hi I just want to recommend this awesome on line course that walks you threw steps that really help people accomplish goals. It’s given by Erin Stutland and is called Magical Manifestors. Check it out. Erin is super fun and inspiring.
So cool, Jacquie! I love this whole idea of getting clear about what you want and discovering the steps you need to take to get there. This course sounds amazing!
I love reading about other people’s challenges & how they work towards shifting them. Goal setting can be such a fabulous way of helping you reach for what you want and need. But I also think it is vital to allow your goals to shift instead of setting them in stone or they can become heavy and no longer inspiring. I try to check in with myself often & ask “is this still what I truly want?” & “does this goal still fit the person I am growing into” I have found this checking in to be an eye opening experience! Since my destination always seems to be shifting it makes sense that my goals will shift as I travel along. Thanks for sharing this post Kerry!
Ooh! I like this Jessika and it is so true! I can definitely agree that my destination is also always shifting. I totally see how you could get stuck or bogged down if you don’t check in. Spending time going after something that does not align with where you are going will not get you where you need to be. I will add this step to my new goal making approach. Thanks for sharing!
Oooooo Kerry, another great post from you that pops into my reader to remind me I’m not on track!!
I’m great with the breakdown of steps – a project manager by métier, I know how to set goals, break them down into achievable steps and create a daily to do list out of that.
Here’s the thing – how do you manage to stay on track, not get sidelined, stay focused on the prize… Just how to motivate yourself to get through the To Do list? I’m so easily distracted and yet I very much want to grow into my own business, even at a local level. If I could stay on track for even 6 months I’d be ahead!
Howdy! Thanks for sharing my post. I love the get unstuck in little steps approach. Did you know that there’s an app for that? It’s called, you guessed it, Unstuck: http://www.unstuck.com/
I agree with Jessica that being flexible is the best approach. Unexpected life shifts can cause goals written in stone to crack. In fact, some of us unconsciously set our goals too high or make them too rigid knowing that they will not succeed. If we move with smaller goals, larger once become less daunting.
Aisling: one thing that can help is to share your goals with a trusted friend or mentor. Have them nudge you when you need to get back on course. Also, don’t be afraid to reward yourself, even for the small successes. If creates a mind map formula: attain goal = reward.
This is also something I struggle with Aisling! I get sidetracked so easily and feel like I am always moving on to the next new thing that excites me. I was thinking about following up this post with one about accountability for your goals. Maybe we can recruit each other to help stay on track. Just writing this post and sharing it was a way to help me keep up with breaking down my goals.
I was thinking about it after I wrote it and I realised that I like to work with someone because of the feeling of motivation that comes from the responsibility of being in partnership with someone else. But at the moment I’m happy working on my own and being my own little dictator and I’m not sure who I would even want to work with on this project! So perhaps the ideal is as you both suggest – a mentor or brain-picking / brainstorming partner with whom to tick off goals!
It’s a great idea to write about accountability Kerry! I may do the same on my blog and we could definitely watch each other for staying focused!
Hi Brett! Thanks for stopping by and sharing more goodies! It is so interesting to think that we can create unattainable goals as a way of keeping ourselves from accomplishing them. Now that I think about it I have done that
I just checked out that app and it is perfect!I love how all of the wonderful resources are flowing my way and I am connecting with people who are working on their goals too.
Let me know when your post is up if you decided to do it Aisling! I will keep in touch with you about mine too!
Life is so busy it is hard to stay on track! One thing that I have done that helps me to stay focused is to create a ‘Due-Date List’. Every 90 days (3 months) I review it and make adjustments. I write down the upcoming goals and the small steps that help me reach THAT goal – to the right of those steps I include an actual target DATE. By doing this it gives me a timeframe to live by + a better understanding of what I want to accomplish (step by step). Friends think I’m so organized, but I don’t think so – - I call it my
brain-drain. I’m a visual person and I’m motivaed by seeing – by taking10 minutes during a quiet evening to create and recreate this 90-day DUE-DATE list, it helps me to not THINK or worry that I getting behind. I have it saved on my desktop and every week I open it, refer to it, and take on the next action as required. I hope this helps. Thanks Kerry for the great post. I love the connection.
Thanks for the great post. I have a terrible fear of heights but went zip lining for the first time yesterday. I was very nervous but I just broke the process down into steps in my mind and would only focus on what was happening at that exact moment. Had I not taken it one step at a time and kept focus on what was important to achieve my goal I would still be up there! It was a great confidence boost and exactly how I approach all goal setting whether personal or in business.
Great post Kerry! Goals are something that I think are super important for growth… not only in our businesses, but in our personal lives as well. I too break my goals down the way you do, and I find that the more I break the goal down, the more motivated I am to stick with it since I’m actually getting through it bit by bit.
I love what Jessika said about re-evaluating ourselves and our goals in order to make sure we still want the same things. One thing I have noticed for myself is that if I set goals too far in the future (more than a year), I tend to change my mind more. I’m like you two, and I’m always jumping around, trying to figure out how best to do things. A lot of times I’ll stop something only to come back to it later. If I keep my goals relatively close as far as their time frame goes, I notice that I stick with them more!
Good luck with your new system!
@Catherine – Nice! I really like your “Due-Date List.” I always did very well with deadlines when I had a regular job and realize I need to get better at giving them to myself. It is also nice that it makes you take that 10 minutes to pause and check in with your goals, dreams, and direction.
@Tara – Way to go! That is so exciting! It is nice to think about how this can be applied to so many parts of our lives. We are moving and I kept writing down on my todo list “pack the house.” Well, that is rather daunting. Once I got smaller and smaller things started getting done. I hope to take the opportunity to go zip lining someday too. Thanks for sharing your story!
@Meagan – Since I know we both have growing families I think we keep learning more about what works for our lives and how we want to live. It is nice to hear that you can relate
I agree that I think I need to keep my goals set in the relatively near future in order for me to stay on top of them.
Hey kerry,
Its a great idea to work towards a goal keeping in mind everyone’s lives are different. I have to remind myself that constantly. I set myself up for failure everytime when I compare myself with other people! I have gotten better at evaluating what works for me and what doesnt. What doesn’t work is comparing my goals achievements to others . Small steps that are achievable, manageable keep me on track . Sometimes, re-evaluating what that goal is always helps in not beating myself up , if I dont achieve that goal ! I can be hard on myself ! Good luck with all of your goals
) I know you’ll get there .
I’m horrible at setting goals! I’m really mired down in the day to day and need to get doing this and working to build too. Breaking it down is such a great idea!
Oh My this is so very helpful and so true! I just had a great conversation with someone last night who’s essentially living my dream life .. he told me if I cant say out loud what I want to do/where I want to be with confidence, It’s not going to happen. I think I’m going to write out some very specific goals and post them in my studio, and make sure that every day I am accomplishing something that brings me closer to those goals!
I struggle with actually SETTING goals…I am pretty good with keeping them locked up in my head just sitting there doing nothing. I am definitely going to check out the article and app! Things like this help me to realize that I need to really stop and think of where I want to be at a given time and what I need to do to make sure it happens. I get so caught up in the day to day that sometimes I forget about the BIG picture. Thanks for this article!
Wow! I am so happy that I shared this post! I felt almost embarrassed that I have a hard to writing down goals and really love knowing that I am not the only one!
@Lakshmi – I have realized that I compare myself to Type A personalities and I am definitely not one of those. I like the idea of finding what works best for me too.
@Kristy – I am learning that I need to carve out a little bit of time each day or week to focus and break down goals. This is very new to me so good luck to us both!
@Amy – Love this! On many occasions I have not been able to communicate what I want to do and where I want to go. I am hoping by taking the time to get clear about this I will be able to take the steps needed to get there and I love the idea of checking in to make any necessary changes to my path and destination.
@Lisa – That is so true! I really feel like that is what has happened to me lately, getting caught up in the day to day with no clear view of the future. I know what I need to get done to get through the week but what I need to do to create the life I want. That is what I want to start working on