Setting goals is a part of human nature. We all at some point in our lives have looked a head and said to ourselves: "I want to be there!" where ever there was. At some point in our lives we lose track of those goals, we get busy, life just seems to get in the way. How do we refocus on what we need to do in order to accomplish what we saw as something worth our time and effort to reach for, to achieve?
Becoming a goal accomplisher should start first with a goal, but more than that it starts with making a goal oriented life. What do I mean by a goal oriented life? A goal oriented life should be one that allows you to focus on a lot of mini-goals that will ultimately allow you to achieve the bigger goals. Many mini-accomplishments can snow-ball your momentum and confidence for reaching higher then you may have thought possible.
Think of one goal or one thing that you have always dreamed about doing, or becoming, a career you have always wanted to try. Now what steps would you have to take to see that goal come to fruition? Depending upon your thought, the steps could be a daunting amount.
Let's say for example: your goal is to run in the Boston marathon. If you've never run in your life this can seem like a very scary, almost impossible dream. Yet if you turn this dream into a set of mini-goals you will find yourself one day standing at the starting line of the Boston marathon surrounded by the hundreds of thousands of other runners, and a feeling of accomplishment will follow you over the finish line.
How to turn a big dream into mini-goals:
- determine what your goal or achievement is
- set a date in the future that will allow you the time to appropriately complete any steps that may be required
- research what is needed to get to your goal's finish line
- set your mini-goals up in easily achievable increments (cont. with our marathon example).
- talk to a health care professional about your health and any issues that might be present that could result in injury or failure
- read some running literature to educate yourself on the many different styles of running
- find a good pair of shoes that work for you (only use them for your running training sessions)
- if you've never run, first see if you can walk a mile, 2 miles, or even a 5K.
- ask for running assistance from friends that run or find a running coach
- run your first mile, your first 5K
- actually run in a public event
- increase speed, time, and distance always striving for further, longer, and just a little bit faster (no one's going to be disappointed with you if you don't beat the Boston marathon time record on your first attempt)
- Once these mini-goals have been accomplished keep training and sign up for the big day. Get your airline tickets and hotel accommodations. If you invest that much money in the event it makes it harder to back out.
But why set goals in the first place:
"If you don't have a goal in life, you are spending your life running around and not achieving anything for yourself." ~Bill Copeland
Our whole existence as humans is to achieve something, even if it's nothing more than to live. While the achievement of just living is much easier now than it was say one hundred or even a thousand years ago we have lost touch I think with what it meant to really work at just living. We need goals, we need something to look forward to, something to strive for it is a part of our nature. By acknowledging them through journaling or blogging about them can help give you clarity about what it really is that you are attempting to achieve. Goals are a representation of our desires and ideas of what it means to be in a better place or a better version of ourselves. Having a physical reference (yes even a blog is physical) allows you to go back and remind yourself what you want to do which can help you maintain focus. Blogging about your goals, especially on a public forum, makes you accountable. Not only do you become more aware that you have slipped out of the energy expenditure required for your goal but those who follow along are aware as well.
Finally -and this is important:
Goals force you to strive out of your comfort zone and into new life experiences that broaden the mind and can enlighten the spirit. Even if you feel that you have already accomplished all that you ever wanted, setting even little goals that force you to experience the best that life has to offer can make your life outstanding!
"Goals ensure you get the best out of life, for two reasons.
Firstly, by becoming a better person, your new found knowledge and abilities let you experience more out of the same life events compared to the previous you. Think about how your worldview is different now vs the you 10 years ago. Do you see life with much more clarity, depth and perspective today than you were in the past? What may be a simple daily occurrence in the past holds a lot more meaning to the more highly evolved you today.
Secondly, time passes in our life, whether we want to or not. Goals with specific measures and deadlines ensure we are maximizing our output and experiences during our time here. If you have already discovered your life purpose, your goals will ensure you get the best out of your purpose" (Celes: on Jan 19, 2009).
Personally I have monthly goals right now that I blog about (clearly not here, so now you know where all my blogging time goes). Since I started these goals last June I have noticed a dramatic change in my outlook on life. Yes there are down falls, and yes there are times when it can seem that the goal is too lofty or to difficult to reach; but then sometimes it really is the little things that get you going and matter the most; and sometimes we need those little reminders, that gentle push of our dreams calling to us from our future to remind us we have purpose.
Reference:
Celes (Jan 19, 2009). 6 Important Reasons Why You Should Set Goals. http://personalexcellence.co/blog/6-important-reasons-why-you-should-set-goals/
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