As a Life Coach one of my main roles is to guide my clients
in achieving their dreams and goals.
Dreams and goals can be large or small, short term, long term, or
anywhere in between. People tend
to be really good at coming up with ideas of things they would love to achieve,
to experience or to do. The
struggle tends to be in the journey toward achieving the dream or goal. If you fall into this camp, you’re in
luck! Here are some practical
steps you can follow to achieve any dream or goal you truly desire!
1. Get clear about your goal
“A goal is a dream with a
deadline.” - Napoleon Hill
Do you have a dream that seems
“out there” or impossible to achieve?
Does it feel frustrating to think about it? Are you feeling defeated about this dream even before you
start it? Have you thought about
what’s standing between you and the dream you would like to achieve? Take a moment now to think about
something you would like to have, do or be that has been eluding you. Pause here. Think a bit. Get
really clear about what you would like to achieve. Great! You have
just taken the first step toward achieving your dream!
Getting clear about your goal involves several steps. Some people like to use the SMART
acronym.
Here’s what is involved:
S
– Specific (What exactly is your goal?
What do you desire to do, have or be?)
M
– Measurable (How will you know when you have completed your goal?)
A
– Actionable (There must be some
steps involved in achieving your goal)
R
– Relative and Realistic (Why are you doing this? How does this goal link to
something important
in your life? Does it link to one
of your values or to a key
role in your life? This is where
your motivation sits!)
T
– Time based (By when are you going to achieve this goal? What is the specific date?)
2. Write your goal down
Find a central place to keep your
goals. This is a critical
step! I keep mine in a planner (yes,
I still use a paper planner!). You
can use something in hardcopy like a planner or notebook. Many people like the convenience of
their electronic devices and like to use their cell phone or Ipad to keep track
of things. The place doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it is written
down in a place you will remember and use!
3. Identify your obstacles
Every goal will have obstacles to
overcome. Why not start out by
taking a look at what needs to be overcome in order to achieve your goal. What is standing between you and your
goal: …lack of knowledge? …lack of money? …an already full schedule? …fear about stepping out in front of
people?
The more clear you get on the
obstacles you need to overcome, the more actions you can identify to help you
achieve your goal! This is an
important step. Look at these obstacles as opportunities to move forward with
your goal.
4. Brainstorm action steps to overcome
obstacles
Now that you have identified your
obstacles, what can you do about them?
Do you need to schedule yourself for a class? Do you need to set up a budget? Do you need to let go of some limiting beliefs? Brainstorm as big a list as you
can. The order doesn’t matter
right now. What does matter is
that you dump all the ideas onto paper that are coming to you. There is no right or wrong step at this
point.
5. Schedule small actions into your week
It’s great to have your goal on
paper, but that alone won’t help you to achieve it. You MUST take action.
Look at the list of obstacles and action steps that you’ve written down. What is one step (or steps) you can
take this week that will move you forward, even if it is just an inch! Are you going to make that phone
call, sign up for that class or pay extra to your credit card bill?
Plan these actions in to your
week. Set an appointment with
yourself if that helps you block out the time to do the task. Keep in mind that small, consistent
action will get you to your goal.
Adjust your weekly plan based on
the time you have available. Don’t
plan 8 hours of tasks if all you have time for this week is 1 hour. Be realistic and you will keep yourself
moving forward each week.
6. Review your goals regularly
How many of us have goals we’ve
written years ago in a journal or as a result of some conference or workshop we
went to? Remember how excited you
were about that goal when you wrote it?
If you did not look at this goal regularly, chances are it got put on a
back shelf of your life and it’s still sitting there collecting dust! These can be some of our most precious
and worthy dreams and goals!!!
To save them from getting put on
that back shelf we need to review them regularly. I recommend weekly.
Each week, pull out your goal and look at it. Is it still meaningful to you? Is it still important to you
in some way? What did you
accomplish last week? What action
step do you want to commit to for this week? Have you come up with new obstacles and actions? Write them down. Update anything that has changed.
Goals need to stay alive to be
achieved. They are like plants. We can’t just plant them and walk
away. They need water, sunlight,
and pruning in order to fully develop and reach maturity. The same is true with our goals. Weekly review will provide this needed
attention.
7. Share your goal with others
While we are ultimately
responsible for doing the steps to achieve our goal, we need to remember that
we do not live in isolation! We
all have family, friends, co-workers or peers who play different roles in our
lives. Share your goal with those
people in your life that will be supportive and encouraging. Don’t have anyone? Contact me! This is what I do.
Having someone to support and encourage you not only gives you a better
chance of reaching your goal, it also makes the journey toward your goal more
enjoyable!
8. Celebrate your accomplishments
Each week, take a look at what you
accomplished toward your goal.
Celebrate every completed step!
This is very important as you are recognizing yourself for your efforts
and continuing to fuel your journey.
It doesn’t matter how small or large the accomplishment was. Scale your celebrating
accordingly. You made an important
phone call this week – great! Give
yourself a pat on the back or tell a friend what you did. You reached a major milestone in your
goal? Excellent! Celebrate with a spa treatment or go
out to lunch with a friend.
This can be an area where people
really struggle. Many people
see the benefit in celebrating the achievement of the goal itself, but can’t
really justify the small celebrations.
Think about this – you are putting your heart and soul into your
goal. You are focused. You are committed. You are probably stepping outside your
comfort zone too. Congratulate
yourself for your efforts. You are
worth it!
Weekly opportunity: Take one of your dreams or goals and
walk through this process. Follow
all 8 steps! If you are really
daring, follow this process for a month!
What old dusty dream is sitting there waiting for you? Find it, shake the dust off, and give
it new life by following these 8 steps.
Email me what you’ve committed to achieve. I would love to support and encourage you in pursuing your
goal and achieving your dream!
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