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We’re only 15 days in and already January is seeing lots of goal setting activities on the internet including challenges to get 2015 off to a good start.
I look at the first month of the year as a time to reconnect — with clients, colleagues & friends after the holiday hustle, lapsed habits and my regular schedule. That is always my January Goal. It’s easy to get off track, but you don’t get just one chance at the New Year to refocus – you can do it anytime of the year as long as the goal is part of a bigger picture.
Today, I’ve got a gift for you as well as a quick primer on the 6 elements for successful goal achievement and a surprise gift hidden within the primer to help you with your goals for 2015.
Get the Goal in the Box
To ensure that you are successful, you need to plan your goals and objectives properly and revisit to make tweaks as required. You may have goals coming forward from 2014 but not sure if you will succeed. Here is where my gift to you will come in handy.
This gift is a worksheet that I often use with clients to help them to work out their goals and objectives- especially when they are not sure of what they really want to do and what is stopping them. You can succeed with your goals, provided you know what you really need to achieve. (Update 7 June 2015: The worksheet has been removed but you can still get it if you request it via the contact form on this website)
Let us start with the primer on how to set effective goals.
To keep you motivated, here’s a small story from my own experience to give you that booster shot. If you need more help, you know where to find me and we can take this conversation off-line.
My True Booster Shot Story about getting my Goal in the Box
There is a saying in the Urdu language which translates to mean that if you really want something from the depths of your heart, then Nature goes to work to help you to fulfill your want. There is a differentiation between your whimsical and temporary desires and those that you truly know from the depths of your heart that you desire, need and want.
A decade ago, I suddenly developed a thyroid problem with sudden and escalating weight gain despite meticulously taking the prescribed medication and following the doctor’s instructions. Weight loss goals were unsuccessful until I decided that the goal should be to get my thyroid function back to normal. Armed with a new long term goal, the research for goal achievement began in earnest.
Of my own volition, I gave up the medication and instead decided to “jump start” my metabolism and regain my health through an alternative lifestyle. To my surprise, the minute I set the new goal, I also became creative and the kilos started to melt without much torture or starvation
Embed Your Goal in the big picture of your Life
Goal setting is great, but to successfully achieve your goal is another story. To succeed, you must really WANT to succeed. The goal must form part of the bigger picture of your life.
There is a connection between the heart where the desire first begins and the mind which takes the original desire as an idea and then formulates the other ideas and action plans that are required to achieve the desire, or as I dare say in coaching lingo, your goal.
Focus is the key to materialization of the want into a tangible form. To achieve this focus and a successful goal realization, start thinking with the end in mind. If you can visualize the end result, the effort to get there becomes effortless. Each little success becomes a milestone to achieving the great goal. Concentrate your thoughts each day on the completed mental picture of your want. This will enable you to synchronize the actions of your mind, body and everything that you do to materialize the completed want.
Along with focus and other thought and physical actions, it is important to remember that setbacks can happen even to the best laid plans or one may meet people or things that have the ability to weaken the resolve. The individual should not let negativity affect them and keep their mind focused on the achievement of the objective. Where one feels one’s confidence or faith wavering, one must remember that God or the Divine is always with us and connect with God to carry us through the setbacks and obstacles firm in the belief that God will provide the resources of the Universe to materialize our desire.
In the early days of my crusade, there were setbacks and situations where I could not maintain my exercise regime or diet plan. Instead of feeling low, I celebrated the fact that I was able to acknowledge the lapse of discipline and used it to strengthen my resolve. No mistake was repeated twice. Six months later, I achieved my important goal and then some more.
So how will you stay focused and in control of making the magic of goal achievement happen? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments box below.
Written By: Vatsala Shukla
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Great tips! I often write down my plan of action , so I stick with it.
Thank you Joanne. Writing down a plan of action is a wonderful way to keep on track with a plan of action. Not only does it help to bring clarity to the way you will achieve a desired result but also helps you to track back to where you might have gone wrong or where changes are needed in the future. Thanks for dropping by at my blog.
Great tips to set and achieve goals in your presentation Vatsala! I agree that so many times we get confused and discouraged and don’t go after our goals.
For me, the best to stay on track and motivated is to be around people who uplift and enlighten me.
Thank you Delia. Your feedback means a lot to me. I agree with you 100% about having the right people around you. Sometimes when we are close to our goal, we start to lose momentum and there is nothing like a good support system to cheer us on to the winner’s ribbon. Thanks for visiting my blog.
These are great tips. I started last year creating a plan for the year, filling in the big stuff. Then I have monthly goals and even weekly goals. This is the only way I can keep my eye on the bigger picture. Thanks for sharing your story. It is clear that when you are foggy on what you want, nothing you do will get you there. I am glad you were able to achieve your goals.
Good planning gives good results, Emily and as you rightly observed, being able to keep an eye on the bigger picture. When our goals form a part of a bigger desired outcome, there is better clarity on how one needs to proceed and the chances of getting side-tracked are reduced. All the best with your goals for 2015.
I appreciate this. I am one who doesn’t do the resolution thing. I just DO.
That is often the best way to get those resolutions done, Heather – by not thinking of them as resolutions but actions that need to be done. To keep myself motivated, I often write down the list of actions that I have taken on a daily basis for accountability and to keep me going. Thanks for visiting!
Great tips. I’ve been recording detailed goal plans in written form which I rarely did in the past, along with mini monthly goals targeting the big goals. Small steps… Big results, hopefully.
Absolutely, Holly. When we chart out our goals and create byte size actions, then the motivation to succeed increases as the small wins that are important to keep us going are visible sooner. The best part about creating detailed goal plans is that you can tweak it more effectively if an action does not give the desired result. Definitely, the big results will follow. All the best!