I am really serious about this. My whole outlook about goals setting is that it is a skill and that it can be learned. If this is true, once you learn how to set a goal, create a plan, and the reach your goal, you are setting all the groundwork for a habit and skill that you can repeat over and over until you reach all of goals and set new ones that you never even imagined!

So if you start setting short term goals that keep moving you forward towards your one big goal, you will be surprised at just how quickly you can get there! Now, if this seems like too big of a task to set an ultimate goal and then break it down into smaller parts, that is okay. Just start by setting a few short term goals that will benefit you in some way. Could it be a few small home improvements or maintenance like cleaning the windows, cleaning out cupboards, or repairing the leaky faucet? Yes, these are small, but how much better will it make you feel to get them done; how much better will it feel to walk into your house?

Get in the habit of setting some short term goals, real, tangible, reachable goals that once you do reach you will feel good. Once this habit is established, you will be well on your way for setting long term goals, and know and understand how to break these long term goals into smaller parts. How does the saying go? How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time!

So go ahead, write some goals down that you can work on today that you will be able to reach in a small amount of time. You will be very thankful that you did. Change happens slowly, habits develop over time. There is no time like the present to create the habit of setting goals (and actually achieving them!).

My little girl LOVES to hear in her words, “I wish I might, I wish I know”. If you do not remember the childhood rhyme, let me remind you: “Starlight, star bright the first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, get the wish I wish tonight.” And then you are suppose to make a wish and if you want it to come true, you are not suppose to tell anyone!

How fun right! Yes, it is with your 3 year old, but what about you? The most important part of this rhyme is that you are not suppose to tell anyone for your wish to come true. So where am I going with this? It is all about personal goal setting and achieving your goals. I think that it may depend on how you work and whether or not you have support from loved ones, BUT IF YOU ALREADY KNOW YOU WILL NOT HAVE SUPPORT: DON’T TELL ANYONE!

Does this sound harsh? Maybe. But loved ones can be dream killers. I know. I have been there and done that with my own personal goal setting. While at some point you will have to tell your friends and family that you have set a goal that you will need help with or support for reaching it, make sure you are either well on your way, or have it planned out in detail so you can answer their questions.

Also, you do not need to tell those who are not that close to you. Co-workers you enjoy going to lunch with, your friend from college, or your poker buddies may not be the best to tell. You may like them just fine, but unless they are doing something to further their lives in a positive way, they may think of every reason possible as to why you could not possibly reach your personal goal.

Setting goals is important. Creating a plan is important. Writing it down is important. And taking action to reach that goal is important. However, telling everyone may hinder instead of help you, so be careful when you are wishing on that star and make sure that you see to it that it comes true!

So how many goals have you actually written out into a plan and then followed it until you actually reached your goal? I think New Year’s Eve is the most notorious time for a person to write down their resolutions of what they are going to accomplish: stop smoking, lose weight, get out of debt….

But why do these resolutions fall by the wayside so dang fast! Before you know it is almost March and you may have the goal in the back of your head still and maybe feel a little guilty and frustrated because you are still far from reaching your goal.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. The answer is to actually write your goals down into a plan and then FOCUS on this plan until you either reach your goal or have the need to create a new plan. Writing Goals Down is easy, it is the focus, tenacity, and persistence part that is difficult because it is so UPHILL in the beginning.

Here you are trying to do whatever your goal is and you have to push that boulder up the hill….and so you start looking for something that may be easier, like a machine that will push the boulder for you, or something that will break the boulder into smaller pieces so you don’t have to push so hard. By looking for easier ways to reach your goal, you have just lost a HUGE amount of focus, lost time that could have been dedicated to reaching your goal, lost any momentum you may have had in the beginning, and then before you know it, you are back to where you began and your goal is on the back burner of your life.

So I CHALLENGE you. Today, right now, write a goal down. A small one that has a plan with a timeline. Work that timeline. Don’t look for an easier way, don’t over-analyze, and don’t get stressed if it looks like you won’t reach your goal. Just work the plan, keep pushing upward, and see where you are after you hit your deadline.

If you didn’t accomplish your goal, do not get down on yourself, just make a new deadline, or tweak you plan some, BUT STAY FOCUSED. As they say, head down and to work, KEEP YOUR DISTRACTIONS AT BAY.

Honestly, writing goals down will work for you if you develop a plan of action, and right or wrong stick to the plan to see if it will work. Maybe I will tell you more where I am coming from in my next post!