Are you still excited about all of the possibilities for your 2017? This year is filled with possibilities for the future. As a psychologist and prosperity coach I often ask individuals that I come into contact with this question, "What is your definition of success?" I ask this question as often as I can because it's so very important to realize that we will not achieve what we want out of life until we clearly define what it is that we desire. In other words, you need to know what success looks like to you so you can determine how to get there. And the route to getting there is by setting appropriate goals that will both inspire and stretch you to the next level in life. Since this is a new year, I would be remiss if I did not give you some basic strategies to prepare for the future you desire by setting some appropriate goals.
Benjamin Franklin knew the value of preparation, he once said, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” Planning and preparation are essential ingredients to success and will give you a 10-times greater chance to achieve your goals. It will reduce wasted time and effort, while improving and maximizing results. Goal-setting strategy is generally accepted as one of the most valid and useful motivation techniques in personal development, and much of goal-setting research is connected to motivation in sports and business management. Know that an effective goal is whatever, YOU decide is important to you - not what I, or anyone else desires for you. Goal-setting is the process of setting targets for accomplishment; including WHAT you desire, HOW you plan to accomplish it, and WHEN you will complete the objectives. Goal-setting is so powerful because it will provide you with focus. It a way to shape your dreams, and will give you the ability to hone in on the exact tasks and actions you will need to perform, in order to achieve the things you desire in life. Goal-setting done the correct way is a method to prepare you for when the opportunity comes.
Some major benefits of goal-setting are:
1) It serves as a tool to motivate you and will increase your energy level;
2) It can relieve boredom by always giving you something to focus on;
3) It outlines exactly what you are expecting out of life, and puts drive and passion into your life;
4) It gives you direction in all areas of your life – personal, career, spiritual, and relationship; which will give you purpose in life and help you to be less stressed;
5) It will help you get closer to reaching self-actualization.
Not having goals is similar to sailing a ship across the Atlantic without a map. Goals, like maps, help you to get to your destination much faster than sailing through life aimlessly. Actually, the most current research on goal-setting demonstrates that establishing clear-cut goals and a clear road map to accomplish those goals WILL in fact, contribute to a greater chance of achieving those goals and living a better life, and this is why goal-setting is so important to us as psychologists and success coaches. Your goals must be clear, otherwise your subconscious mind will flounder. If you skip from one goal to another, your effort will be inefficient and counterproductive. Some examples of some great goals to work towards include:
- A Better job
- Improved Self-esteem
- A New house
- Financial independence
- Enhanced Health & Wellness
Your goals should be set in four major categories:
(1) Self-Development / Educational Goals
(2) Relationship / Family Goals
(3) Career / Business Goals
(4) Financial / Prosperity Goals
Here are the seven basic steps to goal setting:
Step 1: Write your goals down on paper.
Develop a goal mission statement for yourself. Your goals should be SMART, which is it should be specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and have a time frame for completion. The goal should be specific enough so that you know exactly what you are striving for, measurable so that you can tell exactly when the goal has been reached, action oriented to indicate that an activity will produce results, and realistic in that it is practical ad can be achieved.
Step 2: Visualize the results of the goals and dreams in your mind.
Visualize where you want to go. Imagine and think about how you would feel while living out your dream. Cut out pictures from magazines of the things you want and make a dream board for yourself. Include pictures of all the places you want to go, the career you want to be in, and the material things you want to acquire. Visualize your goals as already accomplished, and close your mind to contrary thoughts. You have to visualize your goals with the feelings of happiness, inner peace and joy. By visualizing the results, the subconscious mind begins to work out the details of how it will actually be accomplished. Ideas and solutions will begin popping up from nowhere. When you make a decision and begin focusing on achieving a specific goal, the powerful subconscious mind goes to work toying with ideas and developing strategies.
Step 3: Define the goals in terms of behaviors & actions and list the goals as something measurable.
Determine what you will need to do to make your dream become a reality. Express it as something that can be seen or quantified. Create a list of important things that need to be done in order to achieve the goal.
Step 4: Divide your goals into do-able steps.
Goals without action steps are just fantasy dreams. To achieve any goal it needs to be broken down into do-able smaller steps. Now you will need to go back and break down each of the goals into small manageable tasks and actions that can be integrated into your life and daily schedule.
Step 5: Identify the People and Resources you will need to help you reach your goals.
Determine what are the seminars and/or training CD’s that you can learn from to help you further create the mindset to reach your goals. Who are the people that can help you grow? Identify the people and resources and write them down.
Step 6: Set a timeline or time frame to achieve the goal
A goal is a dream with a date attached to it. Until you assign a date for completion, they are just fantasy dreams. So be sure to stamp a target completion date on all of your goals.
Step 7: Take Effective Action
Now it is time to connect your thoughts with personal action! As you start to move towards your goals, your dreams will start to move towards you. Every thought that you think will send out a wave pattern and the subconscious mind will move into action.
Written goals are a major part of success! It’s time to get your mind in the right place to achieve your dreams and goals for 2011. If your mindset is not in the right place then it’s time for you to study more, read more, hire a success coach and fight to become the person you want to be.
MY TOP FIVE GOALS FOR 2017:
#1: ______________________________
#2: ______________________________
#3: ______________________________
#4: ______________________________
#5: ______________________________
Your success coach,
Dr. Amy
