Goals focus your energy and intentions and direct your motivation in a productive direction. Goals outline a plan of action, while dreams are conceptual visions.

Your goals are the milestones you will reach along the way to achieving your vision. They break down the process into smaller pieces, the little successes en route to the big success story.

Studies have shown that only three to five percent of people in the world have written goals – the same three to five percent who have achieved success in business and earn considerable wealth.

Setting strong goals and committing them to paper is the most effective way to achieve success. Goals will focus your time, energy and the outcomes that are the highest priority at a time. When you prioritize and concentrate your efforts, you avoid being stretched too thin, and produce greater results.

One of the biggest challenges we face when we want to change something in our lives whether its personal or business related, is that we may be clear on what we DON’T want……but not have much of an idea of what we DO want!

Our brains are efficient goal achieving machines. With the right information, our unconscious can help us achieve new heights that we can barely imagine. But without this information, we just stay cycling around and around, stuck in what we “know” – our comfort zone. For many people a lack of skill in building a strong meaningful detailed picture of what they DO want is the biggest barrier to achieving their dreams.

Let’s be clear – so often the problem is not that we: can’t” take the necessary steps to get what we want – it’s that we don’t know which steps to take because we don’t know where we are going.

Most people stop at the dreaming stage and then think that the rest will take care of itself. The bottom line is that without action, nothing changes. And without being specific, how on earth can you ever take action? The more specific the action the better. If you can define the first step then, then you will be able to take it.

Steps to successful goal setting

Dream Big – Act today

As you embark on the process of goal setting, to ask yourself the following:

Clarity – be crystal clear, use your imagination to paint your ideal picture.

What do your goals look like? How will you feel when you achieve them? How will you celebrate?

When do you want to achieve them? What day, month year?

Be detailed – An example of this is the following: Imagine travelling overseas and having the full itinerary of your trip, which includes the airline, time, date, the accommodation, the restaurants you’ll be dining at and all the daily activities. The items you will pack, and the list goes on.

Be realistic, are they achievable? Can you achieve them? If your goal is to be an astronaut and you have no interest in science or maths. How will you achieve this?

Challenge yourself – if the goal is too easy, how satisfied will you be? Achieving challenging tasks and activities builds confidence and resilience.

Do they align with your WHY? If they don’t then the chances of success are slim.

Are they your goals? They must be yours; this isn’t about pleasing others. This is about following your own dreams and passions. It’s about doing what you love and want.

How committed are you? When you commit, obstacles can be overcome, and solutions are easier to come by.

Write them down and have them mapped out, include the activities, tasks, and the resources you will need to help you achieve them. Include things like any new skills you would need to learn, the people who will help you, education and courses you would need to undertake. There are many Goal Setting templates online.

A good goal setting template should include:

• Short-term goals (less than 1 year)
• Medium -term goals (1-5 years)
• Long-term goals (more than 5 years)

Or you can create your own. Whatever template you use, I do suggest writing them down. Writing them down is your first action step.

Once you’ve completed and committed to your goals, create a Monthly Action Planner. This should include the daily tasks and activities that will enable you to move towards achieving your goals. It’s the little steps that will lead to big gains.

Keep them where you can see and track their progress daily.

Another critical factor in achieving your goals is – Mindset.

Developing and maintaining a healthy and successful mindset is an ongoing work-in-progress. How can you effectively manage the setbacks and challenges along your journey towards your goals because they will occur? Here are some ways in which you can do that.

• Surround yourself with people that will lift your energy levels. People that want you to succeed in your personal and professional life.
• Focus on your strengths – write them down and keep them where you can refer to them every day.
• Use forward moving words – like CAN instead of CAN’T. Think about the words that you tell yourself.
• Try reframing – it’s simply shifting an un-resourceful thought or sentence into a more resourceful one.

Here’s to your success!