“When your spirit rises and you dare to dream of doing, being and having what you want in life, the creative forces of the universe mysteriously appear and give you’re the support you need.” – Mark Allen
Let’s set our goals and get into action! Let’s CREATE your BEST life!
What are your top three goals for the year?
My friend and coach, Patti Keating recommends we think of our goals in these three areas: happiness, health and wealth.
SMART goals are: Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Reward – Timeframe
(Thanks, Donna Partow. I like this better than Realistic and Timely; she uses Timetable)
Example:
I will weigh my ideal weight of 125 by losing 20 pounds over the next 90 days. I will reward myself with a spa day.
It’s Your Turn:
List your Top 3 SMART Goals in sentence form, being certain to incorporate all elements:
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
The next step in goal setting is prioritizing.
It’s important to have focus and even though you will be keeping your Vision and Mission and Values always before you, when it comes to taking action, it’s critical to focus on just one item at a time. Here’s the process:
Look at your top 3 goals. Ask yourself, "if I could only accomplish one, which one would it be?" Compare goal 1 to goal 2. Then take the winner and compare to goal 3. Now you have your top priority.
This is what you will focus your time and attention on first until it’s completed. You can work on all three at one time if you must, but it is better to be laser-focused on one area/goal.
Next, since you’ve already got a target completion date for your goals, decide what the first thing is that must happen? What else must happen to reach this goal? Choose a starting date and determine how much time you will block to work on these goals.
Priority one goal:
_____________________________________________________________
Priority two goal:
_____________________________________________________________
Priority three goal:
_____________________________________________________________
Divide each goal into 4 parts by quarter. For example, if you want to lose a certain amount of weight this year, how much will you lose each quarter? Keep your schedule and the seasons in mind (or anything else that might affect your goal within a certain quarter). Do you expect to be able to do more outdoor activities in one quarter than another? List your quarterly target for each goal below.
Priority one:
Q1. ________________________________________________________
Q2. ________________________________________________________
Q3. ________________________________________________________
Q4. ________________________________________________________
Priority Two:
Q1. ________________________________________________________
Q2. ________________________________________________________
Q3. ________________________________________________________
Q4. ________________________________________________________
Priority Three:
Q1. ________________________________________________________
Q2. ________________________________________________________
Q3. ________________________________________________________
Q4. ________________________________________________________
Write all three of your Q1 goals below. Even though you know you’re going to focus on priority one, the exercise is easier if you do the parts together.
Q1 Intentions:
Goal One: ___________________________________________________
Goal Two: ___________________________________________________
Goal Three: __________________________________________________
Now do the same for Q2, Q3 and Q4.
Q2 Intentions:
Goal One: _____________________________________________________
Goal Two: _____________________________________________________
Goal Three: ____________________________________________________
Q3 Intentions:
Goal One: ______________________________________________________
Goal Two: ______________________________________________________
Goal Three: _____________________________________________________
Q4 Intentions:
Goal One: _______________________________________________________
Goal Two: _______________________________________________________
Goal Three: ______________________________________________________
Now get out your monthly calendar and schedule these quarterly goals out. It’s easiest if you break each quarter into thirds and schedule for the month.
Q1 Month 1:
Goal One:_________________________________________________________
Goal Two: _________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ________________________________________________________
Q1 Month 2:
Goal One:___________________________________________________________
Goal Two: ___________________________________________________________
Goal Three: __________________________________________________________
Q1 Month 3:
Goal One:_____________________________________________________________
Goal Two: ____________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ___________________________________________________________
Q2 Month 4:
Goal One:______________________________________________________________
Goal Two: ______________________________________________________________
Goal Three: _____________________________________________________________
Q2 Month 5:
Goal One:________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: _______________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ______________________________________________________________
Q2 Month 6:
Goal One: ________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: ________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: _______________________________________________________________
Q3 Month 7:
Goal One: _________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: _________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ________________________________________________________________
Q3 Month 8:
Goal One: __________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: __________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: _________________________________________________________________
Q3 Month 9:
Goal One:____________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: ____________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ___________________________________________________________________
Q4 Month 10:
Goal One: _____________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: _____________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ____________________________________________________________________
Q4 Month 11:
Goal One: ______________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: ______________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: _____________________________________________________________________
Q4 Month 12:
Goal One: _______________________________________________________________________
Goal Two: _______________________________________________________________________
Goal Three: ______________________________________________________________________
Key: Focus On Implementation Rather Than Information
“An ounce of implementation is worth a pound of information gathering.”-Donna Partow. It’s better to pick one aspect of your plan and fully implement it, rather than continuing to prepare for it, talk about it, think about it and research it.
Helpful Hint: It helps to decide if this is Finishable and/or if it’s a Habit You’d like to Develop
Go back and take a look at each goal. Ask yourself, “Is this a one-time project that will be completed? Or is it a new habit you’d like to incorporate into your life? Or is it both?”
Do the exercise below:
Describe the goal (you can do this for each goal) you plan to tackle:
___________________________________________________
Make note of any habits it will require you to accomplish it… and which of those habits you’d like to carry forward to use on other tasks/goals:
___________________________________________________
Use Measuring Tools to Monitor Forward Progress
There are many different ways to do this. Here are some ideas (again, thanks to my friend, Donna Partow. These are her ideas below):
1. On a poster board with check marks when each part is completed.
2. Outline the project, in list format. As each item is completed, either delete the line so the document becomes shorter and shorter or highlight so the page becomes brighter and brighter.
3. Print the list above and pin it to a corkboard above your desk. Use a highlighter pen to highlight the work you completed so far.
4. Stickies on a Mac are a recent discovery. I like to use the disappearing outline approach with this tool. The less text on the Stickie, the more progress I know I’m making.
5. Google Documents are my current favorite, especially if my goal involves doing something every day (i.e. workouts). I create a spreadsheet with daily objectives then use the paint bucket feature to brightly color in days when the goal is achieved and turn missed days black. With a glance, I can see how things are progressing and whether I need to step up my game.
6. White Board. You can chart your course using various colored markers or post-it notes, then erase or check off completed items.
Establish ACCOUNTABILITY
Successful people pro-actively pursue relationships that empower and propel them onward. If you really want this to be your best year, you’ve got to be intentional about seeking out accountability. This means that we don’t hide from hard questions or painful truths. Accountability helps empower us to achieve our best intentions.
Find a friend who will be your accountability partner. Or you may want to hire a coach. Give them a copy of your action steps and ask them to follow-up with you each week.
It’s okay if you don’t do it perfectly. Forgive yourself and move on. Don’t get discouraged, just get back on track—every action you take in the right direction is getting you closer to the life of your dreams!
Take Time for Reflection
Once a week, set aside some reflective time (or even daily) to write out your Vision, Mission, Values and Goals and look at your monthly intentions. Make sure they’re broken into weeks and get them on your upcoming weekly calendar. It’s important to get tangible action items on your calendar and follow through each week. Small steps taken repeatedly create big results!
Something to think about: Many of us don’t take time to tune into God and tune into what’s happening in our own lives! Life is noisy so we have to create the space and take the time at least once a week (daily would be better) to listen for the signals that tell us whether or not we are heading in the right direction. It gives us a chance to stop, reflect, and course-correct.
Make a list of questions that will empower you to tune into God, tune into your life, and course-correct as needed each week. You will reflect on these during the time you’ve set aside each week.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle
Congratulations for completing this process of goal setting and action planning! I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this process so far and have found these tools useful.
Please share your thoughts, ideas and results in the comments section below or on the community Facebook page.
See you next week!
Allison
ps … If you would like to download a working copy of this exercise please visit our Resources page.