Setting and Getting Goals

Setting and getting goals aren’t always equal, are they?

When I reviewed my Q2 goals last week, I was pleased with my progress. I hope that you, too, are pleased as you review your goals from the first half of the year. If, on the other hand, you are a bit dissatisfied or didn’t (if we’re being honest) really get around to setting goals--less than 4% of the population set and write their goals, I hope you’ll find these tips to be a valuable resource.

As we enter Q3 and the second half of the year in just a few days, I want to equip you with some tools that I use that support me staying on track, and offer?some recommendations to not only set your goals, but to achieve them! This is a lot of content and I encourage you to keep reading...

Tip 1:

Start with your why.

Goals are fairly simple to set. We decide what is important, identify actions required to meet the goal. And bam! Goals are set….not so easy to achieve though, until we know and are committed to our why.

We may discover that in fact, we are not doing the necessary work and if we are, we may not be consistent (more to come on consistency).

Have you read Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why or watched the most watched Golden Cirlcle video ? If not, I’ve included the video at the end of this letter.

When we are inspired, we are likely to achieve the goal. Do your goals inspire you, or do they feel like heavy weights and excess responsibility? How do your goals align with your passion?

(In the last few months there’s been increased discussion about people evaluating their current career roles and?positions and whether they’re fulfilling their passion and purpose).

When you wake up in the morning how exhilarated are you to get the day started to get closer to your goals?

Here are some tools that may help you clarify your why:

·????????Imagine – yes, be willing to imagine. This will require you to STOP- dream and let your imagination run away with you. When I knew I wanted to launch my company and was at my corporate job, I imagined what it would feel like, sound like and look like to live my passion of helping others grow. YES! Allow yourself to visualize and imagine.

·????????Inventory what’s holding you back – In other words, what’s the pebble in your shoe? When you are running or walking and you feel that pebble in your shoe, the only way to keep your pace and continue your journey is to stop, untie your shoe and remove the pebble, shake the pebble out, put the shoe back on and lace up so you can regain your momentum. Discover what’s holding you back so you can get back in stride.

·????????Inventory who you are hanging out with – are you associating with others who have the same or higher motives as you do that inspire you and propel you?

·????????Assess who you intend to become – while it’s important to focus on your goal, it’s more important to focus on the expected outcome. The book, Atomic Habits by James Clear and 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth by John Maxwell hone in on habits and consistency.??

Tip 2:

Set goals that will propel your outcome by dividing them into categories

About 15 years ago I started setting goals by categories that represent aspects of my life. I've found it to be??effective for me.

Here are the categories and some examples

? Business/work:meet/exceed your and your company expectations

? Health: eg. exercise x’s/week; eat healthy foods

? Personal: eg.start a new hobby, read books, join or start new organizations, personal?development etc,?????

? Social: stay connected with friends, communication with family, etc

? Spiritual:eg. mediation, regular bible study, etc.

Time consuming? Yes.

Effective? Yes!

I’ve created a worksheet for you that I hope will be a useful tool for you.

Click here to access the worksheet. Be sure to bookmark it so you can print.

A few other truths about the ‘how’ in goals:

·????????Goals must be written - not just in your head

·????????Goals must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timeframe)

·????????Goals must be visible – not stuck in a drawer or book

·????????Consistency matters – good habits are designed to be repeated

·????????Discipline is required and is the bridge between goals and accomplishments and must be crossed daily

"You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction" George Lorimer

Tip 3:

When? Now!

Third quarter is upon us and now is the time to plan your goals…not July 15 and not August, now. My method of goal setting seems kind of tedious but I'm going to share it anyway because it's effective.

I set annual goals in December.

Then, I set goals at the end of each quarter by category and put them on a 3x5 card and place them by my desk.

Monthly, I refer to the quarterly goals and set monthly goals in my "old school" planner.

Sunday nights (most of the time) I set weekly goals by referring to my monthly goals.

Daily, I reference the weekly goal. It’s a system that works for me.

I wish you all the success you can handle as you establish your goals. Stay growth conscious. Go get what is waiting for you. I would love to hear other ideas you have that work for you!

If you read through this letter it validates that we are on this journey together. Thank you!

I'm looking for more individuals like you, who are committed to cross the bridge from where they are, and take the right steps to narrow?gaps...at work, at home and in the community.

Click here to watch Simon Sinek Video on Finding Your Why (you might have to wait for the brief ad but it's worth the watch!

Connect with me on LinkedIn at www.dhirubhai.net/in/michellebeauchamp

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Make today matter. Let's cross the bridge together to learn.grow.succeed.