Yesterday I sat down with a business partner of mine. We grabbed dinner in central London at Shoryu, this awesome Ramen spot. What’s great with meeting with her is that the discussion always is intensely business, self-development and vision focused. We talked about her business, then about mine and then we got to talking about how to best set a goal/vision for the future.
She asked me: “How do you know what the right goal to set is? Like what if the goal I set now is not the right one for later on?” To which I had a think and then the natural answer came up: “These goal setting exercises aren’t set in stone. You set them today. And then you can set them again in a month, in a year or 5 years from now. As you develop and as you accomplish your goals you should set new goals. As you develop yourself, your goals should expand to create space for this new expansion.”
How To Set Goals And Achieve Them
Sit down with that piece of paper and a pen and allow yourself some time to figure out what is important to you. What do you really want? And whatever comes up write it down.
What are your predominant thoughts on your vision (what would you like to accomplish in this life?)? (SELF-AWARENESS)
What do you really want, without limits, if you were infinite in creative potential and capability? Write out each item. Bullet points work well for this. (GOAL SETTING)
Forgive yourself for any limiting or negative thoughts and judgements you hold about yourself that come up when you think about what you really want. It’s natural to have doubts and for judgement to rise to the surface. Acknowledge and feel the judgements and then release them. (SELF-FORGIVENESS)
Commit to this vision being done. Commit to BEing the version of yourself that has all that you are looking to manifest. (PERSONAL COMMITMENT)
Now, go out into the world and create from this new BEing. Allow yourself to BE that person and take action from that place. (BE AND ACT)
Repeat all steps on a regular basis to stay aligned in the highest version of yourself. By practicing forgiveness you allow yourself to be bigger than the negative stories that hold you back. (RE-FOCUS)
Looking to take your life to the next level? Tired of procrastinating and putting off your goals?
22 Reasons You Should Hire a Life Coach to Help You Achieve Your Goals
If this is a topic that is of interest I highly recommend picking up a few books that will help you on this journey of redefining who you are and then living into that:
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
The Ultimate Coach by Amy Hardison
How to Solve all Your Money Problems Forever by Victor Boc
Why Set Goals?
(Importance of goal setting)
For a long time I really didn’t like goal setting. I thought it was pointless. “I don’t need to set goals. I’ll just do what I do”. I resisted any advice about goal setting and I decided not to jump on the goals bandwagon. And maybe you are in a similar camp. You think you don’t really need them and the truth is you don’t. In life there is nothing we really need to do. It’s all about what we want to do and what we ultimately decide to do.
The reason why I now set my goals is that I’ve realised that it helps guide me in my life. It brings a sense of purpose and direction which I otherwise wouldn’t necessarily have. So could I live without setting goals? Sure I could. But the reason I decide to write down my goals and to journal on them and speak them as affirmations is that it creates a force, a momentum in my life that I can fully get behind. If you feel you are lacking purpose or a sense of fulfilment then sitting down with a piece of paper and a pen and reflecting on what you really want can be massively transformative.
Goal setting serves as a guiding light. It’s a reminder to yourself of what you are committed to. It reminds you what your values and beliefs are and what you want to create in your life. You’re probably thinking why should I need a reminder about what I want? Well the truth is, it’s all about consistency. And on good days you probably don’t need any reminder. You’re fired up about what you want in your life. But on the not so good days that is exactly when you want someone in your corner (a little helper in up there in your mind) reminding you WHO YOU ARE, what you are about, and what fuels your dreams.
As with all things I never prompt anyone to take my word for it. I always advocate for practice. Try it. Experience goal setting for yourself. See if it has the impact it has had on me and all of my clients.
If you’re looking for accelerated progress on your goals you and I should talk.
