Goals: To bother or not to bother?
Some of us swear by “To Do” lists, other people use brain maps, others follow the famous S.M.A.R.T principle… But if you’re as busy and scatter brained as I am you’ll need something quick, simple and straight to the point that’s going to maximize your chances of success.
Mindset coach Anna Aparicio's 7 commandments of intelligent goal setting are designed to maximize your - and my - changes of success. Whether you want to lose weight, run a marathon, change careers, or finally take that sabatic and travel around the world whilst producing a bestseller... these 7 incredibly easy steps will set you up for the best outcome possible:
1# BIG UP THE BIG PIC: Put pen to paper and write down the big picture; your end goal in as much detail as possible. What specifically do you want to achieve, by when [set a deadline date], where, with whom, and what for?
2# CHUNK IT DOWN: Chunk your goal down; what steps, stages, milestones are involved in reaching this goal? Work backwards from the future to the present moment. Devise a timeline just like this:
PRESENT<-What needs to happen?-MILESTONE 1<-?-MILESTONE 2<-?-MILESTONE 3<--?-TARGET
Within each of these milestones what do YOU need to do? Is anything that needs to happen not under your control or influence? If so, what or who do you need to help you achieve your goal?
3# RUN A QUALITY CONTROL TEST: How will you achieving your goal impact your life? How will everything that you’ll have to do to achieve your goal impact all aspects of your life, and the people in in your life? Is doing everything you will need to do to achieve your goal worth it?
4# PLAN FOR WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN: Devise a detailed plan of action that includes strategies to help you do the things you need to do and get through challenges.Ask yourself: what do I need to do to make sure this happens?
5# TRACK YOUR PROGRESS: Use a simple wall calendar with boxes you can write on to help you track your progress weekly and daily… you can also use an app, but it must be something you can see and refer to all the time. What can you do right now [or today] to get started? Do it!
6# FOCUS ON HOW THE + : Remind yourself of how much better you’re getting all the time.
7# IGNORE THE REST: Remember, if you ever “mess up”, ignore it and keep going. Ask yourself: what can I do next so that I continue getting results?
In short, according to Anna, you must keep aiming at your target until you HIT IT.
Anna Aparicio is a Mindset Coach at http://www.dublinnlplifecoach.com and http://www.annaaparicio.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
