Setting goals can be exciting... or intimidating...or both.
Lets look at a few steps to making this process simpler.
#1 – Be specific
You have to know exactly where you start and exactly where you intend to end up. What does it look like? What does it sound like, smell like, feel like?
Using senses help to detail the specificity, making it more real and tangible for you.
Have fun with this part!
If you don’t have any idea where you’re going, you’re just going to wander around lost.
Make your goal as specific as possible.
What exactly do you want?
Knowing what you want can be tough... especially if do to porous boundaries, compromised self esteem, or other past traumas.
So maybe try journaling a few things that come to mind and meditating on them to see what resonates (or sounds off) for you the most mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or somatically (sensations in your body).
#2 – Make it measurable
You have to be able to measure your progress so you know when you arrive at your goal destination. Measuring... like cooking... or sizing... usually involves a said number... maybe it is "3 days a week", maybe it is "20 pages read", and maybe it is 20 minutes of movement.
Whatever it may be, make it count and don't forget to incorporate a way to track in visibly-calendar or journal you look at often.
#3 – Keep it realistic
This trips a lot of people up we are super enthusiastic about having the life, the body, the everything we want sooner than later.... And that may lead us to setting goals that are extreme... a bit beyond our reach given our resources and mental/emotional preparedness.
However, if you set a goal that is over energetic, you are only setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Allow yourself the chance to be successful and as you accomplish one goal, set the next and continue to climb higher. There's level to this!!!!!
#3a -- Create mini-goals
Once you know your final goal, break it into manageable pieces by setting mini-goals so it isn’t quite so overwhelming.
In addition to reducing the feeling of overwhelm, when you reach mini-goals it gives you a feeling of success and achievement. This motivates you to keep going, which is an integral part of the process.
#4 – Timelines
You have to create an urgency to actually take action, so set a time frame that you commit to having your goal completed in. Make it motivational, YET be flexible. Life happens and while the goals remain the same, maybe the timeline shifts. It is important to be honest about the why IF the timeline moves often. Are you procrastinating? Are you scared? Are you not prepared ?
#5 – Have rewards in place
Just as reaching mini-goals keeps you motivated, so does having rewards in place. Celebrate your successes. If you reach a milestone, do something enjoyable. Just make sure it’s something that doesn’t hinder your future success.
Each part of this journey is organic and can be shifted, changed, evolved.... Give yourself grace along the way.