Three Keys to Goal Setting and Getting

Richard Bach said, “You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.” Are you working on your dream, or feel too stuck to move?

There are three keys for goal setting and getting. When something other than achievement or accomplishment is the result, one or more keys have not been used to unlock a particular “door.”

KEY 1

Do you acknowledge you have a dream or goal? Some never get that far. Some have a dream or goal but never start toward it. Some start and stop. Which applies to you?

Maybe you have too many items on your list or have so many, you haven’t written them down. Maybe you just don’t know how to choose the “right” one for now. Here’s a method to help you choose.

• Make a list of up to ten things you want to achieve or accomplish—leave about a two-inch space on the left or right of your list. If your list is far longer, you can still use this method, but the point is to get you to choose something now that you truly want to go for, so start with no more than ten.
• Number them.
• Look at items 1 and 2. If you HAD to choose only one to work on now, which would it be? Put a checkmark next to it.
• Look at items 1 and 3. Repeat the selection process to put a checkmark by the one you’d choose.
• When you finish selecting between item 1 and the other 9, start comparing items 2 and 3, 2 and 4, and so on, until you’ve gone through the entire list.
• Which item has the most checkmarks by it?
• If you don’t agree with the result, repeat this method and be absolutely honest with yourself about what you want, or reassess your list. Does your list represent your desires or those of others?

KEY 2

Do you acknowledge you have options? Are you willing to research and explore what they might be and how they can benefit you? An example is that it wasn’t so long ago that the Internet was not available to get your message out to those who might be looking for what you offer. These days, as long as you have appropriate equipment and service, you can be pretty much anywhere and have an online business presence. To publish an article—you had to mail your article and hope to be accepted for publication, which might take months. Now, you can publish immediately on numerous online venues. It’s the same for publishing an e-book or book.

KEY 3

Does the idea of setting goals and planning next action steps seem too daunting a task? Do you make a plan then don’t follow through? There are a number of ways to figure out next steps that create your plan. The first thing you need to do is identify categories such as financial, emotional, physical, social, and education, which are the main areas that need attention, followed by determining which steps are needed for each. Each step is a target you aim at until you hit it.

And, there are ways to help you follow through such as have a buddy or coach you report to, have a reward system in place like either giving one dollar to a favorite charity when you complete a step or some treat just for you—or you might be one who prefers something less pleasant if you don’t take action steps, like scrub the bathroom every day until you take that next step. You can figure out what motivates you and set it into place.

One of my newsletter subscribers enthusiastically shared her dream in an email. By the second paragraph, the self-doubts started: too old, to this, to that. I shared comments and my workbook that’s used in my upcoming online workshop, Action Sets You Free, created to assist individuals to end procrastination about going for a goal or dream. The fact that she had a format or template in hand to help her create the map to her dream brought her energy back up.

A map created by you and friendly, supportive accountability are sometimes the only things standing between you and a dream or goal, once you’re clear about what you want to aim at. Knowing what action to take and taking it help you end procrastination about that particular goal. Do this once and you prove to yourself you can do it again.

The 3 Keys in Summary: Know where you want to go so you can plan how to get there, explore your options, and have someone who believes in you on your team to help you stay inspired to go for your goal… your dream… your life.

Based on what you’ve read here, what will you choose for you and your life this week?

Practice makes progress.
© Joyce Shafer

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