Goal Setting

Do you feel like you are always working hard but never really feel satisfied with the life you are leading? Are you always on the go but still not achieving the goals and dreams that will make you happy?

Goal setting is a great way to lay out a plan to achieve the life you want. Often, we set out goals – either at the beginning of the year or on our birthday – to plan for the coming year. But then we never follow through on them and feel like we can never get anything done. So how can we really follow through on our goal-setting and achieve the life we have always dreamed of?

Determine what goals you want to set. We often think about or write down goals that are what we think we “should” be doing or what others want us to do, and that is often why we do not achieve our goals. Take the time to sit down and think about what really makes you happy, what you really want to achieve and what you would love to do if you didn’t need to worry about money or other people’s opinions. Write those goals down.

Set goals in multiple areas of your life. We often focus our goals on work or health, but we don’t create goals for a balanced lifestyle. If you only focus on career-oriented goals, you are subconsciously indicating that is all you care about. By setting goals for career, relationships, health, finances, spirituality and emotional wellness, you begin to create the balanced lifestyle that will make you truly happy.

Break your goals down into mini-goals. Once we set goals for our life, we have a tendency to get overwhelmed by how big they seem. This overwhelming feeling can leave us stuck and hinder our progress. To make true progress, we need to break our goals down into mini-goals or actions that add up to the final goal. So if you decided to lose ten pounds by the end of the year, mini-goals could include running a 5K race, joining a road-runners club or working with a nutritionist to monitor your food intake. These mini-goals become more manageable and, when put together, allow you to reach your primary goal.

Visualize yourself reaching your goals. Once you have broken your goals down into mini-goals, take the time each day, or as often as you can, to visualize how you will feel once you reach the big goals in your life. Imagine how you would look, feel and interact with others and what you would be doing if you reached those goals. This visualization process does not need to take long, but it will give your subconscious mind a mental picture of what it is trying to achieve and allow it to really begin to feel your goals are possible.

Take action. Setting goals and visualizing them are one part of the equation. If you don’t follow this up with action, you will never achieve the goals you set out to achieve. Taking some sort of action every day to achieve your goals also lets your subconscious mind know that you are serious about what you are doing and are ready to make a commitment to the life you want to lead. Taking some action and making progress towards your goal can make you feel like you can do it and will give you the confidence to keep going towards the next mini-goal.

Get help. Sometimes we do not have the willpower to achieve our goals. That is when we should get help. We may feel less empowered when we cannot do something on our own, but not everything in life can be done by ourselves. Get a coach or join a support group of like-minded people who can help you with your goals. A coach can be great encouragement and can also get you moving when you are stuck. Asking for help is not a weakness but a strength. Get the support you need and see your goals flourish!

Goal setting does not need to be a tedious process. Really knowing what you want, breaking it down into mini-goals, visualizing what it feels like and getting help in reaching those goals are the key ways to filling your life with joy, passion and possibilities!

Monica Thakrar is a health and wellness coach focused on helping clients live a more balanced and joyful life. She helps clients achieve wellness from the inside out. Sign up for a free consultation today to begin taking steps towards your health and wellness goals. Monica can be contacted at monica@joyfulsoulcoaching.com or for more information check out her website at www.joyfulsoulcoaching.com.