“Goals give you a compass in order to direct your path through life. Goals focus your thoughts and actions on areas that have precise purpose and meaning.”
– Catherine Pulsifer
What a perfect time of year to set goals – a New Year can bring a New You! For women, this can be a daunting task – so intimidating that they’ll make excuses to avoid setting goals due to fears of failing – not only failing themselves, but failing others.
Women tend to be trapped in a dog-chasing-his-tail syndrome – doing so much for others – doing more and trying to do things better – they oftentimes find themselves completely drained of any real time for themselves.
Sound familiar?
There’s good news. It doesn’t have to be that way!
Goal Setting – A Course of Action
Every achievement, big or small, begins in your mind.
– Mary Kay Ash
The hardest part of any new undertaking is starting. So don’t overwhelm yourself – keep your goals realistic. Remember, every expert was once a beginner. We all started learning to walk by taking baby steps – one foot in front of the other.
Goal setting is no different. Achieve small goals – step by step – and you’ll find yourself accomplishing goals you once thought were unattainable! And during the process, you’ll find yourself feeling better about yourself!
Start your New Year by goal setting:
- Acknowledge what you want to change. Write it down.
- Create a goal for yourself to accomplish change.
- Create a path to achieve this.
- Keep track of your progression.
- Treat yourself when a goal is accomplished – celebrate!
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Goal Setting
Don’t let your goals consume you. While it’s an important objective, don’t let it interfere with your daily living, what Allison Foskett calls Achievement Addiction. Focusing on only one thing can be detrimental to your well-being. Learn to let go and be real with yourself.
Don’t overwhelm yourself! Remember, women tend to do too much all the time. You are not superwoman. Remember those baby steps – you had to learn to walk before you could run!
Don’t set yourself up for failure. Give yourself time to achieve your goals. As Foskett so accurately states: “Remember, goals are meant to enhance our lives and our happiness, not detract from it.”
Make SMART Goals
If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.
-Nora Roberts
Goals need to be SMART:
Specific. Is the goal something you really desire to achieve? Or is it someone else’s goal for you?
Measureable. Create your own criteria to measure how you’re progressing. This allows you to keep track of your progress – and reward yourself for accomplishing steps along the way!
Attainable. When you write down what goals are important, you will find yourself naturally developing yourself to achieve them. You will see things in a new light – opening your awareness to new ways to achieve.
Realistic. Don’t overwhelm yourself before you even start! Be real with yourself and your goals. If you want to conquer your fear of heights, for example, you wouldn’t sign up for a job washing windows on the 30th floor of a high rise. A more realistic goal would be to start rung by rung on a ladder at home – where you’re comfortable – and can graduate from a six-foot ladder to the roof peak at your own pace!
Timely. Without giving yourself a time frame to achieve your goals, you put yourself in limbo, with no real checklist to measure your progress.
Don’t let fear hold you back from setting goals – and achieving them. The sense of accomplishment you’ll feel will propel you towards higher goals – and a greater sense of fulfillment.
What a win-win situation!
Do you want to talk about your goals for 2015? Apply for a Bolder Moves Discovery Session. Or, contact me via email or by visiting my website, BolderMoves.com, anytime!
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Colleen Slaughter, Proud Executive Coach to the UN World Food Program, the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
As an Executive Coach for Women in Leadership and Transformational Facilitator, my intention is to help leaders in positions of high influence to understand their worth at a profound level.
Supporting women leaders to truly thrive and step into their greatness, while succeeding in male-dominated industries and spaces is my native genius.
My technique and approach show you how to achieve incredible career success without compromising any part of who you are and what makes you magnificent.