Setting Goals successfully is about taking the time to get clear about the what, why, when and how. By achieving goals you can improve your performance and self-confidence as well as a great sense of achievement.    Breaking your goals down into specific steps makes it much more likely to succeed…

New to setting goals? Here’s a checklist to get you started….

1. Start With A Finished Picture
Knowing where you are going is a necessary plan for setting your goals.  A powerful technique is to create a picture of your future in your mind and hold it there…. Be imaginative, engage all your emotions and senses. Each day vision yourself taking a step closer to your ultimate goal….and make it become your reality.

Another great idea and motivator is to create your own mind movie or vision board with pictures of your dream house, holiday, car....whatever your heart desires!

2. Know Why You Want The Goal
Be sure they're really your goals and that you’re not living someone else’s dream.

3. Express Your Goals Positively
Always be positive and express your goals positively. You're more likely to achieve your goal if you state your destination as though it were already a reality.

4. Create a Plan - List Your Goals - Your Goals Must Be Specific
What does achieving your goal look like?  Writing down your goals is powerful and gives you an action plan to follow with clear instructions to work with and to focus on.  Writing your goals down strengthens your commitment to make them happen.

Be precise when setting any goal rather than setting vague and general goals.  With clear instructions, your mind will work faster and more efficiently towards achieving your goals. Look at the whats and whys you’ve written down, choose the one objective that you know you really want the most and that gets you most excited. This is the one to work on as your priority goal.

5. Your Goals Must Be Realistic
Unrealistic goals can set you up for failure. You’ll also find it beneficial to break you goals down into manageable stages. To set a realistic goal means to set a goal that you can achieve in a reasonable amount of time…realistic yet challenging.

6. Plan Your Tasks
Write down exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals. You may need help from others if you cannot perform these tasks yourself.  Don’t let the fear of asking for help hold you back.

7. Strategies For Potential Obstacles
Another great strategy is listing potential obstacles.  This helps you develop strategies for overcoming them when they occur…… We all face challenges… but it’s the way we handle them as to the outcome of our strategies.

8. Set Time Schedule For Your Tasks
Setting a time schedule each day for your tasks helps you to be disciplined.  Consistent effort will help bring you closer to your dream goal. Find your prime time that you’re the most productive and when you work your best…this could possibly be early morning.

9. Importance of Reviewing  & Tracking Your Goals
Reviewing, measuring and tracking your written goals also influences your subconscious mind and helps you to keep on the right track. Breaking your goals down into manageable stages and seeing progress at each stage will help keep you motivated and to stay connected with your goals.

10. Support… Family, Friends and Mentors
Having a support structure is very important…. A question to ask yourself is….who or what is going to help you to achieve your goal? A mentor and support structure can help you be more accountable as well as supportive.

11. Motivate Yourself
Mix with positive friends or mentors who have already achieved their goals.  You can learn so much from them and you can see what can be achieved…And you won’t look back and wonder…. “If only I dared!”

There will be times when you will become discouraged.  Don’t give up on the first try. Before you consider ‘throwing’ in the towel… STOP and think for a moment at how much you’ve already accomplished…. as quite often success is just round the corner. Your mind movie or vision board will also help keep you focused.

12. Taking Action
Taking action immediately and consistent daily action will see you achieving your goals much sooner. Using a whiteboard, notebook or journal to record your progress each day will help you keep track of your progress.  At the end of each day, write a list of  tasks you need to complete the next day. Cross off tasks once completed.

13. Avoid Distractions
For many of us it’s easy to be distracted from tasks at hand. Being busy does not necessarily mean productive.
You’ll be more productive by turning down the ringtone on your phone and only checking emails later in the day.

14.The Final and Simplest Step….Take ACTION and Just Get Going!

As Mike Litman says….

“You don't have to get it right,
you just have to get it going”!

Goal setting successfully is about getting CLEAR as every goal is woven around an action plan that can lead to your success. Your actions will line up with your focus and take you closer to achieving your goals.

Run your dream through your mind to remind yourself of what it is you want and why you want it… Set yourself SMART goals and dare to live the life of your dreams…and then Take ACTION