We are in week three of this goal-setting series. And if you didn't catch the other two, go back and read them. I love helping my clients set and achieve their goals. It's funny in the past; I wasn't the greatest goal-setter; thus, I've become a student. It's the whole master what you're not great at, am I right? In other words, I continue to grow in this aspect of my life. It's one of those topics that I never get tired of researching and reading about. I'm pretty passionate about helping others to find ways they can achieve goals. At last, let's get into this week's topic, setting your smart goals.

Setting your SMART goal

Without a doubt, you've heard the buzz around setting smart goals. You must be wondering what does that actually mean?

I know that in the past, the process of setting smart goals has felt overwhelming to me! It's funny; the first time we set smart goals at conferences with our kids, it was very intimidating to me.

But here's the thing, it's like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger and easier it gets to set smart goals.

This week is all about setting your smart goals.

As a recap of the goal setting and achievement series, we've talked about how to pick your goals. Along with finding your big why. Both of those things are critical.
One, you have to have the goal you're working for. Two, you need to understand why you're passionate about achieving this goal. Your why is essential so that you can actually achieve the goal and not stop working towards it.

So again, if you've not watched the first two videos, go back and watch those and then come back to this one.

How to Set Goals For Yourself – Part One

How to achieve your goals and dreams in life – Part Two

A in setting your SMART goal

The A is this goal actually achievable. You know, in your heart, that you have the potential to actually achieve it. Now, this is important if you're wavering; this shows you a limiting belief.

What limiting belief is getting in your way of achieving that goal? A key piece is discovering where your thoughts hold you back from achieving your goals.

With this in mind, your thoughts and feelings drive your actions that create your results.

What's more, you must be on board with your goal, believe that it's achievable, and feel that you will achieve it.

Yes, you can achieve your goal; I believe it. Do you believe you can actually achieve it?

And again, I know broken record here. Yet, if you're new to goal setting or goal achievement, start with only one goal; it's so important.

R in setting your SMART goal

The R is your goal realistic? Are you able to actually achieve this goal without giving up on it? Because it's too big, ensure you're being realistic when setting your goals.

Whether it is your first time setting a goal or you set a goal and do not follow through. It's even more important the goal is realistic and that you can achieve it.

Because you want to make sure it's a small goal. Remember that small has to do with the timeframe in which you can achieve it. Small goals need only a few action steps.

The larger the goal, the more action step to complete. Right now, we want quick wins! Not a one-year goal that takes you a lot of action steps because that will be very disempowering for you.

T in setting your SMART goal

The T is your timeline. Will this smaller goal keep you on pace to hit an even bigger goal in the future?

Does it move you towards what you want in your life or business?

Your timeline is how long it will take you to reach your goal. Setting a timeline can be tricky; some underestimate, and others overestimate. If you give it too much time, it will fill that space.

Your turn setting a SMART goal

Now, you know what to do. I want you to go ahead and take your goal and walk through the smart system. How will you know that you've achieved the goal, and how do you know you've reached that goal destination.

It's so important. You must understand what you consider to be the end. The moment you have actually achieved your goal.

Why do you need to know when you have reached the end? This gives you the starting point to create your plan.

What most people don't realize it is easier to work backward to create the plan with your action steps.

Keep this simple, how will you know you've reached your goal? What is the very last thing you'll do? So what was the step right before that?

What was the step before that? Continue asking yourself what else, what else. Until you have all the actions, you should take to get to that goal? Sound good? Think small, break down the steps, and you want to ensure that you have all kinds of sub-tasks.

Why is that? The reason for that is you want to be able to take one simple action every single day to move you toward your goal.

What if you have more time? Heck, then you can do two.

By taking little tiny actions every day, it will inch your forward. Instead of cramming all the action in one day.

You are the Little Train That Could, taking small action every single day, every single day.

And the best part is you become a person that achieves your goals. Because you know, every day, you'll work towards that goal.

Here is another way

What if you're a deer in the headlight right now without a clue how to work backward. No worries.

Another way to figure out the action steps to achieve that goal is to mind mapping. Mind mapping is a fantastic tool. If you're creative or visual, this is a great way to figure out all the actions you need to take.

Mind mapping allows you to see it on a piece of paper when you write it out. If you prefer to use software, there are so many various mind mapping software out there that you may try as well.

Here's a quick review. Put your goal in the middle of your page and draw spokes or lines off of that goal. Each line or spoke will be one action.

Then off of that action, you may have different sub-actions or subtasks that need to take place.

Let your mind wander. You will have an action with a subtask, with a subtask of the subtask.

Because there may be different things that you need to do off of that particular task to make it happen. All in all, think of all the back work you would need to do to achieve your goal.

One Final Thought

I hope that's helpful for you. One other thing I want to leave you with is being willing to accept that your plans may change. It may not work out perfectly, and you may run into obstacles along the way that require you to adjust the plan. And that's okay.

Keep focusing on the goal that you're working towards. You've got this. I know you can do it.

Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you. I'm excited to see you back here next week when we're going to talk about how to follow through on achieving that goal.

Let me ask, do you want to be someone who sets goals; however, you find the whole process overwhelming, and therefore you never really set goals for yourself? Perhaps goal setting is the easy part for you, and you set goals all the time, though where you find that you run into problems is figuring out the plan to achieve that goal. Or maybe you are the person that sets the goals, creates a plan, and then never actually follows through to achieve the goal. Regardless, setting goals can feel impossible if you don't have the right processes in place to be able to achieve them. Nonetheless, whatever your problem is regarding goals, I've got you. I help dreamers drop their excuses and overwhelm so that they can actually achieve their goals.

What type of Goal Setter are you?

Goal setting, creating plans, and achieving those goals are things that I do all the time with my clients.

Are you a chronic goal setter, but then you struggle to be able to figure out how actually to achieve those goals? For that reason, you may feel like you're kind of floundering in life without a clear sense of direction.

That's exactly what a goal and a plan will do. When you set goals, it provides you with the roadmap to make sure you're moving in the right direction.

What’s amazing about goals, they act as a guideline to make sure that you're staying on track and headed, where you actually want to go in your personal life and in your business.

Wheel of Life to Set Goals

Well, first off get out your notebook and a pen, and write these down.
Here are the eight areas for you to evaluate:

1. Business/Career
2. Money
3. Personal Growth
4. Self-care (mind, body, spirit)
5. Family/Friends
6. Love/Relationships
7. You Time (fun and your leisure activities)
8. Home environment

Guess what? If these do not resonate with you and you want to switch it out for something else or a different area in your life, do that because you want to focus on the areas of your life that represent exactly what's important to you in your life and also your business.

After you have all those numbers. Now begin with the areas you're happy with and why. Next; you’re going to move into the areas you want to focus on improving your overall happiness.

What area will you set a goal to focus on?

Now, this is important to begin with one area in your life. Don't make this complicated. If you are new to goal setting, creating plans, or following through, don't make it hard on yourself. Just pick one.

What is the most important, the one you feel most called to? So it's better, to begin with, one area because if you start too big, it's will feel overwhelming. Trust me on this. The problem with starting something new you try to do too much at once.

Now that you have your list and are still not sure what area to give your attention to? In this case, mark the top three areas that contain a low rating. No problem if you're not 100% sure which area you want to focus on right now.

I call it a mind sweep.

At this time, do a mind sweep on your top focal point or the top three. Basically, come up with ways you can improve these areas of your life.

Undeniably the best way to conduct a mind sweep is with pen and paper.

Thus, time to get out that piece of paper, journal, or whatever you like to write on, maybe your iPad. Do a mind sweep, a thought, download, or brain dump. However, you refer to this.

Are you a visual person? Then you may want to do it via a mind map instead. You may be wondering how do you mind map? Well, you simply put one goal in the middle of your piece of paper.

I like to personally draw a circle around it. You can do whatever shape you want. Next off of that goal, you're going to create a little line or spokes. Since you’re visual think of the spokes on a bike. Sound good? Off of the line or spoke you’ll have your main points, off those main points, you can have subtopics as well.

Hey, are you still kind of struggling with your goal?

Well, if you do, there's another way that I'd like to suggest for you to come up with your one goal. What do you wish was different in your life?

What are you not happy with right now? Then you wanna look at the opposite of that because that's going to be your goal, super simple, right?

Stick with me here, goal planning and goal setting should be that way. It should be simple. It should be easy and it should feel fun.

This is a four-part series. For the next week, I want you to go ahead and work on this.

Make sure you get that time on your calendar so that you can set aside time to actually work on the areas in your life that you want to improve. Get your mind mapped done or your mind sweep. Begin to figure out what it is that you want for your one goal. And we will break down the why next week.