It is common by this time of year for New Year’s Resolutions to have bitten the dust and so a great time for setting goals instead. The difference between goals and resolutions is that resolutions are often flippant and based on the idea of something you feel you should do rather than something you truly want. Goals on the other hand are carefully crafted and thought through in much more detail at the outset.
To create meaningful goals:
Write down your aspirations, dreams, hopes, resolutions and goals.
Make a habit of adding to this list as and when inspiration strikes.
Include things that are fun.
Include things that will change your life for the better.
Include things that scare you a little.
Pick from your list your top 5-10 and make them into goals using SMART (see below).
Use your intuition to help you pick which ones to focus on and to pin down the details so that the goal feels really good for you.
Write these new goals down and place them somewhere that you will see them regularly.
In order to make your goals powerful you need to take the time to craft them. This involves making them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-framed). This is an art in itself as it involves setting goals that are inspiring and challenging, and yet feel ultimately doable, even if you don’t yet know how you will achieve them.
There’s no point in setting goals unless you truly want them and so will be committed to taking action to make them happen. Check in and ask yourself how much do you want the goals that you have set. If you don’t feel excited or get a positive feeling about the thought of achieving them then consider picking alternatives from your list instead.
