Goals can be a mixed bag. Well-defined goals can help propel you forward while fuzzy or conflicting goals can hold you back.
As the second month of the year begins it is good to pause and see how you are doing with the goals you set at the beginning of the year. New habits are setting in – for good or not so good.
How can you stack the cards in your favor for achieving the goals you lay out? Looking over past years I have learned that setting goals that complement each other in various areas of my life works best for moving me forward.
I have identified an overall objective for the year. Like most people I know there are several different areas of my life that are priorities for me and achieving my overall objective requires moving forward in each of these areas.
I have identified 5 major areas in my life and I have set individual goals in each area that work together. That way I do not have priorities in different areas fighting with each other.
The 5 are faith, family, health, career, and hobbies. When I feel productive in all 5 of these areas is when my life feels most rewarding and purposeful.
Am I working on all 5 areas at the same time all the time? No, that would have me running in circles and getting nowhere. However, when I am focusing on one it does not cause me to move backward in another area. I schedule and track how I am doing in each area to be sure I do not neglect any one area completely.
Exactly how this looks for each person will be different, but it is important to set tangible targets that you can measure to keep yourself on track. The path to hit those targets can be flexible as you encounter unexpected hurdles along the way.
Targets should be both timelines and specific results to help you not get sidetracked by procrastination or trying to achieve perfection.
As you hit your intermediate targets identify rewards for yourself that will keep you moving toward your final goal. Make the rewards something that makes you feel good, but not something so big it takes your eye off the ultimate objective.
I encourage you to evaluate where you are and refocus on your objectives. Connect with me on Facebook to share your experiences or ask some questions as we work toward our goals together.
