“Set your goals high and don’t stop until you get there.” Bo Jackson
It is the beginning of the year and many of us are thinking about our goals. From healthy living to family vacations, buying a house or getting a college degree, the options are endless.
Our thoughts are spinning rapidly as we attempt to narrow down the list to the most important desires. Driven by passion, or perhaps discomfort, we wrestle with pinning down what we really will do—not just what we want to do.
Goal planning is an important part of life. Goals energize us to pursue the best for ourselves and also to become the best version of ourselves. Goals give us focus and compel us to strive through rougher moments.
Goals are motivation.
I remember sitting around the dinner table as children, my father would ask my brothers and I to share our resolutions for the year. One by one, we would half-heartedly say something like “I resolve to keep my room clean” or “I resolve to be a good citizen.”
The idea was to focus on self-improvement, yet being young as we were, it seemed frivolous.
It was a waste of time. Our resolutions were quickly forgotten. The year went on as if the conversation had never happened.
As adults, the process of making New Year’s resolutions evolved into goal setting. Sights firmly set on getting the best job performance reviews, saving money, losing weight, even remodeling the kitchen. Sometimes the goals were designed to balance time devoted to work, family, friends and fun.
Regardless, I realized that to attain certain results I needed a plan. To have a plan I needed a goal. This is the starting point and the guiding light.
Goals are important. They empower us to live with intention.
Setting goals or intention begins with having a purpose and focus. Purpose is your WHY. It gives meaning to your goals and intentions. Purpose addresses the change you aim to create in your life and the reason this change is necessary.
Focus is clarity and singularity. Clarity is achieved when you have a pictorial view of your goal. This can be an image or a written paragraph. You may even call it a vision statement.
Singularity eliminates clutter. Rather than trying to accomplish too many components, your goal hones in on a specific area. This improves the quality of your experience pursuing the goal and the quality of your outcome.
Setting your intentions means concentrating on what you will do. There is a shift from living vicariously—only wishing for change and results—to living willfully and working towards the manifestation of your deepest desires.
Setting your intentions is the cornerstone of success. When you know your goals you are able to measure your progress. You become aware of your achievements or the need for adjustments along the way. You become agile in your approach understanding there is more than one way to achieve the goal.
And if at first you don’t succeed, you try again remaining convicted in your goal, confident in your intentions and committed to your journey.
What intentions have you set for 2019? Share one of your goals in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.
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