"Choose to Choose"

Dr. Davidicus Wong says the following:

You must choose to choose. If you do not live deliberately, your life will drift away from your desired destination. It's a matter of choice. Choose first your direction, then choose consistent goals that will take you there.

Source: Burnabynow.com

Goal-Setting Tip #12

Write goals as outcomes, rather than processes. Roy Lantz says that the way to phrase a good goal is to say what you want the outcome to be. So, Lantz says, "'Learn to speak Spanish' is not as effective as 'I converse easily in Spanish.'" He also recommends phrasing your goal positively. Saying "'I am a non-smoker,'" he says, "is more powerful than, 'I don't smoke anymore.'" You can then chop the goal into more manageable pieces (if needed) and get to work. As you work on the goal, focusing on your intended outcome (while performing the manageable pieces) will give you energy and enthusiasm.

Goalsuccess.com's recipe for success

Goalsuccess.com reports that "fewer than 10% of all people set and review goals on a regular basis." I find that amazing, especially since the most accomplished and successful people regularly set goals! You'll find an incredible sense of accomplishment when you complete even the smallest goal.

Take a minute right now to write down your major goals for the next 12 months. Then "work backwards to make smaller, more workable goals." Review Makeagoal's top ten goalsetting tips for specific help in setting and keeping your goals. Most importantly, make sure they are goals that are truly important to you and that you review your efforts regularly. Success is on its way!

Printable Tiplist!

Make-a-goal now has a printable tiplist. Just open, print, and you're good-to-go with our top ten tips! (Note: you will need access to Acrobat Reader in order to view this file. Most browsers come with a version of Acrobat Reader.) Without more ado, here is the tiplist:

Top 10 Tiplist

Goal-Setting Tip #11

Allow your goals to teach you. Mindtools.com says the following: "If you learned something that would lead you to change other goals, do so... Failure to meet goals does not matter as long as you learn from it. Feed lessons learned back into your goal-setting program." If you decide you need to learn new skills or improve your current skills in order to achieve your desired goal, decide how to do so before re-setting the related goal. You may need to read a book, talk to an expert, or perhaps take a class.

Click here to see the complete tiplist.

"Forgive Yourself and Move On"

Food for thought:

Way too much emotional energy and thinking is wasted because we keep reviewing past behaviors. The past is gone. Today is all we have. Don’t squander time and energy thinking about what you should have done, could have done, what you did or might have done.

Today is a new day. Move on. The point of power is in the present. (Quote from Michael Angier at Goals2Go.)

"This Year, Keep The Change"

Sally Squires , health and nutrition columnist, gives some good advice for sticking to our resolutions in the Washington Post. Here's a summary:

1. Ramp up slowly. "Rapid take-offs usually result in a fast crash and burn, so begin gradually." Decide if the goal you've set is sustainable for several months. If not, set the goal smaller and then: "slowly but steadily increase time and intensity over a number of weeks."
2. Resolve to change habits, not reach arbitrary goals. "Rather than saying 'I need to lose 10 pounds,' focus on what you need to eat and how much activity will be required to achieve your goal. Set short-term challenges to keep yourself motivated.
3. Believe in yourself.
4. Expect slips.
5. Card it. "Carry an index card with a five-point list of steps to extricate [yourself] from a slip on one side and reminders of why [your] resolution is important on the other." Click here for printable template.
6. Act now. Finding excuses to put off our goals takes time away from "what really needs to be done," says Albert Bandura.

I think these are some great thoughts on how to keep our goals. I think they can really help us during this new year. Remember, if your New Year's resolutions are already faltering, don't give up! I've personally recommitted to my goals and I'm thrilled with my progress so far. It's amazing what rethinking, recommiting, and applying simple strategies can do for you.

Goal-Setting Tip #10

I suggest that you choose your goals carefully. When setting any goal, ask yourself what it is you really want and why you want it. Teresa Ryan asks: "What is the real purpose behind it and what will that mean to you? Are you truly willing to make the effort?" If you're not, then choose a different goal or modify your current goal so it's workable, as well as important to you.

Click here to see the complete tiplist.

Making Lifetime Goals

Growing up, my best friend and I made lists of lifetime goals we wanted to achieve. I still think making those lifetime lists is important, because as Mindtools.com states: "Setting Lifetime goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making."

To set life-long goals, Mindtools suggests setting goals in some or all of the following categories:

• Artistic
• Attitude
• Career
• Education
• Family
• Financial
• Physical
• Pleasure
• Public Service

Feel free to add other categories that may be important to you, like religion. Then, when you have decided on goals for each important category, it's time to priorize them:

Assign a priority to them from A to F. Then review the goals and re-prioritize until you are satisfied that they reflect the shape of the life that you want to lead...

Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a 25 year plan of smaller goals that you should complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Then set a 5 year plan, 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan.

Finally set a daily to-do list of things that you should do today to work towards your lifetime goals... review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life.

Once you have decided your first set of plans, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis. Periodically review the longer term plans, and modify them to reflect your changing priorities and experience.

Goal-Setting Tips

Click below for printable version of Make-a-Goal's top ten tips:

Top 10 Goal-Setting Tips (Printable PDF)

(Note: you will need access to Acrobat Reader in order to view this file. Most browsers come with a version of Acrobat Reader. Try www.adobe.com if you don't already have it.)

Or, you can view all of our tips online, here:

All Makeagoal Goal-Setting Tips (Online)

I hope this tiplist is useful! If you like this list, I'd love feedback. Just email me at heather underscore reader at hotmail dot com (read it: it's an email address).

Best of luck!
~Heather

Goal-Setting Tip #9

Goal-setting tip nine is to make reminders for yourself of your goals. You can do this many ways: from simply taping up a note on your bathroom mirror, to setting up reminders in your email or handheld device, or asking a friend to check in on you regularly. Whichever way works for you, just do it-- reminders will keep you on your toes!

How are those resolutions going?

If you're like most people, you might already be faltering in your New Year's Resolutions. But, that's not a reason to give up: it's reason to re-evaluate and recommit. Here are some suggestions from estronaut.com:

There will be a time or a period of time when you feel like giving up, or you even slip a bit. Don't beat yourself up just get back on track immediately. It is a long process to incorporate new habits into your lifestyle, but these changes are lifelong, and so must be the process of change. If you find that you can't make a change alone, try to find some help. And make sure that the people who are around you know that you are making this effort. Ask them for their help ... Revisit your original goals, and your original reasons for making a resolution.

If you haven't reached your goals, you might have set them too high, lower them and try again. Don't wait for the next new year to get started up again, reassess where you are with the change . . . see where it might not have been the best plan, and recommit.

So, if you're having trouble with you're goals, don't give up. Pull your goals out again, take a look, and decide how to make them work for you. We can do it!

Let's kick those goals into gear

I read recently that...

"The common conception is that motivation leads to action, but the reverse is true -- action precedes motivation. You have to prime the pump and get the juice flowing, which motivates you to work on your goals. Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day." Robert J. Mckain

So, as you start your New Year's Resolutions, remember there's no time like the present to JUST DO IT! No matter what your goal is, take the first step of performance and let the satisfaction of taking that first step prod you on to taking the next.

5 New Year's Resolution Tips

MyGoals.com has 5 simple tips for creating New Year's Resoltions. They are:

1. Create a plan
2. Create your plan immediately
3. Write down your resolution and plan
4. Think "year round" not just New Year's
5. Remain flexible

You can read more about these tips here. Remember, SMART goals leads to success!

Happy New Year!

For the new year, my Goalsetting board has a new look! I'm excited both about the new appearance and the fact that I will be posting more regularly-- hopefully giving you some support for those New Year's resolutions. If you haven't read my post below on New Year's resolutions, please take a moment to do so. Here's hoping that we succeed this year!

Heather

New Year's Resolutions

It's about the time for New Year's Resolutions. If you're like me, you may need some help deciding on which goals to make. According to About.com, here are the Top 10 New Year's Resolutions.

Whatever you pick, remember to be SMART about them (especially remembering the realism part!).

Goal-Setting Tip #8

Remember to award yourself when you achieve your goals!

Take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having achieved the goal. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals. If the goal was a significant one, or one that you had worked towards for some time, take the opportunity to reward yourself appropriately. (Source: http://www.smc.qld.edu.au/goals.htm.)

When we achieve significant goals and then reward ourselves, it's motivating! So, don't forget to pat yourself on the back when your hard work pays off!

Challenge: Decide on a reward for your current goal(s) and then treat yourself when you succeed.

Let's Set Realistic Goals

I found some nice information that recommends setting realistic goals at The Realgoalgetter Blog. Here's what really hit me:

Of course, there are chances of becoming rich over night, but how likely is it that this will actually happen? Creating a realistic plan in order to achieve the desired results is vital in any case, no matter how high or low your goals are.

The safest way to achieve your dream is by taking successive steps and gradually increasing your chances of reaching your goal.

It made me think: we all want to shoot for the stars, and why not? But, we should remember that the way to get to the stars is step-by-step (okay, so realistically, we'd need a spaceship!). But, you get the point: start small and we can reach those goals!

Goal-Setting Tip #7

This week, I am recommending that you set academic goals. If you are a student, academic goals can help you excel. To find out how to set academic goals, see About.com's academic goal page.

Challenge: As this is the beginning of the school year, sit down and write some academic goals to chart your course.

Goal-Setting Tip #6

This week the tip is to track your goals. There are various ways of goal tracking listed in this prior post. As I wrote there, no matter what method you use, make sure it works and to actually follow through.

Challenge: Track your goals this following week and then reward yourself for a job well done when you're successful.