Your ability to set goals and to make plans for their accomplishments is the “master skill” of success.”
Brian Tracy
Change Your Thinking Change Your Life
As I was preparing for this blog, I thought about how I really wanted to explain goal setting. Some people are scared by the goal setting process. There are others that don’t understand the process. Others still don’t get why goal setting is such an important process.
First, why is it so important to set goals? It is important because they break down your dream into manageable sizes. At least this is what they are supposed to do. We will talk in a little bit about what happens when they are not manageable sizes. Right now, I want to show you how I use goal setting to break my dreams into manageable sizes.
I will take my dream of writing and publishing personal development books. This is one of my biggest desires, and I have dreamed about it since my mid-twenties. Below, I will write the dream and then break them down into goals.
My dream: I am excited about writing and publishing personal development books.
My goals: Here are my following goals written in manageable sizes. These two goals I wrote six years ago. Although I started dreaming twenty years ago, it took me a while to understand that I needed to break that dream into smaller goals.
- I am writing blog articles and publishing them on a blog forum or website.
- I am researching and learning about personal development every day.
Okay, so these two goals I have worked on off and on for 6 years. I know I just said that goals help you achieve your goals. Well, that is if you see your goals differently than I did. Goals were just stated for me and then I would work on them whenever possible. Suddenly it dawned on me: I need to read word goal into something that I could understand.
This is when I decided to write action steps. Action steps help me to move on whatever goal I need to accomplish. Yes, the action step is still a goal, but it pushes me to act every day on the goal. Now that I see that it is an action step, I take action. If this helps you understand that you need to take action consistently than call it an action step instead of a goal.
Now that my goals are action steps, I am consistent with my writing. I make sure I write every day on my blog and the book that I am writing. Every day I am reaching one goal through my blogs and the other one is so much closer than it was a year ago.
In our next blog, we will continue our discussion about goal setting and how it changed my life.
Challenge: Now, you need to take the next step. Take your big dream and break it down into smaller goals (action steps). If you need help breaking down your dream into goals (action steps), get some help. There are people that have a gift from breaking down dreams into those manageable steps needed to succeed.
I am a personal development coach. This is something I do all the time. In celebration of 2019, I am offering a Complimentary Introductory Coaching Session. This will allow you to try coaching for free. If you are interested, please email me at tinawhite@mymaptosuccess.com. Get started on creating your success map today!
Don’t forget to click on the link below to order your copy of the My Monday Map to Success Featured Book 💰
Change Your Thinking Change Your Life
Tracy, B. (2011). Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential for Success and Achievement. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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