Setting and Crushing Goals in 10 Steps

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Do you have a huge dream or goal on your mind constantly? Something you think about everyday?

Are you always dreaming about this and can picture what your like would look like if you reached that goal or made that dream come true?

But maybe you are unsure how to set and achieve the goals to get there?

Whether your dream is to retire early, travel the world, buy a home with cash, be able to stay home, or whatever you dream about, it’s time to start working towards that dream and huge goal.

We can all do great things!

You can make that huge, crazy dream come true.

And you can reach those huge, audacious goals.

We just need a system to follow and stick with. Here’s that system!

Setting and Crushing Goals in 10 Steps

1. Think about and write down your dream life in detail.

   What is your biggest dream? Spend some time thinking about what your dream life would look like. Write down all the details you can think of. Picturing this and writing this all down is so important to help you stay focused and motivated when things get tough. Step outside your comfort zone and really dream big here.

2. Define your why.

   The why of your dream is so important to realize early on. Think about what it would mean to you to reach that dream. Why is this dream so important to you? Is this your dream because you really truly love it, or is it someone else’s dream? If your why is money related, make sure there is another aspect of it that means more than that. You will be chasing money dreams forever. Really think about and write down your why.

3. Write down any and all dreams and goals you have.

   Your big, crazy dream may be full of a lot of smaller goals and dreams, which is great! That means you can celebrate small goals along the way! Write down every small goal or dream associated with your huge dream. If your huge dream is to retire at 40, your small goals may be to have X amount of money in savings/retirement account by this year or if your huge dream is to travel the world, you can write down every place you want to travel. If you want to be able to stay home with your kids, you may have a goal to save this much, make steady income from a side job, and to stick with a budget. Getting everything on paper is the best way to get everything out of your head and to get serious and organized about your goals.

4. Assess your current situation.

   Where are you now in relation to your huge dream or goal? Looking at your current situation will help you realize what changes need to be made and what steps you will need to take in the future. If you write this down, it’s really neat to look back at where you were and see how far you have come with your goals.

5. Decide on the most important goals.

   That huge list of goals and dreams you made? It’s time to decide on the most important ones. Rank these from somewhat important to the most important. All of your dreams and goals are important, you just have to decide which ones are the most important and what to focus on first. Which goals are going to help you reach your huge dream the quickest? Those are the most important. Which goals are great, but won’t really help you reach your dream any quicker? Those are the somewhat important goals. Rank these all with numbers – 1 will be most important and so on.

6. Pick the top 3 to focus on.

   The first 3 on your list are what you need to focus on first. These should be the top 3 goals that will help you reach your huge dream the quickest and easiest way. It’s hard to choose I know, but to make any progress, we need to narrow our focus and work on just a few goals really diligently until those are completed. Then, we can move on to the next most important goals. If you spread your time, focus, and energy across too many goals, you may wind up exhausted and not really achieving any of them. So pick the top 3 to focus on. You also want to make sure the goals are SMART goals. They need to be specific, measurable (aka – you need to know when you have reached the goal), attainable, realistic and relevant, and have a timeline.

7. Make a step by step action plan.

   For each of the 3 goals that you have choose as most important, we need to make a step by step action plan. For each goal, write down every single step you will need to do to reach that goal. Seriously, every step. This will really lay it all out for you. You will know what to first, then what to do after that, and so on. You will never be guessing what you should be doing or feeling lost if your steps are laid out of you. Do this for all 3 steps and get started with the first step. Complete that step fully, cross it off (my favorite thing ever!), then move on to the next.

8. Stick with it.

   This might actually be the most important step of all. When things get tough and hard, look back at your dream life description and your why to renew your focus and get motivated again. A few tips to stick with your goals are: to write the goal down everywhere so you are reminded of it often, to say it out loud everyday (awkward I know, but it will stick in your mind and help you gain confidence about it), talk about it with friends and family, make a visual, find an accountability partner, or find some cheerleaders to support and encourage you.

9. Evaluate your progress and make changes if needed.

   Take time to evaluate the progress you have made so far. Look back at step 4 where you described your current situation and see how far you’ve come since then. Make sure you are still excited and motivated about this dream. If you are, then great! Keep knocking those steps out. If you aren’t as excited, you may just need a short break to refocus and reflect on your detailed dream and your why. And you may have found a new dream, and that’s great too! No sense in chasing what used to be your dream, but isn’t any longer. Ask yourself why your dream has changed and if it’s valid, then drop it and start with your new dream. Or you may need to re visit your action plan and choose different goals to focus on. Don’t give up or change your dream just because things got hard, though.

10. Celebrate!

    My favorite part! When you reach goals, or even cross a tough step off your action plan list, celebrate it! Reward yourself with something small to celebrate your accomplishment! You may get burned out if you just keep working and working. Acknowledge when you have reached a major milestone, and tell your friends and family about (humbly of course, but they will definitely want to know and keep cheering you on!).

Goals and dreams are so amazing to have in life. To me, it gives life more purpose and helps you find your place and meaning. You can grow so much by dreaming big and setting big (SMART) goals for yourself.

Make sure to follow these 10 steps to set and crush your goals! Don’t be afraid to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Great things come when you step outside your comfort zone.

I can’t wait to hear about you crushing your goals and making your biggest dreams a reality!

 

Dream Big!