One of my absolute favorite ways to goal setting is in 4 easy steps. I don’t like to over complicate things and find that when I follow this simple formula, I make it very clear and actionable to my brain to reach my goal.
The first step to any goal setting exercise is to – SET THE GOAL!
What is it that you want to focus on? Try to keep your sentence simple and straightforward without adding any additional goals interspersed. For example, a clear goal would be: I want to learn to meditate.
A not so clear goal would be: I want to learn to meditate the various forms of meditation and master one of them.
While there’s nothing wrong with mastering meditation what makes it difficult for your brain is that suddenly there is more than one goal for it to focus on. Pick one and commit before moving on to the next goal.
The second step to setting a goal is to focus on your desired feeling.
Take some time here to visualize yourself once you’ve achieved your goal. Where are you specifically? What does your face look like? How do you feel in your body? What are you saying? Who is with you?
Take yourself to that moment and FEEL what it would feel like to achieve this goal.
What I love about this exercise is that you’re already feeling what you initially wanted to feel. Think about it, what drives every human being to DO something is because they want to FEEL something. I often tell people to feel it first and sometimes, not all the time but sometimes, the client may realize it wasn’t so much the goal they were after more than it was the FEELING. Pretty awesome.
So next it’s pretty simple, we need to set actionable steps to get to your goal! If we’re using the “learn to meditate” example above a few actionable steps might be:
- Research local meditation centers in the area
- Visit one meditation center each week
- Pick one and go weekly
- Meditate 10 minutes a night before bed
A word of caution: learning the difference between PASSIVE action and straight ACTION is key.
Passive action is when it feels like you’re taking a lot of action but there’s no outcome to prove it. For example, learning about meditation is not the same as visiting a meditation center or actually meditating.
Next is my second favorite about goal setting. It’s setting CONSTRAINTS.
Constraints are limitations or restrictions you set yourself so that you can stay laser focused on the goal. One constraint can be, no social media or blue light activity after 9pm. Another constraint might be, commit to ONE form of meditation.
Constraints help us to keep the blinders on so that we aren’t constantly distracted by the next shiny, tempting object.
Last but not least, I always like to end the goal setting session by asking this final question: How will I know I achieved my goal?
This does one of two things.
First, it allows you to understand the direct result you’re looking for and forces you to be specific. That way, you don’t end up setting one goal, and have it be a never ending goal…
Second, it provides a way for your brain to receive a dopamine hit once you’ve achieved your goal. If you don’t get specific about the goal, how will you know you ever reached it? Small, short wins are the key to keeping yourself motivated and excited about every step you take.
So there you have it dear souls! Goal setting in 4 simple steps.
In wellness,
Susan