Looking at the calendar, there are only 8 more weeks left in this year and it’s scary how many weekends are already blocked for various fun activities. Next weekend, one of my oldest friends is flying in from London and I can’t wait to spend time with her in person. Later this month, I’m thrilled to marshal at the DP World Tour Championship and there’s also a trip to Hong Kong booked.
As you know from previous posts, time is precious and I appreciate my “me time”. Simultaneously, I enjoy being active and I’ve started a list of things for the remainder of this year. Amongst them are these 3 activities:
- Visit the falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi
- Prepare for an 8k in mid-December
- Become PMI qualified by 31 December
Have you set any goals for the next 8 weeks?
Whether you are practising for the next New York Marathon, looking for a new job or are planning to start a garden, setting goals supports the realisation of your dream and keep you motivated in the process. But how do you set goals?
Identify your goal. What do you want to achieve? Is it a life-time goal like taking a cruise on the MS Queen Elizabeth or reaching a certain level in your career? Are you looking to change your mindset by becoming more patient or more physically active? Or are you working on gathering the courage to do a parachute jump?
Break your overall goal into smaller steps and create mini goals. Often, our goals can be intimidating which is why we procrastinate or stop pursuing them altogether. Creating smaller steps and activities makes the way to your goal a lot more digestible and takes the daunting out of it. Define your mini goals or milestones. Achieving these will give you a boost to carry on until you’ve reached your final goal.
Create SMART goals. These 5 questions will provide you with a clearer focus on your goal, a structured approach to realising it and allow you to concentrate on the progress:
Specific – What exactly do you want to achieve?
Measureable – How will you be able to track your progress? How do you know your goal has been achieved?
Attainable – Is it this goal really worth the time, energy, efforts which you’ll need to put into it?
Relevant – Does your goal fit your values and your current/desired lifestyle?
Time bound – By when will you complete your goal?
Put your goal in writing. Writing down your goal helps you to clarify what you want. Describe your goal in a positive way. Focus on what you want to achieve, not what you don’t want.
Announce your goal. Whether you share it with your friends and family in person, via email or on social media, it makes it harder for you to pull out according to Gus Arias. They can also work as your support group and carry you through tougher phases.
Review your goal. Periodically, check whether your goal still fits you, your values and lifestyle. Do the time frame and the required efforts still work with your other commitments? Is it still your priority? Adjust your mini goals as necessary.
Track your progress. You can use a diary to note your advances, like your running time, for example. If you are a visual person, you can create a bar chart or cut centimetres of a measuring tape.
Celebrate your success. When drawing up your mini goals, think how you’ll reward yourself. This could be a new haircut, a day at the spa or a new training outfit. Chose experiences which will last and keep you going till you’ve reached the end.
What goals did you set yourself for this year or for the remainder of 2015? How do you keep yourself motivated and what do you do once you’ve achieved your goal? Share your goal and your progress with us by leaving a comment.
Until next time,
Agni