Goal Setting.  How do you feel when you see these words? When’s the last time you sat down and wrote out your short and long term goals? Where do you even start? It can be so overwhelming! I seriously feel like this topic should have been covered in depth at some point in our decades of education…it’s so useful and so important! But don’t worry, there are some quick tips and tricks that you can use to set yourself up for goal setting success! 

So you set a goal, time to just sit back and wait for it to happen now, right? WRONG! There’s so much more to goal setting than just writing it down or thinking of it in your head.  You’re just getting started! A lot of people write goals like they make new years resolutions, they may voice them to a few friends & family, think of them in their head, or maybe actually write them down, but then past the first few weeks most people forget about them. They don’t ever look back at them or really even think about them again until the following year. This is a huge mistake! With the New Year right around the corner, I want to make sure that you’re set up in the best possible to way to absolutely crush 2017! Use these tips to stay on track and actually reach your goals this year!

1. Write it down. Take out a pen and paper and write the goal down. Don’t let it just float around in your head, write it down and keep it somewhere you’ll see it on the reg. There’s just something about writing it down that makes a huge world of difference. Plus, if it’s somewhere that you’ll see is daily, it will help keep it at the top of your mind and in your daily actions. So take a few minutes to sit down and actually think about what goals you want to reach and then write them down. 
2. Get VERY specific & make it measurable. Get as specific as possible with your goal and make sure it’s measurable. How will you know you’ve reached your goal? “I want to lose weight” is not nearly specific enough, nor can it really be measured–I mean you could lose half a pound and technically have reached your goal….but if “lose weight” was your goal, something tells me that a half pound probably wasn’t what you meant and you probably wouldn’t be happy with just that. Get very specific and leave no room for guessing. 
3. Set a deadline. Set a deadline for when you will reach this goal and make sure the deadline is realistic and aligned with your goals. Writing this, I’m so hesitant to even say realistic because I don’t want it to deter you from dreaming BIG. That’s not what I mean at all. PLEASE dream big! Set big goals and big plans of action! What I mean is just to set yourself up for success with your deadlines. It’s easy to get excited and set deadlines that are all very close and then struggle to meet them all. Take your schedule into account and any upcoming plans you might have when you’re setting your goals.
4. Write down WHY you want to accomplish this goal. Again, get very specific. WHY does this need to happen? What will your life look like once it does? How will you feel once it does? Who else will this goal effect once you’ve reached it? Write down as many reasons as you can! The more reasons, the better! You want to be so invested in this goal that you know you HAVE to reach it. There is no other option. Take a minute to sit down and think of all the reasons that you have to reach this goal and don’t forget to include how it will make you feel once you do.
5. Break it down. Take your big goal and break it down into small, bite size pieces. Pieces that you can quickly get done, and make the decision to tackle at least one piece each day. Instead of looking at this big, huge goal that is a few months down the road (that can be scary and seem impossible), break it down. What can you do right now? What can you do tomorrow? Each day will be a new small goal that is getting you closer to reaching your big goal down the road. But only focus on the small goal now. Day by day. Just take action daily. 
6. Come up with an action plan. How do you plan on reaching this goal? Are there steps you can take right now? Start now! What can you do to make sure that this goal is met? Sit down and come up with a plan of exactly how you’ll get from where you are now to where you want to be. If you don’t know, make researching your first step and do it now! Research how you can get there. The internet has any and all information to answer any questions that you may have. If not, reach out to someone that is on the path that you’re wanting to be on, but is a few steps ahead of you and see if they can offer any insight. 
7. Take action every day. Even if it’s just a small step, take one step daily! Small steps will still get you to the finish line. Make it your mission to get at least one step done each day. If for some reason something comes up (live happens, I know) don’t stress, just get back to it the next day and maybe do two steps that day! 🙂 
8. Celebrate! And not just once you reach the goal. Celebrate each time that you tackle one of the small steps towards your goal. Each time you follow through and take action is a reason to celebrate! Build that momentum and give yourself a pat on the back each time.

I can’t wait for you to get started! Setting goals feels amazing! You’re planning out the life that you want to live–and that’s pretty exciting! I won’t lie, it’s a little hard at first. Mostly because it just feels so unfamiliar, but the more you do it, the easier it will be. Push past any discomfort and just get moving. Once you have this skill down, you’re unstoppable! 😉

Good luck and happy goal setting!  If you have any questions or get stuck on anything, reach out! I’m more than happy to help.

Are there any other tips or tricks that you use to stay on track with your goals? I’d love to hear them! Be sure to let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,

Ashley