If you want to succeed, you have to set goals. Without goals, you lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides you with a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding.
If identifying a goal or life challenge is difficult for you, working with a skilled therapist or coach can be an invaluable aid in the goal creation process. The right trained professional can help you identify what your problems are, how they are maintained, and how you may be able to go about changing them. Goals should be about personal empowerment, and what better way to boost your self-confidence than overcoming the challenges that life presents?
My approach toward helping you identify your goals begins by having you write down three things that you feel you need to resolve in your life. Often, I use what is known as The Miracle Question. The Miracle Question roughly states, “If you had a magic wand which would give you the ability to change anything in your life, what would be different?” Asking yourself this question can serve to identify possible goals on which you can work.
When identifying which goals you would like to work on, it helps to prioritize them. This will help you identify which goal needs the most attention. Remember to focus all of your attention on one goal at a time; this will help to maximize your chances of success. If you have more than one goal, you can work on the others after you have accomplished the first goal.
I have helped individuals across all walks of life set and achieve goals ranging from the relatively simplistic to the highly complex. Whether you are seeking to change something minor in your environment, lose weight, improve your relationships, create and run a new business, or be the kind of entrepreneur who moves markets, there is a goal setting strategy that is right for you. I will help you define and refine your most effective strategy.
One very basic way to initiate this process is to set goals that are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
- Specific: Set a specific goal for yourself – general goals are too broad and focusing your energy on one thing is less difficult. For example, stating that your goal is “to lose weight” is rather general. Instead, a more specific goal might be to lose ten pounds in three months in order to fit back into your skinny jeans.
- Measurable: If your goal is not measurable how will you know when you have achieved it? Measurable goals let you identify exactly what it is you will see, hear, and feel when you reach your goal. It means breaking your goal down into measurable elements with concrete evidence. Being healthier is not a measurable goal; but running three miles a day, eating vegetables twice a day, and sleeping seven hours per night, is.
- Achievable: Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other words, it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible. If you ask yourself the question: “Is this goal likely to be achieved if I stick to my plan of action?” and the answer is “no” then you’re headed for failure and you should start over with a more carefully selected and attainable goal.
- Relevant: Your goal should also align with other relevant goals. Does your goals seem worthwhile? Is this the right time? Does this goal match your other efforts or needs? The goals need to be in line with reality and relevant to your current life circumstances.
- Time-bound: Every goal needs a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. Establish a clear amount of time that you are going to dedicate to your goals. Take time to think over how much time it will realistically take to achieve your goal. Very often people become frustrated and give in because they were too impatient. People often fail to reach their goals because they did not work often enough or long enough. Your success is worth the time!
Once you have clearly defined your goals, you may benefit from the following:
- Share them with supportive others. Good intentions are great, but they won’t necessarily get you across the finish line. Making your goals public creates accountability. Talking about them can also give you clarity regarding what you want to gain.
- Create positive emotional connectors. Simply put, when you focus on the positive outcomes of attaining your goal, you’re more likely to achieve it. Focus on results that excite you. Think: “I will have more freedom and spare time to pursue my hobbies” versus the more negative associations of, “I will be less stressed out.”
- Make it visual. So much of the way we think and feel is tied to images, as we tend to think in pictures. Associate your goals with a positive visual of what its achievement will introduce into your life. Create a desktop image of a coveted vacation spot to motivate that savings goal.
- Celebrate the progress steps along the way. Take note of the small achievements involved in reaching a larger goal. Meditate on these and your future success. Celebrate even your small successes.
When Goal Setting Doesn’t Work
What happens when you have taken careful steps to set S.M.A.R.T. goals, employed what you feel is necessary action in the right direction, measured your progress, and you still fall short in reaching your desired objectives? Some individuals come to me after they have tried other goal setting programs and other coaches, then failed and became frustrated at their lack of achievement. These clients require advanced work on goal attainment that comes from digging deeper into the underlying barriers that thwart their success such as subconscious thought patterns, self-sabotaging habits and limiting beliefs.
In these situations, I often discover that these individuals are unable to make their goals into reality because they block their success by focusing on the lack in their current circumstances… focusing on what they don’t have…rather than focusing on what it is that their hearts desire. They believe they are thinking about their goals, but they are really focusing on their lack of what they desire: lack of money, lack of a relationship, lack of a promotion, etc. Achieving your goals involves being able to clearly envision your heart’s desire, then taking massive action toward making that dream a reality, and staying in the vibrational thought pattern of attaining that goal. How do you do that? By learning to love yourself unconditionally and living in love as opposed to living in anger or fear. When you do this, you are allowing the receiving of your goal. Unfortunately, most individuals have forgotten how to love themselves unconditionally and instead live in a state of judgment, regret and shame. They briefly focus on what it is they desire, but then they slip back into judgment and regret, and this is what I call the “Big Eraser” that will undo any progress they have made toward goal attainment. As a result, I teach my clients how to love themselves unconditionally. I do this by teaching them to become more in tune with their emotions, as emotions are the guide that will tell you whether you are moving closer to your goal, or moving further away from your desires.
My approach to goal attainment is unique for each individual and is focused on your particular skills, desires and abilities. I gather a history of your past goal setting experiences to determine what your strengths and weakness are and what has worked for you in the past. I help you identify any mental blocks to your success and create a plan for you to break through them. Then, I help you address any possible limiting beliefs and behavioral patterns that may be keeping you stuck in a pattern of unfulfillment. I help you define what type of risk taker you are and determine how dedicated you are when faced with challenges. Regardless of your past experiences with goal setting and attainment, you can make your desires a reality, and I am dedicated to helping you achieve your goals.
Are you ready for breakthrough in your life?
How to get in touch with me
The easiest way is to schedule your complimentary phone consultation with me through my online booking calendar, and I will call you at the designated time. No hassle, no phone tag, a time that is convenient to you and you speak directly with me.
Email: contact@drsusanspicer.com
Phone: 989-577-5950