Creating a life you love through goal setting and why it matters! – Podcast Episode 23
Okay, so this isn’t the first time you’ve heard someone talk about the importance of goals, and it’s definitely not going to be the last.
One of the main questions that people ask me… literally on a daily basis is ‘Caralee how do you do it all?’
There are lots of pieces to this puzzle but at the core and foundation of it, it is because I set goals and I have made this a practice for the last 15 years.
I believe that goal setting is really important in life, because goals work as your compass, to navigate your life.
This is for every area of your life, health, business, finances, relationships, things you want to experience such as travel, family or your own personal development.
WE ONLY GET ONE LIFE AND IF YOU WANT TO LIVE IT WELL AND MAKE IT COUNT, YOU SIMPLY CAN’T FLOAT THROUGH LIFE AND EXPECT THAT EVERYTHING WILL HAPPEN FOR YOU.
It simply doesn’t work that way. Sometimes, we get a lucky break, but for the most part successful, healthy, happy people are intentional with their lives.
I never used to be very strategic at setting goals, I would just write them down in a word doc or in a journal. I have got word docs all over the place with different goals on them from years ago…. All of these have happened.
My only regret is that I didn’t dream bigger, I played a bit small. Because, I believe that when you write down your goals and work on an action plan, they happen. You may not know how you are going to get there, but you do.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHY GOALS ARE IMPORTANT AND WHAT THEY DO FOR US AND THEN I WILL SHARE WITH YOU WHAT I DO TO STRUCTURE MY GOALS.
GOALS PROPEL YOU FORWARD
Having a goal written down with a set date for accomplishment gives you something to plan and work for. It also helps you to breakdown what you need to do, what the baby steps are to get there.
Time flies so fast, so that is why we need to be intentional with our time. Plus, there is a pattern that comes with working towards goals and that is that you set your mind to something, you get excited, and start to take the action steps.
Having the goals on paper, cements it, or fuses the goal into your brain, it helps you to connect and focus on the goal.
It also provides you with a timeline, so that you can inch closer towards your success of a goal.
All of these things help to propel you forward. I just want to mention, with goals, it is about striving for progress over perfection.
GOALS HELP YOU TO SEE WHAT IS POSSIBLE
Most of us have big dreams that seem impossible to accomplish. We can’t see the show and if we can feel discouraged, so we don’t start.
When you set goals, it gives you the ability to break it down. It is like me handing you a whole apple for you to eat. If you attempt to eat it whole, then you will likely choke. If you eat it in bite size bits, with consistency, eventually you will get to the core.
It is the same as climbing a mountain, just one step at a time.
When you plan big goals, you also plan towards smaller goals and have mini-milestones to meet along the way. This not only makes it easier to formulate a definite plan of action, but we can start working on our goals without overwhelming right away.
So, when you plan goals, visually take out an apple and cut it up into bite-size bits. You’ll be happier and more motivated to start working towards that next milestone on your way to being unstoppable.
GOALS TELL THE UNIVERSE WHAT YOU WANT… THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
Ok, so this is where it gets a bit woo woo, BUT I am a huge believer in manifestation and that you need to put out there what you actually want. And we need to not be afraid to ask for what we want. Hands up, if you have ever not even asked for what you really want!
Have you heard the saying ‘ask and you shall receive?’ Manifesting works in this way.
As a divorce lawyer, I think of this process of putting it out to the universe similar to a client in Court that is as seeking Orders which are essentially telling the Judge what it is that they want. If they don’t do that, the Judge has no idea what you are actually after!
It is the same in our own lives, with God or the universe or whatever spiritual figure it is for you.
I will do an entire episode on the art of manifesting because it is something that I believe has a huge role to play, but for today and set goals, JUST by writing down your goals, you are putting out there what you want and it sets it in motion.
The law of attraction baby, it works!
You don’t need to know why or how you just need to believe that you are going to reach your goal and visualise that goal. When you are writing your goal down, doing a vision board and have the belief, then it happens more easily than you think.
GOALS HELP YOU TO BELIEVE
Setting goals for yourself is a find motivation and create a fire inside of yourself. Goal setting isn’t just about creating a plan for your life and holding yourself accountable, it’s also about giving you the vision for what your life can be, for what is possible and helps to ignite belief in yourself.
Especially when you start taking small steps and you can see the next step in front of you. It all starts to become more and more possible.
GOALS HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE
When you write down concrete goals and give yourself a timeline for achievement, how can you look back and re-evaluate your path? They navigate your path and allow to you step up to take action.
GOALS HELP YOU TO FOCUS ON WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT
When you write a goal down, it can help you to gain clarity about what you really want for your life. It helps you to live on purpose and with intention.
There are certainly times where we set goals that don’t really reflect what we want. Sometimes we think we need more money when really, we want more freedom, rather than more money.
When you see your goal in black and white, it can really help you to dig deeper and ask yourself if that is actually what you want.
If you never set goals in the first place, how do you find out what you truly want? It is then just a dream floating around in your head space.
By asking ourselves what we really want and constantly re-assessing our goals, we gain the benefit of introspection and self-reflection.
We can figure out what it is we really want in life – and then we can take the action required and go for it!
GOALS HELP YOU TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE
When you take the time to set goals, you ensure that your life is geared towards getting the most out of every moment. There’s so much to do and experience in life, but many of the things we want to achieve, and experience won’t be handed to us if we unintentionally float through life.
Imagine being on holiday and you only have a few days in the city of your dreams. Generally, we spend hours googling and figuring out exactly what we want to do and what we want to see.
Otherwise, we would just wander around, hoping to find something interesting?
In many ways, life is like a holiday, (although it doesn’t feel like it); we’re given a finite amount of time to pursue the experiences we want, and then before you know it, it’s time to go. Oh gosh that is morbid!
If you want to get the most out of your precious moments of life, you have to know what you want.
It is true that things happen, and your destination might change as you travel down the road of life and learn more about yourself. We still need to pivot and be flexible. If Covid19 has taught us nothing else, it is this.
SO HOW DO YOU SET GOALS?
Well luckily for you, I have a goal planner that I have designed for you and you can download it for free.
In the planner, I lay out 3 steps to how I set your goals no matter what area of your life they are in:
- Step one is to identify with clarity, what the goal is. Be specific and detailed, share as much about the goal and what it looks like as you possibly can and don’t hold back. At this stage don’t worry about the how, remove those concerns and only focus on the goal itself.
- Step two is to identify with clarity your why. Why is it important and why does it matter? Without knowing your way, a goal won’t be doable for you. To gain momentum and stay in focused on the goal, we need to know our why, no matter if the goal is large or small or what area of your life it is in.
- The third step is the action plan. What you need to do, what steps you need to take, and identifying what may get in your way, so that you are ready for obstacles and how you are going to overcome them.
I hope today, I have convinced you to get started in laying a foundation for your life through goal setting. For me, it keeps me focused, which frees me up and it allows me to live with more intention and purpose. Plus it is so exciting focusing on the future and where your goals will take you.
