"Setting goals is fun! It is about giving you exactly what you want in life"
Goals are a passion of mine. I love, love, love working with clients on setting goals and putting a structure in place for them to make improvements in life so they can get more in control of their life and importantly, their time and get rid of some stuff that is not doing them any good, to free up space for things that matter most to them but have been off the agenda for too long.
Now one of the strange things is that when you get right down to it, it can be hard to think of what you want!
When setting goals we need to look at all areas of life so we don't forget something important. For example, achieving financial goals is not much benefit if your health and relationships suffer as a result. So ecology needs to be kept in mind - across all the areas of our life.
So I thought it might make things easier if I wrote out some sample goals. Now you can adapt these to suit your situation but these goals should prompt you in the areas of your own life where you can more easily imagine a parallel goal that would work for you.
Also worth thinking about in setting your goals is the time frame. Like saving, it is good to have goals for the year, and goals for the longer term, say 5 years, which you may reach by attaining smaller goals as steps along the way.
Some goals - those for material things - need to be really specific. On the other hand, goals around relationships require actions. You can't "make a better relationship" but you can implement actions, which result in better relationships. Keep these two kinds of goals - material and abstract - in mind.
If you are in a relationship - remember your goals, and your partner's goals should be complementary. If your goal is to be single that could be a problem for your partner! And remember to set another list of joint or family goals that you can work towards together.
Goals should be well formed - this checklist does not meet that criterion but they can be easily adapted when you come to writing your goals down.
In no particular order...
Goals to achieve in the next 12 months
Health
Assess your current state of health. You want to use this as a benchmark for future comparison
Stop drinking cola and sodas. Switch to making your own unsweetened iced tea instead of fizzy drinks
Start cutting down current alcohol intake
Improve your diet by cutting out junk food to get to a better weight.
Walk or cycle for one hour 3 days a week (specify days and diarise)
Learn to cook 3 great recipes for meatless main meals to serve regularly
Stop doing - (that activity that is hurting your body or peace of mind)
Financial Health
Write up a budget with all current spending.
Review and adjust your budget to improve your cash position
Build up savings of $2000 in emergency savings account and maintain this at all times
Open a savings account for long term goals or bigger items and deposit $100 per pay
Reduce credit card debt to zero
Increase payments to mortgage by $100 per month above required payment
Learn about how money works in the economy, how interest rates work and compound interest
Relationships
Set aside one night a week for a romantic dinner and a movie
Make arrangements for the kids for these nights
Schedule in your diary 2 long weekends during the year for you and your partner to go away alone.
Make one hour every week to spend time with just one child to play or do an activity together as an outing
Phone parents every Sunday night for half an hour minimum
Make a visit to your parents twice a year for no special reason
Make time to spend with brothers and sisters each 2x per year outside of family get-togethers
Contact your good friend that you have not seen for a long time and reconnect and maintain
Career
Develop the skills you need to be promoted to the next level
Work towards a pay rise
Find a better job
Ensure that you apply yourself to your work every day - seek assistance if you are having problems with your work.
Seek training in areas that will improve your job opportunities
Find a mentor in your industry to help you develop your career
Start the part time business that you have been talking about for years. If it is complex, begin by making a plan of what is required and setting aside the resources that you will need and a deadline to begin.
Self education/ personal growth
Enrol for that course you wanted to do
Learn piano or guitar
Teach a class
Learn Italian
Start a kitchen garden and grow your own herbs and a few vegetables
Learn to cook
Learn about fashion style tips for your best look
Do a values inventory to understand your core values, motivators and beliefs
Get a coach - one on one coaching can be a real catalyst for personal development
Recreation and Indulgence
Take up a hobby or learn to do an activity - dance class, sailing, karate, swimming, ice skating, birdwatching, yoga, tai chi
Make a list of 5 books to read this year and read them
Schedule 2 long weekends away for the family
Plan and book a holiday during the year for the family
Set aside an hour per week just for you to spend doing nothing.
Contribution
Volunteer
Join a community group
Adopt a rescue dog
Choose a charity to support
Spirituality
Learn to meditate
Set aside 30 minutes twice week to meditate
Keep a log of your meditations
Learn about Hinduism and Buddhism and other western religions
Read works from these religions
As you can see, even just choosing one goal from each of these areas would combine to have a dramatic effect on your life in the year to come.
Importantly, setting goals should be fun! After all, it is about giving you exactly what you want in life, instead of just getting what you get.
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