Episode 520 – My Goal Setting Technique

Theme for the year

• The person you will be at the end of the year
• The goals will support your overall goal

Categories

• These represent the major areas of your life
• These are the areas that help you, or hinder you on your way to become who you want to be
• All areas are important because even if everything is working well, but one area of your life is out of balance, it can affect everything else
• However,
• You don’t need a goal for each category
• your priorities and your focus may just be on one or two areas of your life
• I like to set one goal per category to make sure I prioritize not just one area of my life
• For example, last year, for the first time, I didn’t set a financial goal
• I just realized it as I reviewed my goals
• And – I have to say, my finances are not in order
• My spending was not under control this year, so for 2020, Saving money will be amongst my main priorities
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• each goal should represent an improvement; an area of growth
• I have seen models that have a separate growth category , but I try to make each one of my goals a growth goal
• For example, if I need to improve my finances, pay off some debt and save money, then to me this is growth
  • I am many steps ahead from my current situation of financial struggle
• All of them are important but some will have more weight than others
• To identify the importance, I list the most important category first
• I try to be as specific as possible without limiting myself to much or overcomplicating it
• I used to write elaborate goals
• Not anymore
• They are now pretty straightforward and it doesn’t take me long at all to write them down
• The more challenging aspect is to narrow them down
• I always want to do so much
• And a year seems like a very long time, at the start of it
• But let me warn you
• 3 months fly by and when April rolls around, you will begin to feel the pressure because you probably haven’t made much progress yet on any of your goals, if they were challenging enough
• So keep your goals challenging, but don’t set to many goals that you cannot accomplish them
• Focus on big things that you want to do
• The small stuff gets done anyway
• But big things usually don’t, unless we focus on them
• Big things that make a difference
• Big things that change you and make you a better and stronger person
• Don’t just set goals so you can check things off
• Set goals because you want to be someone you are not yet
• Someone you dream of becoming
• Some you are proud of when you look back
• Set big goals that force you to work on them regularly – either daily or at least weekly
• If the goal is something you can do in a week, then most likely you will not do much about it all year
• Hence, it wont change you
• Instead, focus on something that challenges you regularly
• Those are the things that change us – because we fight for them, struggle with them, and overcome them eventually

• Here they are, in no particular order

1. Finances
   • For example
     • Save $500 every month
     • Or, and this one I have done before:
     • Don’t buy any new clothes or shoes for an entire year, unless it’s a specific item you don’t have and need for a specific event
     • And example – ski pants, or a dress for a bridal shower, or climbing shoes
     • Or it can also be investment related,
     • Maybe you want to help someone else in financial need

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2. Physical Health
   • For example
     • Work out 3 days per week every week of this year
     • This doesn’t have to be a gym workout
     • This can be a brisk walk around the block when you run out of time
     • This can be a 15min yoga practice or 1 minute of pushups at home
     • The effort counts
     • And 3 days is achievable
     • You can miss 4 days and still make up the last 3 with some exercise
     • Another example could be learning a specific sport, like tennis, or swimming,
     • Or joining a running group
     • Nutrition also falls under physical health
     • Maybe you want to eat more whole foods and few snacks, or more home cooked meals over restaurant meals,

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3. School / Career
   • For example
     • Look for a new job and make a switch this year
     • This goal can be followed by a few more aspects that describe what you want from this new job
     • It can also be something about your existing job – maybe you want to put more effort forth in developing your team
     • Hoping for a promotion is not a goal
     • If you want a promotion, make the goal around something that may get you that promotion
     • What will you do about getting it?
     • What will challenge you?
     • Maybe you have a steady job that is fine the way it is but you dream of something else
     • I had lunch last week with a vendor and she shared how she is taking a wine making class – she said she wants to challenge herself and add new skills, something different, something new
   • We all have those kind of dreams
   • I want to learn French
   • You may want to learn how to draw or play an instrument
   • Why not make 2020 the year where you start?

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4. Mental Health / Mindfulness / Spirituality
   • You don’t have to be spiritual to fill in something here
   • But this category is critical in helping you reach all your other, more practical and tangible objectives
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   • For me, I can tell you what my 2020 will be
   • I spoke about silence in my previous episode and my goal will revolve around silence
     • I want to meditate and read regularly
     • I still need to define what regular means
     • But I miss reading a lot
     • I haven’t finished a book in months,
     • and I meditation is important for my inner wellbeing, so I will make those 2 activities part of my routine again
   • Spiritual well being means we take care of our inner world
   • We bring peace and balance to our lives so we can be a better person in this world
     • A person thats not just successful, but also at peace on the inside
   • For some, church and religion may bring this kind of peace
   • For others, its a daily walk
   • 15 minutes alone with a cup of coffee in the morning
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   • If You listened to my recent interviews, almost everyone shared a morning practice with me that is important to them
   • The mornings are often a great opportunity to make time for the mind
     • To think, to reflect, to just be
   • It sets the tone for our often hectic days, which sometimes derail us and cause us stress and anxiety
   • Finding something that grounds you is important and then making it a routine
   • This is called self-care
   • Often neglected but highly necessary

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5. Family / Social / Relationships

• This is about your social life
• We all need work in this area
• Its about being a better person to the people around us
• Want to know my 2019 goal in this category?
  • Build a tribe through networking and personal connections
• When I think back of my Christmas party a week ago, I would say I accomplished this goal
• I even gave a short speech and thanked everyone that was there – over 25 people
• A couple of years go I didn’t even know most of the people in the room
• And now they all play a important role in some area of my life
• I encourage you
• Take a look at your social life
  • Your family, your friends, your partner
• Look for gaps – areas that require attention
  • Maybe your family could use more of your time and undivided attention
  • Maybe your circle of friends needs some refreshing and exchanging some old and unhelpful relationships for new and supportive ones
  • Maybe there are things in your relationship you have looked over but that really make you unhappy and should be addressed
• Spend some time thinking about this category
• Its about an important area of your life and one that requires more time than we think
• Be very clear about what you will do
• Mine was clear in that I said “networking” was the way I would build my tribe
• And I did a little of that, could have done more
• Spend more time with my family is not enough
• Be clearer – have dinner with my parents once a week
• Or, be home in time for dinner at least 3 times per weekday

Last category

6. Adventure and fun

• Here I try to pick something that challenges me
• Something I wouldn’t normally do but may have always wanted to do
• For some of you, it might be vacation
• Some people I know never take a real vacation
• Maybe you want to learn how to ski
• I am going ice climbing in a few week
• Always wanted to try it
• But for 2020 I will probably pick something related to climbing and possibly a new car, which I do really want and need
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• There you go my friends
• My goal setting technique
• On the worksheet I created for you, I added an category for other
• Something you may have that doesn’t fit into any of my categories
• But I suggest to proceed with caution
• To many goals can become hard to manage and prioritize
• They then only overwhelm and we are more likely to give up on them
• Think about your schedule as you set you goals
• Going to the gym every day, taking an art class 3x per week and cooking a healthy dinner every night might be to much
• My mediation goal is going to be a daily goal that will require extra time
• So I wont plan another goal I need to do daily,
• Maybe a weekly goal, at the most, in another category
• but I know that I cannot overload myself
• keep that in mind my friends
• but otherwise – have fun with your goals
• look forward to them
• know you will work on them, sometimes you will fail, but they will overall send you on a journey to become a better person
• I enjoy this process
• When I finish my goals –
• I place them into my Moleskine planner and review them once in a while so that I don’t lose my focus for the year, which can happen
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• And at the end of the year, I review them one by one
• I don’t usually accomplish all
• And that’s ok
• Some goals require more focus than we initially may think
• And sometimes we simply don’t dedicate the time and attention to them as we should
• At the end of the year you decide if you will add the unaccomplished goals again into the new year or if your focus has shifted to something else
• Enjoy
• And reach out with questions if you have them
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much love