Dreams and goals are so important to chase. If God put’s it on your heart it’s there for a reason!
As a mother of 4 who has been in the throws of babyhood for many years in a row I know how it is to put dreams on the sidelines (and for good reason). But even in the thick of it it’s possible to propel yourself forward towards those goals that you are dreaming of achieving.
“But I’ve failed at my dreams before.”
Creating a goal can be scary because you look back at all the “failed” attempts at reaching them, or other goals, and you remember how hard it was or that it didn’t turn out the way you planned. But today I want to encourage you that you can do it; you just need the proper technique and guidance.
When you think about “failures” I want you to remember those are just learning experiences. Theres a quote by John C. Maxwell that says “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” This quote is so encouraging to those of us who have tried yet didn’t quite get to where we were headed or those of us who want to try for something but have fear over the failure.
Failure doesn’t mean to stop and not try. Failure doesn’t mean you aren’t enough. Failure is a teacher! Use what you you learned from not succeeding, fix the problem and try again.
Don’t let your past mistakes stop you from living and dreaming now!
“How do I make a proper goal?”
When it comes to making goals you need the right set up. You can’t just say “I want to lose weight” and go about your daily life thinking about losing weight. You must have a plan and put it into action.
Understanding your “why” is also very important. Why do you want to reach your goal? This needs to be specific and not “because I want to.” Get deep with yourself and really delve into why you want to reach it, how you will feel and what benefits it will bring your life or those around you. This can take some time as you sit with yourself and really think and decide why you want what you want but it’s a huge part of reaching your goals.
One of the best ways to plan your a goal is to make a S.M.A.R.T. Goal. This will help you understand your goal and how to achieve it.
What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal?
S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Each of these steps play a huge part in achieving your goals.
S: You want to be very specific about your goal. We’ll stick with the weight loss goal as an example. You don’t want to just say “I want to lose weight.” You will want to pick a certain weight you want to achieve.
M: Now you’ll need to make sure they are specific enough that you are able to measure where you are at achieving them as time goes on. If you can’t say whether you have made any progress towards the end goal in a couple of weeks then you wont know if what you are doing is working.
A: Is your goal even attainable? If you made a goal to lose 50 lbs in a month, thats not very attainable, or healthy. But if you say I would like to lose 50 lbs this year thats more attainable.
Make a goal that you know you will be able to achieve, don’t sell yourself short by making impossible goals but also make sure it’s challenging enough to get you where you want to be.
R: Is this goal even relevant to where and who you want to be in life? If you If you want to lose weight, WHY? Here is where the importance of your “Why” comes in.
Does this goal even align with your true life values? Goals need to be relevant to you and your life!
T: You must set appropriate time bound goals. Like I said earlier, you can’t set a goal of losing 50lbs in a month if it’s not really attainable. Set a real achievable date for you to reach your goal by.
If you have a date you can easily look at your measurable steps and see if they are working or if you need to alter your plan.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals are great ways to really outline your goal and be able to look back and know if you have made progress at achieving it.
“What if I need help?”
Having guidance and support is always a good idea as you reach your goals. Whether you enlist a close friend or family member make sure you pick someone that will give you honest and loving accountability.
By having accountability you are 95% more likely to achieve your goals than if you go at them them on your own. This is why I have a program called ‘Dream Chasers Coaching’ because I know how important it is to have someone on your side rooting for you and keeping you accountable.
So where ever you find your accountability, whether a friend or a coach, remember you are able to achieve your goals when you make the right plan, stay consistent and never give up.
You’ve got this my friend, set those S.M.A.R.T. goals, put the work in and watch yourself reach them.
Comment below with your goal you are ready to work on!
With Love, Elia
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