Thursday, September 9, 2010

GOAL SETTING

We are all taught the importance of setting goals and focusing on our dreams. We hear this, we get it and many of us even start the process. However, it's the follow through where we are often left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. One way to successfully set and reach goals is to break this daunting task into several smaller steps. In our DVD, Goal Setting: Define & Achieve Your Dream Life, we do just that. Olympic medal winner, Shannon Miller, takes viewers through a six step process, easing you through the obstacles of this sometimes complicated path. If you're ready to make some changes in your life, start by taking yourself through these six basic steps:

Step 1 - Focus Your Dreams - Close your eyes and imagine your most perfect life. Where are you? Where do you live? Where do you work? What do you do in your spare time? Create a mental picture of your ideal location and day. Start a journal and write it all down. Be specific. Keep this journal as you continue through each step.

Step 2 - Get Informed - Learn what you don't know. Get on the internet, take classes, attend seminars, read books and talk to others who have the life you dream of. You need to become an expert in all aspects of where you want your life to go.

Step 3 - Expect Success - Practice being confident. Sometimes one of the biggest obstacles in achieving goals is your own ego. Confidence and a positive attitude can keep you motivated and focused. Visualize your success. It also helps to dress the part and surround yourself with others who are successful.

Step 4 - Review Your Goals - As you learn more about your goals and yourself, its time to revise and adjust your path. Is this really where you want to go? Is your dream life still your dream life? Allow yourself to change and refine your goals. Study your goals and write out a detailed step-by-step to-do list. Next to each step place a completion date. It's motivating to watch your list evolve into an actual timeline.

Step 5 - Gather Support - Seek out positive role models. These could be a family member, teacher, a friend, someone from your community or someone you've met while researching your goals. And if you need financial support, identify those sources, as well. If at all possible, avoid borrowing from family and friends. Your financial supporters should be a partner or bank.

Step 6 - Prioritize Your Dreams - Once again, take time to review your to-do list and the completion dates. Prioritize this timeline and schedule specific times during the day that you will work on this to-do list. It helps to keep this list with you or in a visible place.

Each of these steps is really a short term goal bringing you closer to your long term goal. Be sure to reward yourself as you complete each step. Its a perfect way to stay motivated. As encouraged in Step 1, keep a journal along the way tracking both your accomplishments and the obstacles you've overcome. Achieving your goals is certainly not easy, but by following these six steps you'll ensure you are always moving toward your dream life.

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