Create Goals that Really Work

by: Stefanie Zizzo, Life Coach

Many of us simply live our lives by “chance” – waiting for things to happen to us, then moving on from that place.  Instead of leaving our lives up to chance, goals give us greater control, can help us become more efficient and give us a feeling of confidence. Goals can motivate us to move forward and show us where forward is.

• Do you have specific goals for your life?
• Do you have a vision for what you want to be doing next year?
• In the next five years? In the next 10 years?

Develop a Vision

The first step in setting and achieving goals is to begin with a vision.  Defining what personal and professional success means to you, what you want your life to be like, look like and feel like will help you develop goals to take to you that place. 

Exercise:

Write a narrative of what you want your life to be like one year from now. What you would like to have accomplished, how you would like to have grown and developed for yourself, your family, your career, your home and your community.  The first key with writing this narrative is that you are writing it as if it is one year from now already.  Your sentences, then, will all begin with “I am…” and  “I have…” instead of “I will”.  The second key is to write this vision in such a way that it evokes a strong visual – so much so that you can actually “feel” the excitement and joy of the experiences you have had and are having.

Begin to Achieve Your Vision

In the previous exercise you were asked to write your “one year vision”.  When you know where you want to be in a year, it helps each of your goals become more focused and clear.  By breaking your goals down to more focused steps, your large future goals become more attainable and less overwhelming. As you complete each of your smaller goals, they build upon each other, bringing you closer and closer to your ultimate goal. 

Exercise: 

Taking your vision, begin to write all of the large goals you see (ex: decrease your weight, decrease your blood pressure, improve your energy, etc).  Next, working your way backward from the ultimate goal you want to achieve, take these large goals and break each down into smaller, more specific goals (ex. Exercise regularly, decrease my calories) – and then into even smaller goals (ex. Walk each day, keep a food record) 

Staying motivated and on track:

Often, people have so many goals they would like to achieve, that it becomes overwhelming.  That overwhelm can either lead to overload of activity or no activity at all – both of which can lead to stress. The secrets, therefore, to staying motivated and on track with your goals include:

Narrowing your goals 

• Are your goals “wants” or “shoulds”? (hint: you must truly want to achieve your goals) (ex. I should exercise vs. I want to exercise because…)
• Which are most important to you?  Which will be most challenging?
• How does each relate to your vision for your future?
• Which of your goals relate to each other? (ex., running a marathon, mastering golf, learning tennis – could all relate to getting fit, physically challenging yourself…)
• Which of these do you have the most control over achieving?  Remember, a goal that is directly dependent upon another person is not a goal, it is a wish. (ex. wish: I want my partner to be more attentive, I want to be hired by ABC company vs. goal: I will ask my partner for what I need, I will be prepared for my interview with ABC company by clearly knowing what I am offering and how I can prove that to them)

Following the rules

• They must be possible to achieve (even if it is a stretch for you to believe it now)
• You must have a realistic timeframe in which to achieve them (remember to give yourself the space, yet challenge)
• Each goal must be clearly defined and specific (if you don’t clearly know what you are hoping to achieve, then how will you know when you have achieved it)?

Creating a plan of action in writing (increases the success rate to 50%)

• List all of your narrowed down, manageable, specific goals and the steps you will take to achieve them

Saying them out loud to others (increases the success rate to 65%)

• Share your goals with others in your circle of influence, those you feel are your motivators, people in your life you trust.  When you share your goals with others you are making more of a commitment to them.

Creating accountability (raises the success rate to 95%!)

• Set deadlines for each goal
• Be accountable to someone, report your progress – someone who will support you in achieving these goals – friend, partner, dietitian, personal trainer, life coach?

Are you ready to create a new you for 2007? We would love to help. The Balance Program can help you develop your vision, create your goals, learn how to eat to lose weight and help you to stay motivated with weekly e-counseling sessions with your dietitian. This is one of the most personalized and interactive weight loss programs online. Whether you have 5 pounds or 50 plus pounds to lose, we can help you get unstuck from old habits and make 2007 the year you achieve your weight and health goals! Learn more here

Are you ready to tackle other life challenges this year other than health and weight? Then check out Stefanie's Leaving Comfort for Possibility Program below.

About the Author:

Stefanie Zizzo is a Career and Life Coach who helps people take their life in a new direction. People who have stretched themselves to the edge of their comfort zone, who are tired of looking out the window, and are ready to step outside and truly experience a life full of possibility. With 12 years combined experience in career counseling and life coaching, she has helped hundreds of people to focus on what they want in their lives and careers, think and grow beyond their current beliefs and fears, and take purposeful action to make things happen. Her Leaving Comfort for Possibility Program takes you through each of these 5 steps during and intensive, interactive 9 hours of teleclasses over a six-week period. The next Program begins in February. For more information, visit http://www.stefaniezizzo.com/LeavingComfortforPossibilityProgram.html or http://www.stefaniezizzo.com

(c) 2006, Meri Raffetto