GOOOAL!

The importance of goal setting is one of those topics that gets beaten to death. And frankly I think we’re all bit sick of hearing about it. But setting goals is a necessary evil. Without them we’d pretty much cease to function.

We need everyday goals to make life run smoothly. Like…setting a goal of getting out of bed in the morning. You may think I’m kidding. But, without realizing it, every night when you head to bed you set a mental goal of what time you’ll get up. Simple things such as brushing your teeth twice a day. Loading the dishwasher every night. Without these daily goals we’d become toads.

But there are other types of goals. Ones that define the life and lifestyle we choose to have. Goal setting on this level is where you define, what you want to do, what you want to have and who you want to be. Or how you show up in the world.

Setting goals for material wants and needs are much more cut and dry. You set a specific goal, let’s say, to double your current salary from 50k to 100k per year over the next 2 years. You come up a plan that includes taking on more clients, upping your prices, creating more passive income, seeking out higher paying writing gigs, selling a digital product, better branding, writing a bestseller. Some of these goals you’ll hit, some you won’t. But all of these goals are easily measurable on a specific time frame.

---

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie

---

Pivotal Goals

But the goals you set for who you want to be and how you want to show up in the world are the most pivotal, most important and most influential in your life. They determine how everything else plays out. When you’re setting these types of intangible goals, they’re far harder to measure and less likely to happen on a specified time frame. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth pursuing.

When it comes to achieving life altering goals mindset plays an all-important role. You first must decide what has to happen to bring about this transformation. Then the next step is to learn to control the controllable. Which means you have to learn to control your attitude and your actions. Your attitude will be the catalyst for whether you succeed or not.

Let’s say for example you want to become someone who finishes everything they start. No, projects hanging out on the back burner. No lists left incomplete. If you say you’re going to do something, within reason you do it. This means you’ll have to set goals to become the kind of person who commits to making things happen. Does whatever it takes, follows through and hold themselves accountable.

All while understanding there will be setbacks and that you may not meet all of your goals. But even so you keep trying. You keep doing the work adjusting for any and all roadblocks that might come up. Keeping your attitude in check and taking the necessary actions.

Goal Setting and Journaling

The best way to understand how your attitude influences every action you take is to begin journaling daily about your goals. Write down a specific goal and how you currently feel about that goal. What’s been your toughest challenge? What steps are you taking to stay positive about achieving your goal? Also list what goals you’ve already achieved and how you feel about them.

Thoughts and feelings go hand-in-hand. Pay attention to what you’re thinking and the feelings that accompany those thoughts. Once you’re aware of the correlation between the two, you’ll be able to find ways to control your attitude and your actions so that they both match the goals you’re trying to achieve.

If you say you want to be a dedicated person who follows through on their commitments, then you have to be willing to do the hard work. Even when you’d rather be doing anything else. This when having the ability to control the controllable is so very important. When you can match your attitude to your actions you can remain committed to achieving your goals.

If you want to redefine the person you are and live every single day with joy, write down those goals. Think about the kind of person you want to be. Get specific. Include any perceived challenges you can think of that would hold you back. Most importantly keep track of your thoughts and feelings around your goals.

Have some fun with it. The easiest way to grow is to try new and different things. Step out of that comfort zone and try something that you wouldn’t normally do. Be aware of how your attitude is driving your actions. Only you can achieve the goal of a new you.