JUST DETERMINATION: Goal Setting!

For anyone who is staring down the first week of February completely disappointed with the progress, or lack thereof, that they made on their New Years' Resolutions, this post is for YOU!

You can set, and re-set, your goals at ANY TIME! You don't have to wait until Monday, the first of the year, the first of the month, or the first full moon -- this is an exercise that you can, and should, do RIGHT NOW! If you find that your days are being dictated for you -- take the kids to school, go to work, do dishes, laundry, scrub a toilet, make meals, clean up, go to bed -- then it is no wonder that you are not making any progress toward achieving the goals that you have set for yourself.

Critical features of goal setting include:

• Setting a DEADLINE (a goal without a time limit is just a dream. . . )
• Ensuring that the goals are YOURS (don't "should" on yourself, these are not what you "should" be doing with your life, these are YOURS and YOURS alone!)
• Reverse Engineering (you must break large goals down into small, attainable steps)
• Creating a DMO (your Daily Mode of Operation, or To-Do List, should include at least three High-Value Activities or action steps that take you closer to your goal.)

I conducted a workshop the first of January and shared with the participants what my goals for 2012 were. They included an income goal, which I have now launched two new businesses in support of, becoming a Certified Personal Trainer, which I will achieve the first weekend in March, an amount of weight I wanted to lose of which have lost 90% of that goal, improvement of time management and communications skills which is a work-in-progress and always on my goals list to keep those items in the forefront of my mind, and the remaining goals on that list have already been achieved.

I engage in goal setting weekly, because as you become better at managing your time and identifying high-value activities that push you toward accomplishing your goals, you continuously must update and "raise the bar." Checking goals off of your goal setting list quickly provides a momentum and boost of self-esteem that propels you forward toward greater achievements.

My big one from last year was to appear in the TurboFire videos with Chalene Johnson, which was an amazing experience, almost more so because I had written it down and declared I would do it, and then it actually happened. This was such a specific and measurable goal to have achieved that it was truly proof positive for me that writing down and reverse engineering your goal setting is amazingly powerful and effective.

The benefits of goal setting are not only to move forward in your life, but also this exercise helps you to align your priorities, determine what is truly the most important to you in your life, and it also will aid you in clearing your mind of distractions when it comes time to relax and even to sleep. Putting your goal setting down on paper not only gives your goals a physical shape and form, which makes them more likely to be attained, but it also creates more of a focus for you when you use multiple senses to create and memorialize your goals. Publicizing your goal setting can also be a highly effective way to create accountability in what you are intending to achieve.

My first exercise with a client who comes to me for assistance with weight loss or fitness is not to measure their body fat; it is to sit down and talk about goal setting. If you would like help with this exercise -- even if it does not pertain to fitness or weight loss -- I would love to share with you what has worked for me! Contact me today and let's get you started on your goal setting so that you can create the life of your dreams, and your design!

Source: http://justdetermination.blogspot.com/2012/02/goal-setting.html

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