Goal Setting for Success

Setting goals is an important step to get you from where you are now to where you want to be. Did you know your subconscious mind is 1000 times more powerful than your conscious mind? This means from the moment you start to think about what it is that you really want to achieve, you’re already taking those first few important steps towards achieving. Here are a few pointers to get you started.

1) Use a pen and paper – writing anything down is way more powerful than using a computer. It helps you to process your thoughts more easily, be more open to ideas and link those ideas more freely.

2) Mind maps are brilliant at letting your creativity flow. With such little time to spend day dreaming, processing your thoughts; mind mapping feels like a spa treatment for your brain! At the centre of the page write succinctly or draw an image of what it is you’re aiming to achieve: career change, more clients, life change *insert as appropriate*. Using different coloured pens draw a line or a branch just long enough to fit a word that represents ideas on how you will get to that goal in the centre of your page.

From there using different coloured pens let your imagination go wild with ideas. This will give you inspiration, ideas and therefore motivation for actions you can start to take towards some results.

Want to hone your ideas even more? Follow the next few steps:

3) Know what you want! Selecting your top 3 ideas, start to be specific: why, where, when and how are you going to get the actions completed? Set a realistic deadline and establish milestones and steps along the way. Are there any additional resources you need to gather along the way; confidence, specific skills, additional help?

4) Finally be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed, write the centre goal down at some point in the future, as if in the here and now. For example – "It is Friday 23rd January and I am......" Place this written goal in a self-addressed envelope and ask a friend to post it to you the day before the goal is due to be met. You’ll be surprised at how this small action will provide you with just the motivation needed to get your goal achieved.

5) Now take action...