Goal Setting: The Road to Your Dreams (Part 1)

Dreams are the best thing for a future vision of your life! In fact, I spend time each day meditating on my future dreams, which often change as time goes by.

Dreams dictate a direction, while goals dictate a path.

Think of it like this: If I want to drive to Calabasas, California (the location of the Biggest Loser ranch), I can start off by just simply heading West on the highway! I’ll make progress to that long-term destination, but I will have to adjust my path and plan my steps to make it to Calabasas! It would do me little good if I ended up in San Francisco.

This is why goal setting is so important! Goals are the steps to your dreams, and without them progress can be short lived and sometimes in the wrong direction! There are 4-different areas I use to set goals: personal goals, financial goals, spiritual goals, and relationship goals. Personal goals are for you – such as “lose 30 pounds in 4 months” or “spend 15 minutes at the beginning of the day scheduling my activities.” A financial goal might be “Make $5,000 in additional income in 3 months.” A spiritual goal could be “spend 10 minutes a day praying for my friends’ dreams.” A relationship goal might be “spend 20 minutes minimum a day with each of my kids on their homework.”

There are similarities for each of these goals I have written above. They are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. I got this from Paul Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything.” He calls them “S.M.A.R.T. goals.” The goal cannot be “lose weight” or “make more money” or “pay off my debt.” It must say how much and how fast! How much debt are you paying off and by when? How much weight will you lose and by when? How much time will you spend with your kids and how often? By describing these things and writing a “goal statement,” then displaying it on your mirror, in your office, on your phone, and anywhere you are to remind you of what you want to accomplish, you’ll stay focused on achieving that goal. I heard it once said, “Don’t give up what you really want for what you want right now.”