Let’s Turn Your Dreams into Goals

Did you write down your dreams?  If you missed the post you can read it here.

I’m going to use my dream of loosing weight as an example.

First to accomplish our dreams we need to set some goals.  It is best to set less than 5-7 goals at a time.  More than that makes your achievement more overwhelming and difficult.  I like the SMART goals analogy as a basis; however, I do like to break my bigger goals into smaller, easier to obtain goals.

 

So, Let’s be Specific: I want to lose weight.  Give yourself a small paragraph about your dream adding as much detail as possible: I want to lose 10 pounds this year.

Now is when you start asking yourself questions. Who, what, when, where and why?

Who is involved in your goal: in my case my entire family is involved as my change will impact them directly

What does your goal need to be achieved: I need to exercise 30 minutes a day 2-3 days a week to start.  I need to eat less portions or healthier meals.  (your what may result in a few smaller goals.  This is a good thing- smaller goals are often easier to break down and achieve.  If this is you take each one of your what’s and turn them into a goal in and of themselves)

So, now I want to lose 10 pounds, but I have more specific goals of exercising for 30 minutes a day for 2-3 days a week and I am going to eat smaller portions and look for healthier meals to prepare.  I’ll then break those down into smaller goals.  Remember keep your goals at less than 5-7 so you don’t lose your mind.

So, now breaking down exercise:

When are you going to do it: I am going to take 10 minutes 3 times a day during my breaks at work to achieve my exercise goal

Where: sometimes the where doesn’t apply, in my case it will be walking outside the building or up the stairs 3-4 times a day.

Why: This is a big one for your dreams/goals.  Why do you want to achieve your dreams.  Often it is our why that moves us forward.  It is our why that gives us the motivation to follow through with our plans. Your why is what you want to display so you can see it daily.  My why: I want to be healthy and feel good so I can run around the yard with my kids, chase them on the slide, hike the trails that we explore and feel good about me so I can emit that feeling of happiness and being content with me to my family.

Take some time and really write out your specifics, earnestly ask yourself the who, what, when, where and why questions…. I’ll be back in a few days to discuss how we make our goals measurable.

Next Step: Making Your Goals Measurable