Six Step
Guide
to get your
BIG
goal
going!
Welcome!
Let me begin by offering some support and encouragement by first acknowledging how awesome it is that you have a BIG goal and that you are taking the initiative to make it a reality.
Honestly, making the choice to get this guide and keep moving forward is really the unofficial first step toward ultimately achieving your BIG goal. So congratulations! You are off to a GREAT start!
I invite you to use this guide like a workbook. Grab some paper or your favorite notebook and a pen that writes nicely (you know, the kind that glides across the paper with ease and makes your handwriting look amazing!), or open a spot to take some notes somewhere on your computer or phone or wherever you're working from. Worst case scenario, you can just think about all of it as we go along, but I do encourage you to put pen to paper as a first choice, because there is something magical that happens when we write things down.
So...I'll wait here for a moment while you go get what you need...
Step
1
Write It Down - Define It
Did you get that pen and paper? Here's where you're going to use it... In the simplest terms (think: one sentence) what is your goal? Write it down in BIG BOLD letters at the top of your page. Write it like you mean it. Like you believe in it. Now breathe it in for a moment. Feel it and think about it, because now I'm going to ask you to EXPAND it a little. What does it look like to achieve it? How will you know you reached it? There are no limits here - this is your goal, your dream, it can be how ever you want it. Just define your goal as clearly and as specifically as you can. The more detail the better. Use stream of consciousness writing - start and don't stop until it's all out on the page. Write a paragraph, a page, a book, whatever you need so that you have a very specific and clear idea of what your goal is. Create a vision board (use Pinterest!). Do some journaling if that's a familiar technique to you. What ever works to get really clear about WHAT your goal is. The only thing I don't recommend doing is talking with someone about it. As much as our friends and family love us, they often can't help but insert their own opinions (for better or for worse) and right now, this is all bout what's in your mind and how you envision your goal. If this is where you get stuck, please pause here and apply for a Clarity Coaching Session with me. These sessions are designed to be an unbiased sounding board for you to play around with your ideas and what kinds of possibilities you may want to explore. Either way, make sure that you get clear and specific about what your goal is, because I can guarantee you that pushing forward with a generic or half-baked goal will never succeed. There will be times when achieving your BIG goal will be challenging and if you don't have a VERY clear picture of what you want (and why) then you will stall, derail, procrastinate, etc. Every. Time. So...What is your BIG goal? What would it look like to achieve it? Write that down.
Step
2
Know Your Why - Motivation
This leads us right into the next piece. As I said, you need to know what your goal is and WHY you want it. This "why" is what makes your goal a BIG goal. Your goal isn't BIG because you are trying to do something difficult - don't get me wrong, it may be a challenging thing you want to accomplish - but, it's BIG because it means something to you. To accomplish your goal, it needs to be important to you and this WHY is what makes your goal important and by being important, it makes it a priority. Our lives are FULL of priorities and this is what will move it up the to do list so that you don't keep procrastinating (and if you really know your why, then you won't want to procrastinate). This is where you will draw your motivation from so that you can get it done even when it gets hard. When your why is strong enough, your goal wont slip down in priority. But before you write anything down, I want you to take a moment to think about your why and if it is a surface level, generic answer, spend some time digging deeper into it. Look at it from a different angle, put it in to context. Why is your goal EXCITING? Lastly, as you prepare to write down your why, think about how you can make it personal. There might be a thousand other people in the world with the same goal as you, but why is your goal specific to you? Again, use what ever technique works best for you: stream of consciousness (write a paragraph/page/book), create a vision board (Pinterest!), do some journaling, etc. If you are still struggling to get clear about your why - your motivation - then apply for a Clarity Coaching Session with me. I guarantee you that we will not only find your why, but it will be the BIG why that you need to achieve your BIG goal. It is essential to get clear about your why, because just like with your WHAT, pushing forward with a generic or half-baked reason will never succeed. As we discussed, there will be challenging times and if you don't have a clear picture of what you want AND why then you will stall, derail, procrastinate, Every. Single. Time. So why is your goal so important? What does it mean to you?
Step
3
Break It Down - Action Steps
Ok, now that we have your goal defined and your why to motivate you, it's time to break your goal down into actionable steps. Wait! Don't get overwhelmed by this. There is no perfect place to start. Goals are complicated and dynamic. Just pick some piece of it that you know needs to get done and start with that. This could be a big step or a small one. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Start there. Can't start there? Then back up, or break it down to a smaller piece that you can start with. Just pick somewhere to begin, and then write it down. Take that first piece, break it down if needed until it is something you know you could go do as soon as you're ready to. Then evaluate the next step the same way and start mapping out the steps it will take you to reach your goal (remember to break them down into the tiniest steps possible. (Don't worry yet about when you are going to do these steps, for now just get them listed out.) Still stuck on where to start? Apply for a Strategy Coaching Session. You already have your What and your Why, let me help you figure out your How. In a single one-hour session, you will walk away with an achievable action plan for your BIG goal. This is a common place to get stuck at, so don't let it derail you! You have a tool to access - book a strategy session and keep moving forward. Now...take a moment to make a second list - this one should be quick. Make a list of all the things that will conflict with getting your action steps done. What else do you have going on in your life? What other priorities/distractions/tasks/responsibilities do you need to do in your everyday life? What else takes up your time? This should include things like doing laundry/dishes, errands you need to run, managing kids' schedules, etc. as well as, things like watching your favorite show, regularly scheduled time with friends/family, reading a book, going for a walk, or other things you spend time doing. Again, this should be relatively simple, but it will be important for the next step, so do take the time to write it out really quickly too.
Step
4
Schedule It
​
You have your first step, now it's time to schedule it! Put it on your calendar - make time for it, because after all, it is important (refer back to your why here if you need a little reminder - don't let it slip down the list of priorities - start TODAY, not someday). Put it on your calendar. Look at step one and think about when you can do it. Can you complete step one by the end of this week? How about by tomorrow? Could you do it right now?!? (If you can do it right now, please pause here and go DO IT! Then come back, repeat step three for the next piece and return to here. When you get to a point where you can't just continue to do each step - and if you haven't reached your goal - then you may read on...) When you have a step ready to put on your calendar, then schedule it! Schedule all the action steps you mapped out. And remember to be specific - get those baby steps on the calendar, not just the big steps, but the little steps that will slowly add up to the big ones. Now, before you get too far on this, let's pull out that other list you made (the one with the time conflicts, other priorities, distractions, etc.), because you need to SCHEDULE THOSE TOO. Before you look at me like I'm crazy, let me explain...you are probably really excited to get started on your goal and take the first action step forward AND you are motivated to make time for it, so it's easy to slap it on your calendar BUT what about the next step, and the one after that? Eventually, something else is going to come up and you aren't going to keep your goal at the top of your list of priorities. Reality Check: we have a lot going on. Life gets in the way. The dishes, the laundry, the kid stuff, the "I just want 30 minutes to relax and watch my show" kicks in and your goal gets shuffled down the priority list and a day, a week, a month goes by and all of a sudden you realize that you're no closer to achieving your goal than you were when you started. So...how do we avoid that pitfall? We schedule ALL of it. Use a calendar or planner to plan out your day, week, month - HOUR BY HOUR. If you aren't familiar with it, this is TIME BLOCKING and it WORKS (science says so if you don't believe me!). Using something like Google calendar or iCal works really well because it's easy to get detailed, but also see the big picture, but use whatever works for you. You can time block all the "other" stuff and then fit your action steps around that, OR if your action steps are time sensitive, then schedule those and fit your other stuff around them (you will probably find yourself doing a combination of both). I'll also add that you should ask for support where you will need it, acknowledge it up front. If you find a week or a day where things are going to get tight, communicate that with those around you so that they know what to expect and can help support you if they can. Additionally, make sure to leave enough time at the edges of your activities so you have mental space to transition from one to the other (and this way, if something pops up in the middle of starting laundry, then you have wiggle room to take 30 minutes to do it instead of the 5 minutes you expected so you don't fall behind schedule. Set yourself up with extra time). AND remember to schedule the fun stuff too! Your goal is exciting, so sometimes you might find yourself doing things like skipping your usual TV time and doing an action step instead, but all work and no play will make your goal burn out, so make sure that you are keeping a balance and schedule some fun stuff and some free time too. This way you will find yourself being more focused and intentional with your time and your schedule will be balanced in a way that is SUSTAINABLE which is KEY to achieving your goal. Time blocking and scheduling this way will get easier as you practice it. If it feels time consuming in the beginning, stick with it, I promise it will pay off if you do. Your brain is a muscle, so if it's not used to doing this, you have to work it out and teach it a little, but it will be worth it! As a side note: keep in mind that as you are scheduling all of this, you are working in somewhat of a "best case scenario", in the next step we will talk about what to do when things don't go as planned, but for now, just plan it like it will go the way you want it to. If you are struggling with ANY of this, Apply for a Strategy Coaching Session. We will put together an achievable action plan and get it mapped out and scheduled. You have access to these tools of clarity and strategy sessions so you can keep moving forward. DON'T GET STUCK. I know this maybe isn't super fun, but use your WHY to motivate you to do this task and get it done. You've got this!
Step
5
Be Flexible
When you're scheduling and completing your steps toward achieving your BIG goal, be optimistic AND realistic with yourself, life is busy and messy and things come up, so aim high, set an aggressive schedule for achieving your BIG goal AND at the same time, recognize that sometimes life will try to get in the way. Don't let that derail you! Take a breath. Take a moment if you need to. Reset, re-evaluate, and adjust as needed. Keep pushing forward in whatever way you can. Don't unravel. Once you begin working toward your goal, challenges are to be expected, regression and defeat, however, can not be accepted. So here's a tip/tool to avoid the backslide: STAY FLEXIBLE! You have your schedule with all your time blocking - both your action steps and "other stuff" are on there, but there are, hopefully, some open time slots too. You can use that to shift things around as needed. This is why I said I like Google calendar. If something unexpected comes up and throws your schedule off, then take what got bumped and SHIFT IT to the next available time that makes sense. This way nothing ever falls off the list, it just gets temporarily shifted forward. This technique is also helpful, because you always have the ability to go back and look to see what needs to get caught up, things that you meant to do can't get forgotten, because you can always go back to see what you missed when life tried to derail you. Now, this is NOT permission to constantly "put off" what you had planned, this technique should be used when unexpected things come up and you need to adjust, otherwise you should be sticking to your schedule and getting things done. If you find yourself wanting to move something to avoid doing it, then think about why you want to avoid doing it and address that instead - maybe you just need to break it down into a smaller piece that feels easier to do (review Step 3 if needed), or maybe you need to go back and review your motivation so you can push through something that feels a little uncomfortable (review Step 2 if needed), but when something unexpected tries to derail you instead, adjust and keep moving forward. Remember that one step backward, two steps forward, is progress. That said, if you find yourself constantly in an uphill battle, you should re-assess if you are going about everything in the most successful way possible. Is there an easier way? A more efficient path? Before you burn out, apply for a Strategy Coaching Session to achieve your goal more effectively than you can on your own. Let's work together to get you going faster and easier.
Step
6
Be Accountable
The final key to achieving your BIG goal is accountability. When the going gets tough, who is going to keep you going? You've got a system (What, Why, How) and you have a tool to stay FLEXIBLE when big stuff happens. Now, the key to sticking it out is: BEING ACCOUNTABLE. Is it enough to be accountable to yourself? If so, set yourself up for success by putting little reminders in place (right now) of what is your WHY. Mail a letter to yourself, reminding your future self why you started this in the first place and why you should keep going. Put pictures around your house to remind you when you look at them. Set reminders on your calendar so you don't miss the time you blocked out for doing your steps. You can do it yourself if you want to, just be strong and set yourself up for success. Alternatively, you can find an accountability partner. Someone you can regularly check in with about your progress. They should be supportive and encouraging and hold you accountable (thank you Captain Obvious: the accountability partner should hold you accountable DUH. But seriously...) This can be anyone as long as they fit this simple criteria. Don't have someone? Apply for Accountability Coaching Sessions with me and let me be your support. These are short, frequent sessions to check in and keep you on track and moving forward positively and successfully. So...What's your accountability plan? Write it down now.
So that's it!
If you've made it this far, CONGRATUALTIONS you have the tools to succeed at achieving your BIG goal!
You've written it down, you know your why, you broke down the steps and scheduled them, you know to be flexible as you go and you're going to be accountable about all of it. This is all doable on your own. You are now capable of going and achieving your BIG goal and I believe that you CAN and you WILL! So I wish you all the best and I hope you found these steps helpful and refer back to them as you need.
But if you haven't caught on yet, there are a lot of opportunities to get stuck, stall, burnout, slip up, and just stop.
This is why I offer my Clarity, Strategy and Accountability sessions to get you motivated, keep you on track, give you support and keep you accountable.
If you want to achieve your BIG goal more easily and efficiently, apply NOW to see if you are a good fit for my BIG Goal Coaching Package.
The sky is the limit, your BIG goal is waiting...
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