When we set goals, we tend to focus on all that needs to be done, the things we think we cannot do, the things we’re afraid of doing, and everything that can go wrong. Sometimes we focus on these elements so much that we lose all our energy before we’ve even begun. Another difficulty can be that the goals we set are so great that we don’t know where to begin.
Focus or not, effective goal setting is an important foundation for living a good and satisfying life. Goals take you in the direction you want to go in your life. If we want to make conscious choices and decisions, we need to know where we want to go. No goals mean no conscious choices and life will be that way – we won’t know where to go.
Setting goals is a tool we can use to accomplish what we want. Here are some points that I have used as a template, and that have given me great success in reaching my goals.
Have a vision for your life
John F. Kennedy said: “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by obvious realities. We need men and women who can dream of things that never were…” Ask yourself what you feel passionate about and want to spend time doing. What do you want to do with your life while you are here? A vision is a great dream that you can stretch towards. It helps keep you motivated and helps you to remember why you chose your goals.
A question you must ask yourself when you feel you’ve found your vision is why? Why do I want to use my life in this way? Then see if you feel motivated and satisfied. My vision is about consciously contributing to making this world a better place to be and has kept me afloat time and time again when days have been tough and challenging.
Set goals according to your vision
Although we may want to, we cannot do everything. It is important that your goals are related to your vision, and this ensures that you give priority to what is important. Here you can ask yourself about what and how. What can I do to accomplish my vision, and how can I get these things done? Your goals will then challenge you enough to motivate you to go forward in relation to where you are now.
Time limits – a limiting factor
A lot of people set time limits for their goals, but this can actually be quite limiting. Be patient and just keep working towards your goals and be confident that things will fall into place when the time is right. If you have a long-term goal that may take months or years to accomplish, you can set sub-goals and tasks that need to be done in the meantime.
Formulate your goals as if they are already accomplished
Formulate the goal with an end result that is exactly as you want it to be. For example, “I am…” or “I have…”. Then your subconscious mind will look for solutions to achieve that.
Write your goals in a goal journal
Many feels that it’s difficult to write down their goals and all sorts of excuses come up: “What if I don’t reach my goal, or what if I do? What if I change my mind?” Then you can remember that everything is constantly changing, also your goals. It’s OK to change your mind, and therefore it’s OK to change your goal. It is nonetheless important to write down your goals. The act of writing them down is a powerful force in itself, and it also creates objectivity. Write down your goals and start with the smaller tasks that you can do now.
Look for opportunities that appear along the way that help you to reach your goal. Be optimistic and continue working on the small, reachable sub-goals. Suddenly one day you will realize that you have reached your goal. Then you still have your great vision that helps you to find new goals needed to keep going in the direction you had decided. You can never run out of goals when you have a vision.
Activate your goal (mentally) in The Creative Corner
I activate each goal mentally because it helps to reach goals and prepares us to listen and pay attention to thoughts, ideas and coincidences that arise. Envision that your goal is already accomplished as often as you can. Our thoughts, dreams and envisioning are creative in more ways than most people realize. They are a creative force that help make dreams and goals come true, believe it or not.
Just live your days
Our days make up life itself and need to be lived fully. Your vision creates motivation and shows you the direction to go in, and reaching goals gives great satisfaction.
When working to accomplish your goals, keep in mind that no one is perfect. That is, you are perfect just as you are. Life has its ups and downs, and you may have many days when you just ‘don’t feel like it’. Instead of giving in to those feelings, use the techniques you learned in the basic course in DB-System®. They are effective tools to cope with stress and remain in goal-oriented development for life.
Everyone can!
Deborah Borgen
Founder
