It has been said “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”
Now, let’s talk about Goals. Like any other important life decision, you have to have goals or you are shooting in the dark. To set Goals for your life, you have to take your expectations and translate them into the ‘what’ of what you want to achieve and the ‘when’. Be as specific as possible.
Be Simple Be right
Remember, the best way to set goals is to word them simply but specifically. That way you can measure your success without trying to guess whether you succeeded. The next task at hand is to figure out HOW to achieve your goals. Remember that your expectations and goals must be realistic or you will never get to where you want to be.
Now it is time to figure out just how realistic your expectations and goals are, because you have to establish a plan to achieve those goals!
You can probably think of more questions you’ll have to answer! But, this list will give you some idea of the considerations involved in just one goal. For every goal you set, you will have to think about how reasonable the goal is, how achievable it is and exactly how you plan to accomplish it in the timeframe you have set for yourself. When it comes to the goals of your family and friends, the emotional attachment and desire to do the right thing may make it hard to think clearly and to accurately plan for how and when these things will happen. Be honest with yourself and with each other and by all means include your support network in the plan. Ask your family to come up with ideas about how you can accomplish these things. Brainstorm and leave the door open for crazy ideas. You’d be surprised at what you might uncover in this way. Then sit down and pick through the plan and decide which ideas will work and which must be discarded.
Live a dynamic life!
Now, let’s talk about Goals. Like any other important life decision, you have to have goals or you are shooting in the dark. To set Goals for your life, you have to take your expectations and translate them into the ‘what’ of what you want to achieve and the ‘when’. Be as specific as possible.
Be Simple Be right
Remember, the best way to set goals is to word them simply but specifically. That way you can measure your success without trying to guess whether you succeeded. The next task at hand is to figure out HOW to achieve your goals. Remember that your expectations and goals must be realistic or you will never get to where you want to be.
Now it is time to figure out just how realistic your expectations and goals are, because you have to establish a plan to achieve those goals!
You can probably think of more questions you’ll have to answer! But, this list will give you some idea of the considerations involved in just one goal. For every goal you set, you will have to think about how reasonable the goal is, how achievable it is and exactly how you plan to accomplish it in the timeframe you have set for yourself. When it comes to the goals of your family and friends, the emotional attachment and desire to do the right thing may make it hard to think clearly and to accurately plan for how and when these things will happen. Be honest with yourself and with each other and by all means include your support network in the plan. Ask your family to come up with ideas about how you can accomplish these things. Brainstorm and leave the door open for crazy ideas. You’d be surprised at what you might uncover in this way. Then sit down and pick through the plan and decide which ideas will work and which must be discarded.
Live a dynamic life!
And, you may have to change some of your timetables and tasks to incorporate the unexpected changes in your life. Remember, there is always more than one way to solve a problem. Don’t panic and don’t give up on your work/life balance goals. Just find another way to accomplish them and be realistic about whether you can achieve them in the same time period. Perhaps you need to extend your timetable a bit to accommodate the new developments in your life. That doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Just knowing you have a contingency plan will keep you afloat and moving forward.
Just remember! PLAN is not just another four-letter word!
