FoxyBody Articles
Setting Goals and Reaching Them
Christie Dombrowski, AFPA
Too often I find myself surviving
rather than thriving. I have these giant goals in my head but rarely do I
see them come to life. It’s so frustrating to know that you are capable of
reaching your goals, but you don’t have clear direction on how to get there.
I have my trusty planner, to-do lists, goal lists and even lately an Oprah
inspired vision board, but nothing is magically snapping into place.
After a lengthy vent session to my best friend, entrepreneur and visionary,
something clicked. Her success has come by mapping out her future and
taking daily steps to lead her to those goals. Nothing she said in this
conversation was overly profound or anything more than common sense, but it has
truly changed the way that I operate. My problem was that I was acting on my
daily duties without taking into account my vision and the places I wanted to go
in the long run.
When we are so far behind our goal all we can see are the obstacles in our way.
Sometimes it takes sitting down with a pen and paper and working it out or
talking to someone who seems to be excelling in the area that you want to grow.
You may not see the direction right away, but you will get there.
Print out a blank yearly calendar and start from there. Let it be your guide to
plan your months, weeks and daily routines based on your goals and aspirations.
If your goal is weight loss, plan time for exercise. If you want to feed your
family healthy meals, plan them out for the week and shop for healthy
ingredients. Decide what needs to get done and fit it into your schedule.
Nothing happens overnight, but if you keep chipping away at it eventually you
will get to where you want to be. Take steps each day to reach your goal rather
than just living by the seat of your pants. If you were driving to a new
destination you would have a map, a printed MapQuest sheet or better yet a GPS
that can change directions as you screw up. As much as I hate hearing the GPS
say “re-route” as I make wrong turns, I know that eventually I am going to reach
my destination, detours and all.
Simply put, we need to do what matters. Do the little things that will take you
on the road to success. You must be willing to take daily action steps to
make progress. If you’re not making it a priority to fit those steps into your
day to day life, maybe you need to re-evaluate the importance of this goal.
If it means that much to you, make it happen. You may take a few wrong turns and
your inner GPS may be screaming at you, but at least you will reach your
destination.
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."-Japanese
Proverb
