People need to have a purpose, and yet, so few do.
Without a purpose, we are not truly living a fulfilling life.
So what’s a purpose? It’s your “why” for being alive.
What is it you want to contribute, what’s your legacy? What do you love doing, what are you passionate about?
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Throughout my life experience, I’ve found life is more inspiring when you have a purpose first, and then set goals that support and align with that. Why? Because when you are in flow, things become so much easier.
Once you have defined your purpose, the next step is to set your goals.
Goals have a way of focusing your mind, so if you mindfully choose goals that stand in support of, and align with your purpose, you will achieve your goals faster and feel more fulfilled.
When there is a misalignment between your goals and purpose, life will seem like a struggle, and you could feel conflicted. If you are currently experiencing struggle, revisit your purpose and check to see if your goals support that.
What if you don’t know how to set a goal? It’s a common question that many people struggle with. There is a simple goal-setting formula you can follow which is outlined below to simplify this for you.
Before you begin to write down your goal, make the decision to commit to one.
Then choose an area of your life and think about what you really want in this area. Think of one goal that you have been wanting to tackle for the longest time. It’s the goal that will make a significant difference in your life. It is the one goal that if you were to achieve it, would make all the sacrifices worthwhile.
Now, once you’ve decided to commit, be ready to block out time to write your goal down using a time-tested method called S.M.A.R.T.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.
What does this all mean?
Well, your goal needs to first be clearly-defined, what is it you want specifically?. Then, the goal needs to be measurable, so you have evidence that you have achieved it. These can take on the form of micro-goals, where every day you commit to working on small tasks that will take you a step closer to your main goal. It needs to be attainable, meaning that you must have the skills to accomplish it.
Remember to write your goal in the present tense as if it’s happening now. It must be relevant to you, and finally, it must be completed by a specific time (write the date down when setting your goal), that’s achievable for you.
The next step is to write down your “why” for wanting to achieve your goal and what it will cost you if you don’t achieve it.
Write down at least 2 to 3 consequences for not achieving your goal then look over what you have written. The realisations you’ll have will help you to focus on what achieving your goal will do for you. This step will help propel you forward like a rocket to attain your goals.
Once you have followed the S.M.A.R.T. formula remember to visualise your goal as if you have achieved it already.
Here is a quick way to visualise your goal to bring it to fruition even faster.
Imagine you are a movie producer. You have written the script for your life, and it’s time to run a movie of you achieving your highest goal, on the screen in your mind. Next add sound, colour and feeling to the movie. See yourself achieving this goal, ask yourself: what’s the last step that has to happen, so you know you will have achieved your goal? Once you have the last step, add that scene to the movie.
Now imagine you are an actor in the movie, see the movie through your own eyes as if it’s happening to you, then once you have played that role step out of the movie into the role of a producer. See the movie from the perspective of a producer - at a distance. This step will allow you to detach from the outcome, so your goal manifests.
Take a minute to notice how life has changed now you have achieved your goal and how your future will be different.
The last step, which will make a big difference is to “act as if” the outcome you want is a certainty. To assist you to do this, think of a time in the past when you achieved a goal. What did that feel like and look like, what did you say to yourself? Access that self-talk, those feelings and images when setting a new goal.
This simple visualisation will take you 3-5 mins, do it daily when you read over your goal or even once a week because it has the power to manifest your goals quickly.
And remember, we attract what we focus on so focus on what you WANT, not what you don’t want.
We live in a world where there are so many distractions. Our attention span is smaller, and it can be a problem, especially if you’re pursuing a goal.
But while finding and committing to a goal may be challenging at first, it isn’t rocket science.
Ultimately, you simply have to remember to take the time to write down and follow the S.M.A.R.T goal action steps and soon enough, you will have achieved your goal.
Your Action Steps:
Your Outcome:
To set a goal, you have committed to achieve in a month and to follow a structure that you can use to achieve any goal.
In closing here’s a quote I’ve found to be true.
“People overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade”. - Tony Robbins.
