Going for the Goal, Part 3: You-Sized Goals

Are your goals the right size for you?

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks? In case you don't, let me offer you a little summary: Goldilocks goes into the house of three bears, who are small, medium, and large, respectively. She tries a variety of things (chairs, beds, porridge), to see which things work best for her. Spoiler alert: not everything goes smoothly. Some things don't fit her because they aren't her size.

Some goals will not work for you because they aren't your size.

This is the third post in a new series about setting and working toward your goals in a methodical way that increases your ability to achieve them. Stay tuned for the rest of the series and subscribe so you can make sure you don't miss out! (And if you missed the first post in the series, you can catch up here!)

MAKING GOALS FIT YOU

If you truly want to succeed with your goals, you need to make them fit you. But how exactly do you go about doing that?

You have to take into consideration where you're currently at. If you're already running ragged, adding an overwhelming goal to your plate probably isn't a good idea. If you're strapped for cash, trying to pay off all your debt in the next few weeks might not be feasible.

If you're not at all a morning person, you might not want to try to get up at 5 am to fit in a workout. It would probably work better for you to fit it in during the evening, when you're naturally more inclined to do things (even if you're changing what you're doing, you're only changing one thing at a time).

Your goal or goals should challenge you but also feel realistic. If they're too lofty, you'll be more likely to get discouraged or not even know where to begin.

BREAKING GOALS DOWN

To make it easier to start working toward your goals, break them down into smaller, bite-size pieces.

If you're trying to get healthier, you could focus on walking more this week. And once you have that under your belt, you could start eating more vegetables. After that, perhaps you could reduce your consumption of processed foods.

If you were to try to tackle them all at once, it would feel overwhelming because it's such a big change and so many things to keep track of. But by breaking it down, you give yourself a better chance to focus on one thing at a time and gain confidence in your ability to succeed as you have small wins along the way.

UTILIZING A TIMELINE

To stick to your goals, I highly recommend using some sort of a timeline. If your goals have an indefinite timeframe, they might get moved to the back burner. But if you're trying to declutter and reorganize your house by Thanksgiving, you have a concrete due date, and as the date draws nearer, the motivation to make it happen grows.

Procrastination can set in if you don't have to have anything completed by a specific time. I know I tend to put things off when they don't feel immediate, saying, "Eh, I can do that tomorrow. It doesn't really matter." But if I know I have to clean my house before I have company over, I don't make excuses. I know I have to do it. 

You can keep track of your goals and timeline however you would like-- on Post-It notes, in a bullet journal, in a notebook, on your computer, on your phone... I just encourage you to write them down, make sure they're the right size to both challenge and motivate you, break them down into bite-size pieces, and put a due date on them.

And if you want to get a kickstart on crushing your goals and gain clarity in your purpose, discover what your gifts are, find what meaningful work looks like, and learn to live a fulfilling, purposeful, and THRIVING life every day, join my FREE 7-day From Surviving to Thriving Challenge!