Footprints and Monuments

Achieve Your Goals This Year

(Don’t just set them)

By Jeff Earlywine

Do you believe dreams can come true? Dreams being your goals, desires, passions, and aspirations. Yes!! Dreams do come true. However, your dreams and goals are very delicate. They can be squashed by the people in your life, they can be killed by pressure and stress, and they can be put on the proverbial shelf by you.

This month’s Footprints and Monuments is going to be a little different. It is not just another article to be scanned and then discarded. And, it is not just another article about goal setting. As important as goal setting is, this article is about achieving your goals. It is about becoming the person you really want to be and reaching your potential.

Why is it that many people set New Year’s resolutions (goals) but never achieve them? Good question, and here is my answer. In order to achieve your goals…

• You must know what it is you want to accomplish (this is your purpose)
• Know why you want it (your passion) and
• Know how to achieve it (have a plan of action).

I know. This does not sound like earth shattering information. However, before you really believe that ask yourself this question, “Have I ever began a year hoping to accomplish a long list of goals, but by the end of December, when I look back, I achieved very few?”

If you answered, “Yes” to that question you are not alone. The steps below will help you begin a process to not only set your goals but to achieve them THIS YEAR. This article is not meant to be a detailed explanation, but a tool that will give your mind the steps to begin a process of achieving your goals. If you are interested in really digging in and achieving your goals, whether it is for yourself, your family or your business I encourage you to purchase my CD, Goals: Set Them & Achieve Them In 2007. This CD even comes with a free goal setting worksheet that will help you focus your thoughts.

Knowing what you want is the first step in reaching your potential and achieving your goals. In order to achieve your goals you must know what it is you want; your purpose in life. This may sound basic but many people spend every day of their lives saying, “One of these days I will accomplish great things.” Sadly, the day of sitting down and deciding what they really want never comes.

We live in a world full of noise and distractions, and it is these distractions that keep you from discovering what you really want. To truly discover what you want you must take time to relax, daydream and discover your God-given strengths and skills. I encourage you to take time today to enjoy a beautiful sunset, sit beside a lake or ocean and listen to the waves crash on the shore or listen to an inspirational CD while sipping a cup of tea. However you decide to relax do it with a pen and paper near by. It has been said, “The faintest ink is better than the best memory.” When your mind begins to forget about the pressures of the day, about your retirement account and how fast your kids are growing up; your deepest dreams and goals will begin to come into focus. This is when you grab your pen and begin to write. Write as if there are no limitations, because there are not. Time is not an issue, money is no option and your personal skill level doesn’t even matter.

Now that you know what you want to accomplish you must know why. Knowing why you want to achieve these goals is your passion. Your “Why” is what gets you out of bed in the morning, it keeps you focused on a fabulous future and enables you to jump any hurdle that comes into your path. My goal setting worksheet has you list the steps needed to accomplish your goals, and then I have you list any obstacles that may come your way. Your “Why” is your power to achieve your dreams!

Knowing what you want and why seems like enough, but it is not. If you want to lose 50 pounds by year’s end, and you want to do this for your family, you must have a plan of action. Goals are always measurable, obtainable, and achievable. You will only know if you have achieved your goal if you have a plan.

This plan must be reviewed at strategic times. I recommend you review each goal in detail every three months. This will allow you to chart your progress, alter your course and to kick yourself in pants if needed. It is also helpful to have a good friend develop and review this plan of action with you.

In order to reach greatness you must do the small things, and do them consistently. You must be the master of the basics. Booker T. Washington stated, “Do the common things uncommonly well.” I agree. In order to reach your potential you must do the basics, and goal setting is not enough. You must have a plan to achieve your goals and to reach your potential.

I challenge you to set aside some time this week to discover what you want, document why you want it, and develop a step-by-step plan of action to achieve it. Set as many goals as you wish.