#Goals: I’ve Set, I’ve Tried, I’ve Failed…Help!

3 Helpful Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Goals Before Being S.M.A.R.T.

It’s 2 weeks into 2018 and I’m sure that your timelines and newsfeeds have been crowded with talk about resolutions and goals. Personally, I choose to set goals over resolutions. In the past, making resolutions never worked out well for me. Each month after I would fail to meet my resolutions, I would always say to myself “I’ll start fresh next month!” Of course, the next month eventually became December 31st! There I was criticizing myself for not completing my resolutions and working on writing now an EVEN longer list for the next year :-(.

By definition, a resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. Sounds compelling enough, but making a decision is only the first step. The definition of a goal is the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end. Good goals will inspire you to action because the intent of a goal is to help you:

Grow

On

Another

Level

In order to get to another level in your growth process, you have to think differently and proactively. When it comes to getting what you really desire, you need to perform Heart Check-ups.

Before your goals are put through the S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, realistic, and timely) test, examine them through the heart test and consider these 3 questions:

1. What is my relationship with commitment?

At different points in our lives, we have or will have a love/hate relationship with commitment. Whether you aim to commit to cultivating relationships through vulnerability, intentionally growing your network and resources, weekly food prepping, showing up to work/projects on-time, getting out of financial debt, spending quality time with the kids. or serving those in your community, we have all had those moments. Moments when you’ve felt like giving up and have thrown your hands in the air and declared “This is too much.” Those times when you’ve felt completely lost, clueless as to what the next step is and then compared your progress to someone else’s life. Why does it seem so easy at times to just walk away or avoid growing in these areas?

It’s all about mindset and approach.

No matter the person, place, thing or situation, your internal conversation around commitment ultimately leads to these two questions:

How can I get out of or around this commitment?
How can I do everything that I can to keep and honor this commitment?

How do you approach your commitments? Why?

2. Am I open and willing to grow and become the woman who will achieve this goal?

In order to move up to the next level in your life, you have to be realistic and honest with where you are now and what it will take to level up. Begin by looking at your habits, what are they now?

What will need to change?

What do you believe about achieving your goals?

What obstacles will I encounter?

What is my game plan to overcome these obstacles?

3. Are my goals in alignment with my purpose?

For the best results, your goals must be in alignment with your purpose. When you are out of alignment (don’t know your purpose), life tends to move in many directions at one time that are leading to different outcomes. When you know your purpose, your goals are aligned with achieving your purpose and they make sense. You are committed AND connected to your goals so it makes it easier to reach them. It’s important that our goals are aligned with our purpose so that we will continue to GROW UP to higher levels of ourselves.

As you continue or begin to set goals for the new year and your life, be intentional about involving your HEAD and your HEART.

May your goals be the vehicle that prepares and positions you to G.O.A.L. and GROW UP in 2018 and beyond!

Do you desire clarity and a path to discovering your purpose? Or do you need an accountability partner to keep you on track with your goals? Let’s connect! Click Image Below: