A couple of years ago one of my Mastermind teammates challenged me to answer these three questions:
* What would I be doing if nothing stood in my way?
* What stands in my way?
* What do I need to do to achieve my goals?
I resisted it, put it off, said I didn’t have time to think about it . . . but finally I thought about these questions and wrote down my answers. I named the computer file “Big Dream.”
As we approach the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006, I’d like to challenge you to do the same. You’ll be amazed how powerful this process is.
Around the same time, I began writing down lifetime, yearly, and weekly goals in three categories: personal, family (including homeschooling), and business.
During this final week of 2005, I’m evaluating the year—how I did on meeting the goals I set for the year, what I accomplished, and areas that need more work. Then, I’ll write down specific goals for 2006. This process works so much better than the typical “New Year’s Resolutions” that nobody ever keeps!
The keys to setting goals are making them specific and measurable: not “make more money in 2006” but “double my income in 2006”; not “read more” but “read x number of pages, chapters, books, or hours each week.”
One more key to effective goals: you have to review them from time to time! As I’ve begun evaluating 2005, I’ve found that I’ve accomplished quite a lot and have done well on my weekly goals but seemed to lose sight of some of my yearly goals along the way. I need to build in a regular time (probably monthly) to review those yearly goals and lifetime goals to make sure my weekly goals support them. Otherwise, it’s too easy to get caught up in the daily grind and the tyranny of the urgent and lose sight of my long-term strategy.
If you’d like to share your own Big Dream and goals, feel free to leave a comment.
Mary Jo Tate
Read “Our Dream” in my blog to see what ours is… I believe it’s a passion the Lord has instilled in our hearts for when He sees fit.