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You know where you want to go, but how do you get there?
You may find that making some decisions is easier than others. What do you do
first? How long will it take? Will you need help getting there? How do you decide
what’s right for you? 

It helps if you understand what makes you tick; your
personal value system. These values are the ones you live with; not necessarily
every day, but over the course of your life, that enable you to live
with your decisions. 

First,
sit down and make a list of the top 20 or 30 values that are important to you:

• Family
• Personal time
• Fun

you get
the idea. Narrow that list to 10, and then to five. Next, rank those five in
numeric order, one against the other, until you have your top three.

When making choices, ask yourself if the decision would
honor your top three values. If not, it’s the wrong choice for you at the
time.

Setting the right goals for you is almost as
important as having goals in the first place. They have to be realistic and
coincide with your value system. How does your vision mesh with your goals? You
may experience fear, feel overwhelmed or confused because you don’t know how to
go about setting goals effectively, but it’s a straightforward process and you
will overcome the emotions as you go, as you feel more in control.

The Five-Step Goal-Setting Process:

1.      What do you want,
specifically -- This is the first thing to
ask yourself in your goal planning process. What is your vision? Your dream?
Without being clear as to your explicit desires, no other steps can be taken,
and no progress made.

2.      Why do you want
it (what value does it serve) -- The pivotal question in your
goal-setting process and a prime motivator. You must reflect on your values
list in order to answer it. Does your desire reflect your values? If so, you’ve
accomplished the second step and are on your way to goal-setting success.

3.      When do you want
it -- Determining specific dates for
completion of tasks is a crucial part of your goal-setting procedure. Knowing
that you have committed yourself to achieving a certain thing by a certain date
will enable you to plan your time and thus maximize your efforts.

4.     What will you
give up or overcome to get it – Confusion?
Fear? Procrastination? Insecurity? Make sure you keep in mind why you
want your goal. It will give you all the courage you need to push through your fears and move
forward.

5.      Create a detailed
plan to get there -- We are not born knowing how to
do anything really, except eat, sleep and breathe.  The rest we learn as
we go along; and creating a detailed plan to achieve your goals is no
different.  Brainstorm things you can do, actions you can take. Bounce
ideas off of friends, relatives. Throw out ideas (none are too insignificant or
crazy). After you get the first few implausible or facetious ideas out of the
way, more creative, clever and valuable ideas will surface. Brainstorm until
you are able to get your ideas down to very specific, measurable tasks that you
can then cross off a list when you’ve finished them.

In
order to reach a key goal, you’ll need to set interim goals – multiple
short-term goals. Broken down into bite-sized pieces, the objectives are less
intimidating. If you get stuck trying to create a plan, ask yourself more
questions! Keep
asking questions until there are no more questions, only actions left. 

Prioritize
your plan according to your most important goal, approach each goal
individually and set a date for completion. You’ll be amazed at the progress
you make!

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