#2 Setting reasonable goals

Setting goals can either make you or break you…………depending on HOW those goals are set.

My dad is the KING of analogies and he helped me understand just how to set goals for myself through an analogy that I COMPLETELY understood.

My dad has built TWO of our houses and finished a couple of basements. I have been able to help him with a few of these projects, so I know FIRST hand what he means when he tells me “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

When building a house, you create the entire thing SPIRITUALLY before you even touch anything PHYSICALLY. You create a blueprint and make sure EVERYTHING measures out correctly in accordance with the amount of space you are building on. You also have to figure out just HOW much you will need in supplies and how much those supplies are going to cost. You have to make sure you have the right tools, the right equipment, and you need to make sure you set aside enough TIME in order to get it done.

In other words, a LOT of the work in building a house is done before you even pick up a hammer. (Or in my husband’s case, a nail gun)

In setting goals, you also have to decide what it is you REALLY want to accomplish. (Or build) What do you want the END product to look like?

You need to make sure everything measures out just right. You need to figure out what you will need in order to achieve the goal. And last, but not least, you will need to figure out how much it will cost. (Cost meaning time and effort) If you can’t afford the time and effort it will take to keep a particular goal, revise it till it is something you CAN afford. (Or do)

I like to set my goals for a year and then chop it down into monthly, weekly and daily bites. By doing this, I can CLEARLY see if my goal is too big to accomplish.

For instance, if I want to read a book that has 500 pages in it by the end of the year, but I only have enough time to read 1 page a day, I know that 500 pages by the end of the year is not a doable goal. At that point, I could decide to read only half of the book in one year. (Or sacrifice time I spend doing something else, so I have time to read more pages a day)
DO stretch yourself a little, but don’t do it to the point where you will get overwhelmed and “give up” all together.

It’s also good to set aside some time each day or each week to go over those goals so you can keep yourself focused.

Remember that there is NO better time to start than RIGHT NOW! If you keep putting it off until it is “easier” or “more convenient” you will be less likely to “stick with it” when times get a little harder.

Now go have fun setting those goals!! :)