Set goals that make your dreams happen

Published: Apr 26, 2021
By: Loretta Milan

Without goals, dreams remain wishes.

Goals need to be more than aims. They must be commitments. Deep inside you must believe in your goals and why they are important. This will ensure you have all the energy you need to make them happen. It will help you push through when there are challenges and take pride in every step of progress.

To set goals that make your dreams happen, you need to do three things.

1. Focus you lens

Goals can be set at several levels. Long-term goals (covering five to ten years) give you direction and shorter-term goals give you focus. You need both to make your dreams happen.

2. Be specific

Whether setting long or short-term goals, look at your vision board and ask yourself:

• Where you want to be.
• What you want to do or have.
• When you want to get there.

The more specific you can be, the greater your focus. Picture it happening. Believe you can do it.

3. Ensure balance

Try not to set goals for just one aspect of your life is likely to get out of balance and it will be hard to feel truly happy and fulfilled even when you achieve them. To live your original life, one that you truly love, create balance. The Original Life Star is a great way to see where you are now and where you need to balance your goals.

For the period you are setting goals, think about:

• Wellbeing: This is the top area can suffer when pursuing your life purpose, so we’ve put it first. Your dreams mustn’t come at the cost of your health. You wellbeing is the foundation of your success. You’ll need it to be able to deliver on your promises and you’ll also need it to enjoy your success. You could set a fitness goal, for example to go from coach to marathon, of you can set simple, enjoyable goals, for example to do yoga three times a week, treat yourself to a spa once a quarter or cut back on sugar.

• Purpose: These goals bring meaning into your life and often have greatest alignment with your dreams. They break your dream down into purposeful actions that will get you to where you want to be. Be bold with these goals, push for what you really want in a way that is achievable for you. For example, you could have a long-term goal to publish a book, a shorter-term goal to finish the first draft, a mini goal to write 100 words a day.

• Relationships: These goals are not about what you want from others, but what you want to give to the people who matter most to you. A true sense of purpose comes from making meaningful contributions to the world as a partner, parent, friend or member of a community or network. Sometimes, your other goals can contribute to fulfilment in this area, for example setting up a business from home so you can be more present in your family’s life or launching an initiative that benefits your local community.

• Wealth: Often, people start with numbers when it comes to setting goals in this area. But, digging deeper, the main aim is to reach a place of financial peace and freedom to do what you choose. Set goals that ensure you reach what it is you truly seek and be realistic about the timescales. If you’re in a job you hate, it’s tempting to quit immediately to do something you love, putting so much pressure on your dream that you come to resent it. It’s much better to have a realistic plan that give you comfort in being able to see the way out without anxiety.

Use the goals pages in your Life Planner or draw the boxes below into your notebook and start setting goals that will take you to where you want to be in a way that works for your life.