I am an educator both by nature and trade. Teaching people is embedded in my DNA. One of the tools I use with my students in both the traditional classroom and theatre classroom is goal setting. I am a firm believer that having clear goals gives you both the motivation and tools to achieve your dreams. This is not a practice I just use as a student or teacher, I use thoughtful goal setting in my everyday life. Whether it is related to learning, business, health or my personal life, goals are the stepping stones that help me live my very best life.
The first thing that I think is important to distinguish is the difference between a goal and a dream. Now this difference is very small, but it helps me to break down the steps along the way to achieving my dreams and being the most efficient person I can be.
Dreams are the big things. They are the vision you have for your future. Now this doesn't necessarily mean the distant future, I have dreams that I will have made a reality within the next year, but some of them are things that may not appear in my life for another 10 years. The format of how I say and write my dreams is probably the biggest difference between goals and dreams. There are two major criteria for how I state a dream. The first is a practice I inherited from Rachel Hollis and that I believe to be a powerful manifestation technique. I write out my dreams as though they have already happened. By stating these dreams as truths about myself, I am welcoming them into my life. Instead of saying "I want to pay off my loans," I write "I have paid off my loans." This keeps me motivated for the day that that becomes a reality. The second criteria is that I do not set time limits for my dreams. These are the things I will always desire to have in my life, so there is no "time limit." I believe that this allows me to dream bigger without fear of failure and we all deserve to dream big.
Goals are absolutely related to dreams, but I have many more goals than I have dreams. Goals are the stepping stones to reaching the big dreams. They are the smaller chunks that lead the way to achieving the big stuff. The criteria I use when writing my goals has been heavily impacted by my education and how I educated. I believe that my goals should be SMART. SMART goals follow the following criteria (note - there are many variations in some of the words, but these are the ones I use):
Specific - you state exactly what you wish to achieve.
Measurable - there is a clear way to tell you have achieved this goal.
Attainable - you have the ability to achieve this goal.
Relevant - it is relevant to your life, career, dreams, etc.
Time-Oriented - there is a deadline/goal date for completion.
If your goal meets all of these criteria you will be set up for success.
There are a few great tools I use to set me up for success. (head over to the YouTube channel for a chance to try some of these out yourself!)
1. My Google Calendar - This one may seem weird, but it is one of the most helpful things I have found to help me organize my goals and make them a reality. I block out my day to 15 minute chunks. Everything is accounted for - commutes, meetings, sitting around doing nothing for a half hour (because let's be real, we all do it sometimes). I put everything in my calendar. This way I can easily block out time to work on my goals.
2. The Start Today Journal - This is a crucial part of my morning routine. This practice was created (from a combination of other practices she'd done all her life) by Rachel Hollis. Every morning I start my day by writing out five things from the previous day that I am grateful for, the 10 dreams I am going to make happen (remember - written as if they have already happened) and then the goal I am going to accomplish first (in SMART format!). This helps to set up for a productive day.
3. The Start Today Priority Planner - Ok, you caught me. I am a devoted disciple of Rachel Hollis, I'll admit it! There is no shame in following the practices of someone you admire and who inspires you to live your best life. I've very recently added the Start Today Priority planner into my goal setting/achieving routine and y'all, it has been a spiritual experience. Head over to the YouTube channel to get a look inside this incredible tool! It is not a normal planner, it is completely tailored to reaching your goals and motivating yourself towards your dreams. I am obsessed!
These are just a few of the many thoughts I have on setting goals, but I hope that they will inspire you to start thinking intentionally about your goal setting practice. I want to leave you with one final thought, and this is something I believe down to the marrow of my bones. Your goals and dreams are NOT meant to live in your head! They demand to be released. Write them down, say them outloud to yourself, to your people, to anyone who will listen! Speak them into existence and work your booty off to make them a reality. They will get nowhere by being pretty little thoughts in your head. You deserve to dream big and achieve your boldest goals, but you have to do the work. Nothing in this life comes free, but when it does come, through hard work and determination, it is one of the most joyful things in the universe.
Dream big my darlings, you never know what the universe has in store for you.
xo,
Kayla
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