Before the pandemic, I used to say to my husband that I just wish the world would stop for a little while and give us all a break. Of course, the world kind of did stop (I didn’t mean it like that, Universe!!) and none of us got the break we needed.
But those of us lucky enough not to be badly affected by the pandemic did gain a little time to reflect on our lives: our relationships, our jobs, our finances. We might have realised what we don’t want, but did we actually figure out what it is we do want?
It’s easy to say, I want a job that ‘pays more’, or is ‘more fulfilling’. One that gives me a ‘better work life balance’.
But what does that mean?
What does your ideal job or relationship look like?
What do we need in our lives to make them more fulfilling… to make them happy?
I know that if I won the lottery tonight, I would give up my job at the local college, but I wouldn’t give up writing (although I would take more time to produce the books I write). I would buy a bigger home, help out my family, and travel more.
What would you do?
What would make you happy?
Close your eyes and visualise your dream life for a little while. See yourself living that life and see yourself happy and smiling.
Then grab a piece of paper and write down what it is that you saw.
Writing down your dreams and goals can help cement them in your mind and allow you to focus on the future you want for yourself. It creates a visual reminder of where you want to be.
The next step is to decide how to get to that future. That’s where goal setting comes in.
We have the bigger picture of where we want to be, now we can focus on the now.
To help us, we can use SMART targets:
SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT and TIME-BOUND
You can grab a sheet I’ve created that you can print off and use as a guide to write down your goals here.
Focus on what you want to happen, and then how you are going to get there. You can think of the long-term or short-term. It’s up to you.
You are far more likely to succeed at something when you write it down.
Accountability
Something I have found useful when setting goals is to find an accountability partner. If I know someone is expecting something from me, I am far more likely to do it!
You may have someone you know you can ask to be yours, or you can use me.
I’ve decided to set up a Monday Motivational email. I’ll send out a motivational quote every Monday and let you know my goals for the week. You can then email me and let me know yours. We can check up on how things went the next Monday.
If this sounds like something you’d like to do, just sign-up below. You’ll hear from me next Monday and I’d love to hear from you in return.