03 – Find Your One Big Goal
In the previous lesson, we explored your vision of a successful life and your dreams. This time, You will consider the goals that will propel you towards that vision.
The more specific you can be here, the better for your planning purposes. However, these can be subject to change and revision. Life happens.
Think about your ideal life from the last exercise. Write out 3-5, or more, goals that will bring you closer to realizing your best life. Don’t worry! You don’t need to do everything at once.
This is where you just get it all down on paper. Or a Word/Pages file. Whatever works for you to record your thoughts and ideas.
Get More Specific
What’s the most important goal you would like to reach in the next twelve months? Deciding this will help you plot your course for the year.
You need to define exactly what your goal is. You wouldn’t plan a trip without having a destination in mind. It’s the same with your life. You can let yourself be tossed around like a ship without a rudder, or you can take charge and steer yourself to where you want to go.
So where exactly are you headed? Paris? Dublin? Cincinnati?
Think of it as climbing a mountain. You want your goal to be big and challenging. You want your goal to be life-changing. You want your goal to be a mountain that will take you to the top of the world.
But here’s the thing. You can only climb one mountain at a time. So make your decision. What exactly is it that you hope to accomplish? What exactly is that big goal that will change your life? This is something you need to decide before you even get started.
Jim Collins, best-selling author of business books Good to Great and Built to Last calls this a BHAG – a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. And we all need one.
Why? Your goal needs to be big enough to motivate you through the tough times. It needs to be something you aren’t willing to give up on.
It also needs to be clear enough that you won’t be distracted by every little side road that comes along.
So do some thinking. Write it all down. Make a mindmap, if that works for you. Then choose what you want to work toward.
Download the worksheet:
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. – Henry Ford
