GOAL SETTING – BE SMART - GUIDE AND IDEAS

Goals can be a great source of satisfaction and can provide purpose in our lives. Goals give us something to look forward to. They give us direction – something to aim for. They help us track and measure our progress. No desired achievement is gained without any goal setting.

We all struggle from time to time with motivation – this is natural. Sticking to goals can be daunting and setbacks may and can happen which have us questioning ourselves and our abilities. Sometimes they may appear overwhelming.

Well – Your Future Letter is here to help! Writing a letter and setting your goals with Your Future Letter can help you set your goals and continue to be motivated. Between us – lets achieve.

Here’s how:

SET YOUR GOAL/S – ‘SMART’ GOALS

The most popular and common way to use goals and how you most likely have done in the past is to pursue a specific result. For example, you may want to save more money, get fitter, achieve an academic result, build better relationships, grow your career, learn to play an instrument?

When goals are specific, they become measurable and also actionable. This in turn allows you to track your progress. These can be referred to as ‘SMART’ goals, which stands for:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Relevant

• Time-Bound

When you are setting your goals, make them SMART. For example, instead of setting a goal to say ‘I want to get fit again’ you could write and specify a goal by saying ‘I will go for a run at least 4 times every week; record the distance and times weekly in my running diary; complete the local 10 mile fun run on 1 March and complete this in 1 hour 30 minutes or quicker’.

The SMART Goal components being:

• Specific: I am going to run 4 times a week minimum and finally be able to run the local 10 mile fun run in less than 1 hour 30 minutes.

• Measurable: I will record in a weekly running diary and will be able to run the 10 mile fun run.

• Achievable: I have been in good shape before, used to run and I can achieve this with a weekly running diary.

• Relevant: Lately, my unhealthy lifestyle has caught up on me in the form of fatigue and health issues.

• Time-bound: I have signed up for the local 10 mile fun run to take place on 1 March.

Once you have set your goal/s – lets go and achieve them - you are ready to start wining and writing Your Future Letter.

SET THE STEPS OR MINI GOALS TO ACHIEVE YOUR MAIN GOAL

Now that you have set your main goal using the SMART process, it is important to detail the steps or ‘mini goals’ and milestones that you will need to achieve on your way to get to that big overall goal. Breaking the main goal down into smaller mini goals and milestones will keep you motivated and help you achieve. Using the example above, if 1 March for the 10 mile run is 1 year away the steps or ‘mini goals’ may be as follows:

• Set up a weekly running diary and program.

• Purchase new running shoes and kit.

• Run a minimum of 4 days every week.

• Do a 2 mile run in less than 20 minutes by 1 May.

• Include speed training in weekly running program at least once a week.

• Be able to run 5 miles in less than 50 minutes by 1 July and incorporate diet and nutrition program in weekly running program.

• Include at least one 10 mile run each week by 1 October.

• Complete one 10 mile run each month in less than 1 hour 40 minutes.

• Complete the local 10 mile fun run on 1 March in less than 1 hour 30 minutes.

These mini goals and milestones are personal and specific to you – you set them as you see fit while considering the SMART process. This allows you to know exactly where you are at with your goal throughout the year. Another benefit of setting specific steps or mini goals is that they help you focus on the outcomes you want while ignoring distractions you are bound to encounter. It is easy to know how much you need to train when you know exactly what your goal is.

Once you know what steps are involved in meeting your goal, look at your calendar and work out exactly when each mini goal like above needs to be achieved.

Once this is done, you are ready to write your goal setting and Your future Letters!

SEND YOUR GOALS TO YOUR FUTURE LETTER

Periodic check-ins, like your mini goals keep you on track, focused and motivated. While you may write a Your future Letter to be received in a years time saying ‘by this time next year I want to have completed 10 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes’ that is not necessarily going to help you get there unless you do regular check-ins on where you are at on the journey – it will provide more of a reflective moment on what you may have or may not have achieved.

Periodic check-ins on your goals are important! Letters (plural!) you write and receive from Your future Letter during your journey to achieve the ultimate goals will keep you on track and motivated. Using the key milestones in the example above, write a Your future Letter for each milestone date. i.e. set a Your future Letter to be received on say 1 May, 1 July 1 October and finally one on the goal set date 1 March! While including the mini goals in Your Future Letter, also write about how you are feeling at the current time, desires and reasons for your goal. The more you check in on your mini goals and targets, the more likely you are to achieve your main goal.

We look to receiving and safekeeping your goals in the interim and we will have these sent to you in return on any key milestone date you request in the future.

Any feedback or ideas? Lets us know what you think! Info@yourfutureletter.com