Lindsey felt stuck. She was bright, talented and bored. She was stalled in her career and overwhelmed in her personal life and it was creating major stress for her.
The problem was she didn’t know which area in her life to tackle first, or how to come up with some next steps to move her forward. That’s where I came in. As her counselor, I suggested she take an overall look at each area of concern by making what I call a Healthy Balance sheet. By listing each area of her life that she wanted to make some changes or improvements to, we could come up with some practical next steps, set some goals and construct a plan. Here are the categories Lindsey came up with:
- Spiritual
- Career
- Finances
- Social
- Recreational
- Emotional
- Physical
I asked Lindsey to list what she was currently doing in each of these areas, and what she wanted to do. For example, in her spiritual life, she was currently going to church and occasionally reading her Bible.
The next step was goal setting. Lindsey set a goal to read the entire Bible in one year. She wanted to start a Bible study for young mothers and serve in some ministry capacity. Now we had to put the plan in place for her to reach each goal. To help I used Gerald Egan’s model and his acrostic SMART to help jump-start her. Here are 5 Keys to goal setting:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Appropriate
- Realistic
- Timely
To get results, Lindsey had to be specific enough about her goals to drive her to action. She needed to see measurable results each day and she needed to the goals to be situation appropriate for her life and congruent with her values. She also needed her goals to be realistic for her life. Finally, she needed to be certain the time was right for her to accomplish each goal she set.
Once we talked about each key it was time for me to give her some questions to consider:
- Now that you know what you want, what are some next steps?
- What can you do right now? Later?
- What incentives will keep you going?
- What do you need to do to stay committed?
Plans need structure to drive us to action. I asked Lindsey what sequence of specific actions would help her accomplish her goals, and which actions would be most critical to start? I also had her plan for obstacles by having her think about how she could be flexible and develop a contingency plan if her current plan wasn’t working. She could also choose to modify the plan along the way to adapt to changes in her life.
Having a plan for life goals helps us develop needed discipline and keeps us from being overwhelmed. The plan also gives us opportunities to re-evaluate the appropriateness and timing of our goals. Thinking ahead helps us to anticipate possible obstacles and plan as best as we can for them.
To set your personal goals, begin by thinking what solutions make the most sense for you, then put these key principles into action to develop your plan. The possibilities for a better future will be endless.
hi Rita, This was sure timely. I am working on a rather large goal this month and I was really struggling with it today. The SMART process is a good reminder. I also have to let go of the outcome and trust the Lord. I would love to get together soon. Will try to call this week.
Blessings,
Sharon
Tnx you Shelly. It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by all the things we are responsible for in today’s culture. Remember to focus on just ONE next step—and it can be really simple.
This is really good Rita. Thank you. You are an inspiration to me with all you are accomplishing and the difference you are making through your radio show and richly filled Blog posts. I have so many things I long to accomplish that it overwhelms me to the point of feeling paralyzed and not knowing which steps to take. Thanks again for this great insight.