What do you want? I mean REALLY want!

It’s that time of year again. That time when people start planning and thinking about goals for the new year. We’re in the middle of this in my company right now, which is making me think about it in my personal life as well. The past couple of years, I have really started to be more intentional about goal setting and really thinking about what I want. I normally sit down in December to do this; however, this year I am starting earlier. Maybe it’s because of the things that have transpired this year, but I am super excited about my goals, and working toward setting them, and more importantly reaching them. It used to stress me out to think about, but I have come to appreciate the power in accomplishing a goal you set.

Anybody out there a person who sets New Years Resolutions? That used to be me, but honestly, I cannot tell you one time I ever reached one thing I had set out to do. I never wrote them down, or had any kind of plan of ever hitting them. It’s like the influx of people you see every January in the gym. For a few weeks, it’s a zoo in the gym, and people are everywhere. 6 weeks later, they’re already gone. Do you know what the percentage is of people hitting goals that are not written down versus those who write them down? 42%! You are 42% more likely to hit your goals if they’re written down. It was not until I started writing them down, being intentional, and actually looking at them every single day that I begin to really see the results of goal setting.

There are multiple different ways to set goals. I will share just a few things that have helped me. The very biggest thing that has had the most impact for me is realizing what my top 5 priorities are in life, and actually scheduling time in my calendar around those 5 things. These are also the areas of my life where I set goals. These are the areas in my life that mean the most to me. I have been taught, and whole-heartedly agree with the fact that you must know what your priorities are before beginning goal setting. Otherwise, how will you know where to focus those goals? If all of your goals are only work related, I dare say you may get burned out on work pretty quickly; and more importantly, other areas of your life may suffer, or at the very least stay stagnant. Your goals should not all be in only one category.

Start by figuring out your top 5 priorities. Here are mine to get you started. Really focus and take the time to figure out what yours are.

1. My relationship with God.
2. My relationship with my husband.
3. My relationships with friends and family.
4. My career/work.
5. Myself. This is my growth, and my education in all areas of life, mental, physical and spiritual.

One quote that I have up in my office is the Zig Ziglar quote that says “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” If I say I want to work and focus on those areas above, but I don’t commit to them, I don’t write them down and focus on them, there will be no growth in those areas of my life. I tell my agents at work that if they want to get one new listing a month, they must set the goal of one a month, and do the work to achieve it. Otherwise, they will never accomplish that. We can say that about any area of life. If I say I want to lose 10 pounds, is it written down, and do I have a plan to accomplish that? How badly do I really want to lose 10 pounds?

I’m not saying the work is going to be easy on your goals, but you need a plan to get there. What steps will you take to achieve the goals you make? They should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based). You should also have a WIG! A WIG is a wildly important goal. I have one WIG set in all 5 of my categories. That one thing I really want to accomplish in the time frame I assigned to that goal.

So how do we set these goals? Well, one thing you can do is to make vision boards. Now I love vision boards, I have 2 that I do, and they’re up in my office so they’re constant reminders of what I’m working toward. The only advice I have on doing a vision board is set a date on there for when you want those things to happen. If you have no date on there, it’s not measurable or time-based.

Another way is to buy a calendar that has goal setting within it. There are hundreds of them available online. I found that if I took the time to really choose the right planner, I was more apt to use it every day, and actually schedule time in to work on those goals. Time blocking for reaching your goals will go a very long way. I literally have on my calendar prayer, devotion and gratitude every single morning. I write in my calendar work out on the days I will be working out. I have on my calendar rest on Sunday. If they’re important to you, you will schedule them in.

Some people like to journal their goals. I do a form of this every single morning. I have a journal where I practice my gratitude and write out my 10 WIG’s every single morning. I literally hand write them out every single morning. As I hit the goal, it’s removed from my list, and I move another goal up to take it’s spot. Do you know that I had on my list of 10 WIG’s for a year to write a book? That got accomplished this year. It did not just happen though. It took hours of classes, webinars, videos, outlines, writing, editing and re-writing just to get the book written. Then I had to begin studying how to publish. I wanted it bad enough though that I worked incredibly hard toward that goal every single day.

I think it all comes down to how bad do you want growth and change in your life? How bad do you want those things you say you want? Your actions, and your preparation will be the telling sign to how bad you want something. I wish things were as easy as just throwing them out into the universe and they happen, but that’s not realistic. While I agree that you MUST change your mindset, it’s far more than just that. It takes a positive mindset, written goals, a plan, and hard work. These are the things that will lead you to achieving your goals.

So what do you want? How bad to you want it? Will you take the time and make the plans to hit them? You sure do have a better chance of hitting those goals and knocking them out of the park with preparation and planning! I look forward to watching you all change your lives in the upcoming months and year! I want that for you all! I want a better 2021 for everybody! Let’s get busy on that goal setting!

With love for you all,

Shauna