Patient Education Center

5 Tools To Transform Your Life Through Goal Setting

• Apr 26, 2022, 9:11 AM

How do you achieve the life of your dreams? The first step is to create a vision that will guide you on your path to what you desire. Without a clear vision we can lose our focus and allow circumstances to distract us from our course. It is very important to create goals and design action plans to achieve those goals. If goals are done properly and specifically they can transform your life. It is important to lay out goals for every area of your life: personal, emotional, spiritual, physical/health, financial.

If your goal is to lose 40 pounds, for example, you would include action plans such as going to the gym three days per week. What is the vision that will inspire you to continue the action steps necessary to achieve this goal? Perhaps it is seeing yourself feeling vibrant in a body you love and being proud of your accomplishments. You now see yourself feeling emotionally powerful, having better relationships, filled with more energy and exuding confidence.

Setting goals is a fundamental key to all lifelong success plans. Use these five tools to help you reach your goals.

Design Your Goal

Determine a crystal-clear goal and focus on the result that you really want. Without goals our energy is scattered, and we will be less effective. You must write down your goals. Just the action of writing something down sets the wheels in motion. It makes ideas more concrete and will hold you accountable for working toward your goals. Use positive language and make sure your goals align with your vision. We often get caught up in what we think we should be doing instead of going after what we are truly passionate about. It is helpful to set goals that are SMART. Specific: Set a desired outcome as explicitly as possible. Measurable: identify the ways in which you will track your progress. Action-oriented: outline the specific steps that will enable you to complete the goal. Realistic: Create a goal that you are willing and able to accomplish. Timely: Set a deadline or time for achieving your goal to help keep you motivated

Create Goals from a Place of Gratitude

Our state of mind is very important in setting and achieving goals. When we come from a place of scarcity, lack or disappointment we will hinder our progress toward our desired goal. We need to line up with the feelings of abundance and gratitude to be in alignment with those things we truly desire. Take a few deep breaths and spend at least ten minutes writing down or thoughtfully pondering those things for which you are most grateful. Focus on those things that bring you joy until you fill up with that feeling of appreciation and gratitude. This is the energy that will break through any resistance to the creation and achievement of our goals.

Focus on What You Desire

Our state of mind is very important in setting and achieving goals. When we come from a place of scarcity, lack or disappointment we will hinder our progress toward our desired goal. We need to line up with the feelings of abundance and gratitude to be in alignment with those things we truly desire. Take a few deep breaths and spend at least ten minutes writing down or thoughtfully pondering those things for which you are most grateful. Focus on those things that bring you joy until you fill up with that feeling of appreciation and gratitude. This is the energy that will break through any resistance to the creation and achievement of our goals.

Celebrate Small Wins

Big goals are great, and they inspire us to keep going and keep growing. But our big goals are not going to happen overnight. A goal may be too big to swallow in one bite and will need to be broken down into yearly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals and daily goals to get us there. We need to focus on the small and significant steps we take along the path to the big goal. By celebrating the small wins, we will stay motivated and have the strength to stay on our path. New Year’s Resolutions often fail because we are trying to accomplish everything all at once. Whether we have an intention to quit something such as smoking or drinking or to start something such as an exercise plan, we need to pick a date of completion and slowly build to the outcome we desire.

Visualize Your Goals as Achieved

Visualization is a powerful tool to help you reach your goals. It is the process of creating what you want through crystal clear pictures in your mind. Start to imagine what you will feel like, what your world will look like once you’ve achieved your goal. Creating a vision board can be a powerful, fun activity. Make a collage filled with pictures of your future goals. By surrounding yourself with images of the goal that you want to achieve, you make sure that you’re always keeping your goal in mind. This means that your brain will be working on how to achieve your goal on a subconscious level around the clock, and you will be inspired with ideas on how to move toward your goal.

The ultimate reward of goal setting is not necessarily the attainment of the desired outcome but who we become on our path toward our desired achievements.