As you begin a new year, stop and take a look back at some of the things you wanted to see happen as the previous year was nearing its end. Did you accomplish any of the items on your list? Can you even remember if you had a list and what was on it? Let’s review.
What did you want or plan to accomplish?
What did you actually get to check off of that list successfully?
Are you satisfied with your outcome? Looking back, what would you do different?
If you ended satisfied, great! But if you did not, let’s get ready for 2022 to be totally different. Why? Because this is an opportunity to not only set new desirable expectations, but a plan to achieve them as well.
To start, let’s create G.O.A.L.S.
So that we are on the same page, this acronym stands for Generate Obtainable Access to Long-term Satisfaction.
Isn’t satisfaction what you want for yourself?
Let’s break these GOALS down.
Setting and establishing a goal evolves from identifying a problem—something you have an issue with and would like to change. This is where it all begins.
The G in goals is Generate, which is about going through a process of coming up with what you want your life to look like when you are at this same point, this same time next year. Because if you do nothing, you really can’t expect for anything to look or be any different, especially for the better. But, if you stop, think about what and how you would really like for your life to be in a way that it isn’t now, you can reverse it with a plan.
So again, stop and think about what you want for you. What is that?
It helps to look at how things are right now. How are things going for you right now, and how do you feel about that?
Are you pleased, happy, at peace and/or satisfied? This would be a total YES! Or a NO, meaning you’d like to change something. Which is that for you? What would you like to change, if anything? If you’re good, then just let this serve as a review or reminder to set the same goal process again. Or decide what you want to be different.
Generate that list to determine what you will shoot for.
The O in goals stand for Obtainable, which is a reminder that if you have a goal you cannot obtain, you set yourself up for failure before you can even get started—hence, the new year’s resolution. No, we’re not doing that!
By now you should be clear on what you desire to obtain for yourself after the generating process. So, you know what you want. Now, the mere fact that you desire this thing says for you that it is obtainable to and for you. That means, in some way you are able to come up with a way to achieve this. That’s a good feeling to have, because now you can shoot for it. It’s your target to aim for. It’s your GO sign. Get it? You have generated something you can obtain.
The A in goals is for Access to. Since you have derived from your generated list something obtainable because you can reach it, you have access to it. Often, we make things so complicated that we can’t even get to it. Life doesn’t have to be this way. You have access to what you desire. You don’t have to know how you’re going to end up by this time next year, you just have to set the goal to get there.
Let this encourage you not to worry the whole year through on your way to getting there. Trust the process that you have done the groundwork.
It’s like getting up first thing in the morning (if you’re reading this, you got up), you don’t know how the day is going to end before even getting started. AND you don’t just lay there waiting on every single step of directions to lead you to the end of the day without first letting your feet hit the floor. Then you get to see what could be next. That’s how this works.
The mere fact that you continue moving forward, step by step, you gain access to what you truly desire from what you have generated that is obtainable. Clear? Your got this! You do ultimately have access to your desire (what’s truly yours) if you just do NOT quit, give up, or stop moving. That’s your key—your access to reaching the “goal”.
What revelation did you just get from that?
The L in goals stand for Long-term. Any goal worth having and achieving is worth being able to hold on to, right?! Who wants to reach or hit a target only to have it get away from them? I don’t! If you go through something to achieve your desire, you want to have something to show for it, like a trophy. And who’s giving that achievement up? Not me!
So, when it comes to having something long-term, you want to make sure it is something you really want, because you will have earned it. Earned meaning worked for. Maybe you put in some blood, sweat and tears for your achievement. When you set out to work for something, it is because you have decided it’s something you want to keep, at least have the option anyway. Right?
Think about something you had for a long time, and you didn’t even want it. What was that?
What efforts and energy did you put in to hold onto it?
It’s important to stop and take the time to reflect on these to see what you come up with. It will have an impact on how you plan and move forward from here. Let that be the information that fuels you.
The S in goals stand for Satisfaction, which is the end goal, the ultimate “grand poo bah”. You want to be happy, pleased with and satisfied about the work you put in to achieve these end results. It’s what you wanted.
If you don’t have a goal to shoot for, you won’t have an end result to look forward to achieving at the end of the day.
How would you like to feel after reaching, receiving, achieving, accomplishing, or making it to a final destination of what you set out for?
This would explain or describe what actual satisfaction means to you.
Of course, different people will have a different meaning and way of describing what satisfaction is for them. This is why it is so important for you to go through the process of creating your own specific, personalized G.O.A.L.S. for you. No one else can do this for you. No one!
No one knows and understands better than you what concerns you, what’s important to and for you, and more importantly, why it’s important to you. These are all unique to you. If someone decides this for you it will be based on them, and not you. This is the reason going through this whole process is helpful, to support you in getting to a place you desire to be.
Let’s recap this process. It’s designed to help you plan and create your best year with G.O.A.L.S., which stands for Generate Obtainable Access to Long-term Satisfaction.
Review again and again each part for clarity in understanding how you want to put this together, so that it ends up just the way you intentionally designed it. Come back to this as often as needed for revision, correction, modification, more clarity as you move along, and to have it just the way you want it to be in the end.
Reach out and connect. Let me know if this was helpful to you in moving forward and reaching a result.
What specific GOALS can you create that you can hold yourself accountable to achieving for personal success? Leave a message below. Happy Planning!