It’s never too late to make a fresh start with fresh faith—and we need to set goals to help us achieve our dreams. But most people do not understand the difference between a dream and a goal—therefore, setting themselves up for partiality at best and failure at worst.
Are you clear on what you want to do and how to go about it?
Anytime we start something new, we have fresh energy, but how do we keep ourselves motivated for the long road?
Andrew Carnegie said, “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hope.”
David Cole, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech reports the following statistics:
- 80% of Americans do not have goals.
- 16% say they have goals, but they do not write them down.
- Less than 4% take the time to write down their goals.
- Less than 1% review them regularly.
But that 1% who write down their goals and review them on a consistent basis, have proven to earn 9 times more than the average American makes in their lifetime.
Here are some core principles—proven to be highly effective goal-setting techniques:
- Write your goals down—putting them in black and white tells your subconscious that you are serious about succeeding.
- Formulate a list of action plans to help you hit your targets.
- Review your written goals twice daily: once in the morning and once at night before going to sleep.
- Send your goals to one support person, but make sure you choose this person wisely. You should feel trust and comfort that they will not only encourage you, but objectively hold you accountable. They should ebb and flow between pushing and pulling, between encouraging and consistently asking you if are acting on the goals you’ve written down.
One great way to find that balanced mix of encouragement and accountability is to join a mastermind group. There are many out there, and these days, the odds are high that there’s an online mastermind available for your dream, whether it’s vocational, physical, financial, relational, mental, or spiritual.
If you want to climb the wall of dream tending success and reach the top, it’s crucial to make sure your ladder is leaned against the right wall. Appropriate support people can help us ensure we are not wasting our time and chasing the wrong steps, leading away from what we really want.
Filling Needs:
- Have you resolved (made a strong resolution) to pursue and achieve your goals?
- Do your goals include reading books that will educate you about the most efficient and effective ways to tend your dreams?
- Are your goals clearly measurable with a date stamp on them?
The goals you set, write down, review, and share with your support people, should have a clearly defined target tied to a specific date. For example: I will lose 15 pounds by December 31, 2018.
This episode’s Dream Planting Tips:
- You were made to become one of the 1% who pursues and achieves their dreams, but it’s up to you to take the action steps necessary to succeed.
- Have you brainstormed a list of goals out and developed a list for refining?
- Write your goals down in detail, put a date stamp on them, begin reviewing daily, and share them with your chosen support person(s)—START NOW!
- Make sure your goals are somewhat difficult, challenging, and stretching for you. They should be achievable, but not easy.
- Set small goals that allow you to taste achievement. The energy you build from that will propel you into taking more action.
- Decide to put yourself in that 9 times higher earning bracket.
- Have you researched masterminds related to your dream(s)?
- Surround yourself with inspiring thoughts and quotes from dream tenders who are in the 1% who’ve made theirs happen.
- When you have a vocational or financial dream, make sure you balance yourself by including relational goals to ensure you don’t lose sight of the important people in your life.
- Grab the Tending Your Dreams’ free giveaways and discounts from every episode. Go to tendyourdreams.com/freebie17 for your gift, just for tuning in. Don’t forget our product discount—20% off on all autographed books. Enter the coupon code TYD20 to snatch your deal.
Host Anita Agers Brooks can be found on various social media platforms, and you can discover additional dream tending tips at tendyourdreams.com.
