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The Fundamentals To Goal Setting

Redefining Success | Resorting Life Balance

The Fundamentals To Goal Setting

The Fundamentals To Goal Setting: 10 Steps to Achieving Impactful Goals

Many set the same New Year’s resolutions every year, hoping to see different results. They are stuck in the same cycle of setting goals, forgetting about them or failing to achieve or even to start them. What might not be surprising is that only 8% achieve their goals. 

It seems modern society encourages us to think about the next significant milestone or chase something new. However, we don’t think enough about accomplishing the goals with a strategy in mind. 

What is Goal Setting?

Goal setting is an intentional and detailed process that identifies a new pursuit, skill, or project and a plan for achieving it.

When you set goals, you take control of your life’s direction. Goals provide you with focus and clarity. Your decisions and actions should bring you closer to achieving those goals. 

“it is a never-ending path but we can enjoy the journey on the way” 

Getting positively uncomfortable

The real challenge is not deciding if you want the result but accepting the sacrifices required to achieve your goal. You must consider if you want the lifestyle that accompanies that goal. This is where planning is essential as it will identify what must change to accomplish the goal. 

Before the exhilarating and enchanting outcome, do you want the dull and unappealing process? Everybody wants a gold medal, but not everybody wants to train like an Olympian.

Goal setting is about choosing the rewards you want and the sacrifice you are willing to pay.

How to Set Goals You'll Follow in 10 Steps

1. Start With Why

To identify the goal you want to achieve, you need to start with why you want to achieve it in the first place. It has to be something meaningful to you and not what is expected. For example, if you consider being a parent in the next five years, your why might be healthy to keep up with your child’s play activities and sports. A parent would need plenty of energy from rest, mindfulness, diet, movement and more. An expectation could be societies pressure to be skinny. The latter isn’t your personal motivator and will cause you internal conflict when trying to achieve your goal. Whereas the former is a more compelling and exciting reason to be working on your health. 

2. Prioritise the Ultimate Goal

Before you set the Ultimate Goal, take a closer look at what you’re trying to achieve and ask yourself the following questions: 

  • Does the goal allow you to get closer to your why?
  • Is this goal something you genuinely want right now? 
  • Is it important enough for the necessary effort and lifestyle change? 

If you’re unwilling to put in the time and effort, it may not be worth pursuing. Everything in life comes down to priorities and what you would like to achieve – conscious choices and subconscious decisions. Life becomes a series of messy experiences you struggle to manage without setting goals or objectives. You become the plaything of coincidence. 

One of the most significant obstacles to achieving goals is other goals. Sometimes you can overestimate your achievements which leave you struggling with your time and attention. Whenever you work on a new goal, you are taking focus and energy from your other goals. 

One of the quickest ways to make progress on your Ultimate Goal is to wait on less essential goals and focus on one Ultimate Goal at a time. It would be best to reorganise your priorities to allow improvement to come faster because you are now fully committed. 

3. Process, Not Outcome

Focusing on the process is one of the most challenging parts of setting and achieving goals. Due to the nature of a goal, you start with the end in mind. However, it’s the tiny steps you take to get there that matter. For example, the outcome you want to achieve is confidence in large public speaking events. That’s the goal. But working towards this goal, you discover that you are most comfortable in small interactive groups. Did you fail at achieving this goal? Not if you believe in the power of the process. 

In good time, you will build up the courage to speak publicly to large audiences, but you’re less inclined to keep trying if you think you’ve failed. 

4. Plan For It

Many choose an Ultimate Goal but never create an action plan to determine how they will achieve it. Your action plan should include all the necessary steps you need to take to get there – no matter how small they may appear. Grab a piece of paper and get writing. This will help you with the next step. 

As mentioned earlier, you need to be sure you are willing your change your lifestyle to get closer to achieving your Ultimate Goal. Now is the time to create the Evolving Goals, which change as you grow. They are designed for the next three months and focus on the habit changes.

If you want to be that parent with high energy, the habit could focus on regular sleeping for the next three months.

If you want confidence in public speaking, the habit could be reading a script out loud at home. 

5. Habit Stacking

There was a study that asked the participants to complete the following: “During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].” The conclusion of this research shows that you are between 2x to 3x more likely to stick to your goals if you make a specific plan for when, where, and how. 

After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Here are some examples:

  • Sleep. After I have my dinner, I will read my book and rest my mind.
  • Meditation: Before I have my morning shower, I will meditate for ten minutes.
  • Situps: Before I make my bed, I will do 30 situps.
  • Water: Before I leave the house for work, I will drink some water.
  • Emails: After I’ve had my lunch, I will complete my emails. 
  • Job hunting: After I have my dinner, I will email my CV to the job I want.

Habit stacking and implementation intentions help us move from the goal in our heads to the specific process that will make it a reality.

6. Write Your Goals Down

When you write your goals down, they become real and tangible instead of a vague idea that lives in your mind. Once you’ve written your goals, keep them somewhere visible. Put them on your wardrobe doors, near your computer screen, or on the mirror in the bathroom for when you brush your teeth. Look at it weekly or, better yet, daily.

This tactic reminds you to keep working on your goals often. As you’re writing down your goals, use a positive tone, so you stay excited about achieving them.

7. Align Your Environment With Your Goals

Many of the decisions we make in our lives result from our surroundings.

Before sleeping, browsing social media is likely to be the default action if you go to bed with your phone in your hands. Eating is more likely the default action if your cupboards are filled with biscuits and cakes.

The same can be said for positive surroundings.

By storing a kettlebell next to your sofa, you are more likely to do kettlebell swings instead of sitting watching TV. Drinking water instead of coffee is more likely to be the default action if you have a bottle of water on your desk. 

8. Make It Public

You are more likely to stick to the goals if you tell someone about them. Share it on social media and provide updates. The encouragement can keep you accountable. 

9. Measure Your Goals

We all love to receive feedback – it is very human. The boost in our motivation is when we can see our progress. This doesn’t have to be validated by others. It can be an internal validation. Not everyone will understand your why as they have a different direction to travel in. Measurement is so critical for practical goal setting. By measuring your results, you get insight into whether you are making progress.

Check out the SMART goal setting PDF.

10. Take Action And Evolve Your Goals

Now that you’ve planned everything out, it’s time to take action. You didn’t go through all that work to forget about your goal. Every step you take should lead to another until you finish your Evolving Goal, and then it is time to repeat the process until you achieve the Ultimate Goal.

What shall you do now? 

Join the Goals & Accountability group for £39 per month or book in a call with me. I can help you find the right course of action for YOU. We can talk about your dreams, goals, desires and map out how you can achieve them.

Take the steps today to build your tomorrow!

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Tammy Whalen Blake

Founder of go to yellow
Personal Development Coach

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It's Your Turn

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You Can Make An Impact

how to make an impact

You Can Make An Impact

If you feel like your voice will not be heard, that you have no authority or feel like you’re too young…. Remember this girl, Greta Thunberg.

A 17-year-old Swedish environmental activist on climate change whose campaigning has gained international awareness. She began her journey by asking her parents to make lifestyle choices to reduce their carbon footprint. From there she started spending her school days outside Swedish parliament and then regular student strikes every week around the world began. 

Today, she held a speech and a march in Bristol with an enthusiastic audience of between 15,000 – 30,000 people.

Her ask of people is to act to save the planet. 

“This is an emergency. People are already suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate and environmental emergency but it will get worse.”

Furthermore, she comments about how our politicians and those in power for betraying the world’s youth. 

“This emergency is being completely ignored by politicians, the media and those in power.” “World leaders are behaving like children, so it falls on us to be the adults in the room.”

Her audience is captivated and supportive of the climate change movement. 

What makes Greta Thunberg different?

Notice how she has built an audience with mixed ages, ethnic backgrounds and from around the world. She leads with her purpose, has massive passion in her heart, addresses a big problem and shows up! This is the recipe for your movement, amongst other things, but this is a great starting point. 

Greta is no different from you. 

You have the power to start that business you’ve dreamed of, to add value to the executive board meetings, to start a local change campaign. 

Whatever it might be. You can become a leader with your superpowers!

But I don’t know what my superpowers are, Tammy!

I can relate to those who feel insignificant. 

I was a supressed saleswoman for a long time. The senior male decision-makers would ask my male counterparts for advice and solutions rather than me. In the end, I adopted a masculine approach to get noticed. I felt as though I couldn’t bring my unique self to a meeting, a negotiation or even at socials. If I wanted authority I had to dress like a businesswoman, speak logically and direct, I had to brush up my knowledge on cars and Rolex watches and I laughed at the sexual innuendos. Just to be accepted. 

I became conditioned to being this person and justifying it as normal. I couldn’t see the impact it had on my uniqueness and finding my superpowers.

Had I realised the only block in my way was me, I would have done things differently.

After taking time to rebrand who I am today (because we evolve over time) and by going through the Focus & Direction program, I now embrace and leverage my uniqueness. Not only do I have my own thriving business with a mission just like Greta Thunberg, but I also feel alive by being my true self. 

People follow my movement and are awakened to a new way of thinking and being in this modern world. I may be small today with lots of work to do, but I will have a large movement in good time. 

And just like Greta Thunberg, I lead with purpose, massive passion in my heart, address a big problem and show up.

But I don’t have the resources!

Granted, Greta Thunberg has a team supporting her movement but once upon a time not so long ago, it started with just Greta.

The single biggest inspiration is seeing the impact. Once one person’s life is changed, you can’t stop. They will remember you forever and be forever grateful. You know that there are many other people waiting for your help and so you lead with passion.

You just need to start and keep up the momentum. Where you focus your mind, energy will flow to keep pursuing your passion. Resources will stop becoming your problem when you hone in on your movement. 

So remember, it only takes one person to start an ovation. Eventually, there will be two, three and four more. Until the whole crowd will be on their feet. 

I hope I’ve instilled a new belief, that no matter your age, you have the power to start a movement.

Start your standing ovation today!

NEED FURTHER HELP?

Uncover your superpowers with Tammy in a 60 minute free coaching session and start living the life designed by you, for you and with a lasting impact!

BOOK TODAY HERE >>> gotoyellow.co.uk/schedule-a-call

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Tammy Whalen Blake

Founder of go to yellow
Personal Development Coach

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The Problem With Goal Setting

The Problem With Goal Setting

The Problem with goal-setting 1

THE PROBLEM WITH GOAL-SETTING

While 93% of the population set New Year’s resolutions, only 8% go on to achieve. So why don’t these goals get executed?  Perhaps many people have been following an ineffective approach. 

Let’s explore the reason why goals often don’t get implemented and what you can do differently.  

WHAT vs WHY? 

The goal is WHAT you want to achieve.  But lots of WHATs are not done because the WHY is not clear.  Here’s a common example. You know that daily exercise is good for you.  Many of you may have even set a daily goal to exercise. But only some of you are doing it.  Maybe you have a clear WHY, like a recent accident that made you realise how important it is to keep healthy… or trying to fit into a dress for a special event…  your WHY is very clear. 

But others fail to achieve their goal because they had less clarity on the WHY, or perhaps not emotionally-attached to their WHY.  So the WHAT is just an activity without a clear purpose. And before you know it, other things take priority.  

So before you set a goal, you must know why you are doing it in the first place. More importantly, it must be something that motivates YOU. Something deep and meaningful. 

There is a process I use to guide people to dig deep to their WHY.  And it’s surprising that when we get to your WHY, you’ll discover that your goals change.  You may not want to achieve the old WHAT you had previously planned. 

This may seem relatively simple, doesn’t it? But the challenge of digging your own WHY is that you stop before you get to the core and settle for a superficial WHY.  And this is ineffective because it doesn’t give you the motivation to achieve your WHAT, especially when distractions come. 

Ready to go deeper on this topic? 

Let me help you dig your WHY.  I will give you 30 minutes of my time free of charge and, in return, you will give me an open mind to explore yourselves deeper.  I only have 5 slots a week to do this, so make sure you book one of them. I would like you to feel what it’s like to get clarity and see the impact it makes to your goals. 

Schedule your call here https://gotoyellow.co.uk/schedule-a-call/ and let’s start your 2020 off to a great start.

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Tammy Whalen Blake

Founder of go to yellow
Personal Development Coach

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Discovering Your Vision

Discovering Your Vision

1.-Mastermind-images-3

While 93% of the population set New Year’s resolutions, only 8% go on to achieve. What makes them different?

Until today, we have been following an ineffective approach. Before you set a goal, you must know why you are doing it in the first place. More importantly, it must be something that motivates YOU. Something deep and meaningful. 

The key I am going to share with you today is the driving force behind powerful goals – create a VISION for YOUR life. 

If you do not know where you are going, unfortunately, you are influenced by other people’s vision, the latest fad or culture expectation. This is neither healthy or sustainable. 

It is like driving with a blindfold on, with several co-drivers giving you guidance, hoping you’ll arrive at your destination. When you arrive at the destination, you realise you are not in the right place, leaving you feeling lost, stuck and deflated. Furthermore, you realise have wasted your precious time and energy and must start again. 

Why waste years of driving many roads, only to find out that you will arrive at the wrong location?

There is a more effective approach.

Get back in the driving seat, and steer yourself to a more fulfilling and purposeful life!

Here are the 5 keys leaders use to get ahead in life:

  1. Your Vision Awakened

To discover your vision you must truly understand your personal values, meaningful areas of your life to invest in (health, wealth, relationships, career etc), skills, passion and interests. 

  • Write a 10-year vision that is beyond what you believe to be obtainable (written in the present tense),
  • a 2-5 year mission of how you are going to live in order to achieve the vision, and
  • create a vision board!

When you are excited every time you read your vision and mission statements, it is then that you have truly grasped who you are and what the future will be. 

Once you have your statements, it is time to get creative. 

It is a simple as adding images of your ideal life, belongings, goals and affirmations onto a board or book.

Once created, display somewhere where you often go to remind you of the vision. Spend time before sleeping visualising each image as if you’ve absolutely mastered the act and achieved success. This will awaken the reticular activating system (RAS) – the part of your brain that will cut out distractions and see opportunities clearer. 

Like blinkers on a horse. You’ll be sure of the direction to your destination. 

         2. Get a Coach

It is no easy task in developing a clear picture of what you want the future to be, one that is authentic and without an expectation.

Often than not, those who do it alone, get caught in the same trap of travelling in someone else direction because they are unable to recognise what they truly want. 

Equally, it is challenging to know what is an actual limitation, and one that is just your negative narrative. 

Negative narratives can be anything from childhood conditioning, the identity you hold onto, and your beliefs. 

A coach will guide you to an empowering vision

            3. Power of Communication 

Being able to communicate a vision to others is advantageous. This is something that sets a leader apart. Leaders master the ability to share a clear and exciting vision for the future, and the ability to communicate effectively. 

Honouring your vision every day will have a positive effect across your peers, employees and personal relationships. Shifting peoples beliefs with possibilities, of what can be and will be, arouses emotion and motivates people to be their best selves. They will see this vision as belonging to them and will serve you in closing the gaps. 

Equally, your vision can repel others. This is good! You do not want people wasting your time and energy if they are not on the same journey. Reduce the number of stop signs and lighten your load, save yourself some fuel on your journey to success. 

           4. Forget Focusing on The Money

Of course, money is important. It is far more rewarding to be true to yourself and developing a life you desire, than focusing on the money. 

Money will come when you are authentic.

When you raise your standards, to be the best in business, you’ll only accept greatness. 

By not focusing on the money requires a resourceful way of thinking – the kind of thinking innovators have. Better decisions will be made with this mindset. 

          5. Keep Your Posture 

During times of hardship, conflict and crisis, leaders thrive most when they remain calm. In a study at Stanford Business School, they examined the qualities in leadership. It concluded with two qualities for success are putting a team together and patience under pressure.

Others observe greatly during these times, your next move is being recorded by many. 

“If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all that’s in it.”

To operate calmly, you MUST know where you are going.

Remember …the first key is most important before the following four. 

And if you are not convinced…

Who is a world leader at what they do?

Tesla.

Tesla’s vision statement is “to create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.” and their mission, “to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Tesla is true to their vision, they communicate effectively, they influence and inspire the best, it is never about the money but rather the environment. They are innovators. They are leaders.

Do you want to be a leader or a follower?

Well, now you know where it starts. It is not about goal-setting, but rather a vision of your future. Goal-setting is the next phase.

Ready to go deeper on this topic? 

Work with me to unlock your greatest self, with Your Vision Awakened Workshop:

https://gotoyellow.co.uk/your-vision-awakened

Get back in the driving seat, and steer yourself to a more fulfilling and purposeful life!

Book your space on the workshop today – Your Vision Awakened

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Tammy Whalen Blake

Founder of go to yellow
Personal Development Coach