Each of you have your own dreams about what you want to achieve in your life and it is up to you to define and then pursue them.
Planning a goal is the easy part, achieving them can be the hard part but if you follow the steps below goal achievement becomes a process of one foot in front of the other. Below are some basic steps to achieving your goals.
Step One: Define Your Goals
The first step in achieving your goals is to define your goals in a way that makes sense to you. The art in this is creating space in your goals to allow for different pathways that can be taken to achieve it. Defining goals is a very personal endeavor and can be achieved by asking yourself the following questions:
How do I ideally want to spend my time?
What will make me feel accomplished and proud?
What will have the most positive impact in how I spend my daily life?
How would I define success in this area?
What domains do I want to focus on (health, career, relationship etc.)?
They are your goals, define them how you want!
Step Two: Break Your Goals Down
The second step in achieving your goals is to make them into small tasks or accomplishments. The goals you have that scare you or feel overwhelming, feel that way because you are looking at the whole picture and trying to do too many things at once. By breaking goals down into smaller compartments you are able to have a better plan of action, it will make you feel more accomplished and it will serve as the infrastructure for future tasks. The key to this is to break it down as much as is manageable for you on your worst days, some days you will have smooth sailing and accomplish many things but other days will be rough waters and may only achieve one thing or nothing. Here are some questions to ask yourself to make your goals into tasks
What areas does this goal encompass? (Example- Health might include: diet, exercise, water consumption & medical attention)
What are the reoccurring tasks that I must do to achieve this goal?
What is the smallest possible task I can do that will move me one step closer to my goals?
What do I need from others to achieve this goal? Do I have these resources available?
What is a method that has worked for others who achieved similar goals?
Write down any and all small tasks, so if you are feeling overwhelmed, bored or lackluster you can just pick something instead of having to rethink the whole process. Think of something at the last second that could help you achieve a goal but don't have time for it now, write it down.
Step Three: Do The Work
The third step in achieving your goals are to actually start doing the work. Try not to fall into the trap of planning and talking without action, your brain likes reward planning just as much as it does action but planning only gets you so far in achieving your goal. Do not get caught up in doing things too fastidiously because it will bog you down, you can for the most part fix mistakes and make corrections later on. So the key to this step is constant forward motion, even if you only do one small thing a day towards your goal then it is one step closer than you were before. Keep in mind that this is not always linear one day you might do one task from several different areas or one day you might do ten tasks from one area. As Dory says "Just keep swimming"
Step Four: Be Flexible & Change When Needed
The fourth step in achieving your goals is to be flexible with your goals. Life happens, there are often unexpected changes of circumstances, shifts in value or new opportunities. It is important to change your goals when needed either because you no longer have the same idea of success as you did when you started or you are no longer interested in your intended outcome. The possibilities are endless in why a goal might change, be sure to evaluate if these are the changes you are amenable to and are not just a response to resistance from yourself or others.
Step Five: Make New Goals
The fifth step is to make new goals, yes all of this is a cycle. You have so much you can achieve in your life and it will wax and wane with new experiences so it is important to keep going. Ultimately it is up to you to decide how much time or energy you spend on goals and it is up to you to decide what you want to achieve. The more you learn about yourself and the processes that work best for you, the more likely you are to continue to achieve your defined success.
I hope this helps to guide you in a direction that will allow you to achieve your own goals. Keep in mind that with each new achievement things will change for you and those around you. If you are receiving resistance from others approach it with understanding, know that your behaviors impact others and people inherently do not like change. If you approach your goals with consistency, patience and understanding you will make progress.