Everyone sets goals – but how do we meet them? That’s the question most are left pondering in this unspoken heart-ache that comes with it. Inside we think we found the secret to making big goals happen. One little, actionable step at a time.
Does the world need another blog post on goal setting? I rolled this thought around in my head as I sat down challenged to make goal-setting more achievable. I mean, there has to be something here. Otherwise, the entire world wouldn’t know what a goal was, let alone how to set and meet one.
I think we’d all agree; we’re pretty great at setting goals. Even getting technical with S.M.A.R.T. goals – making it not just something you hope for but a goal that is specific, measurable, and all the other letters of the SMART goal definition.
Now, if we could follow through and meet them – then we’d have it all. But that follow-through can trip us up even though it’s here in the plan that the goal is achieved. So what are the secrets to making big goals happen?
The secret to making big goals happen is making sure you have just one big goal that all other goals can be a subgroup of.
Don’t Get Washed Out
You may have health goals, financial goals, work goals, and all kinds of goals. But focusing on too many “big” goals is one of the leading reasons people don’t meet them. You get washed out in a bunch of “need to do’s” that you eventually lose the ability to desire “what you can do” to reach these goals. So the secret is to condense all of your goals into one big specific goal.
Instead of having a fitness goal, a food goal, and a health goal – why not work all for the same team? It’s not to say that you can’t work on your fitness, food, and health all at the same time – but that you let them be action steps to the big goal.
So go back to your goals, all of them, and ask yourself, how can you lump these all into one big goal?
- Write out every goal you have going right now.
- Look for similarities between them and see if there is overlap – combine those goals.
- Pick the goal you want the most – just one and this now has become your new goal.
Break It Down
From here, it becomes easy to break it down into actionable steps. Things that once looked like a goal of its own, say working out for 30 minutes a day, writing 500 words each morning or being consistent in your morning routine. Now, these are just action steps, the movement that it takes to reach your overall goal.
It is all centered around the 1% rule stating that goals are built from making small, incremental changes, repeatedly.
But the kicker, you have to be OK with going small.
Big Goals Happen By Small Consistent Action
Big goals don’t just happen – and setting more of them certainly won’t increase your chances of meeting only one. They happen by daily and consistent action or the small everyday tasks that can easily get overlooked. It’s here in these seemingly insignificant tasks that your building momentum, your growing and developing the skills needed to reach your goals.
Things don’t just happen, they take time, and that’s OK. Take the time and be OK, ignoring your inner voice that says you could be doing more, that you could get to the end faster if you just worked harder. As the old saying goes, “it’s not working harder; it’s working smarter.”
Big goals happen by small, consistent action.
Break it down
What small action could you be taking today that is aligning with your goal? Maybe it’s waking up to your initial alarm and not hitting snooze five times. Perhaps it’s eating your meals undistracted. Maybe it’s creating a small daily to-do list – prioritizing your tasks into a realistic and achievable list and crushing it. Perhaps it’s giving yourself space to rest?
There are a lot of ways to break down your goal, but you must break it down. The action may seem insignificant, but the more we trust the process of the slow and steady, the more we recognize how much more mind space and energy we have to reach our goals.
Here are some daily action steps that sound stupid simple but step in the direction of meeting your goal.
- Create a daily to-do list – no more than five things.
- Move your body daily.
- Go to bed with time to get adequate sleep.
- Create space in your day.
- Meal plan, or at least have an idea of what you may potentially cook.
- Practice gratitude.
The funny thing about reaching goals is that it doesn’t just involve specific action but a lifestyle change. That means we need to not only focus on the goal but you behind the goal. How can you take your entire life, all that you are, and approach your goal with everything?
We’d like to believe this may be the change you’ve been needing.
But it all comes back to being OK with the small, the every day, the mundane.
Create An Every Day Plan
Need help creating the daily plan? The Nourished Planner is just the tool you need to walk you step by step in discovering your one BIG goal and breaking it down into a daily rhythm to reach that goal.
Because let’s be honest, the goal is only as good as the life you create around it. The Nourished Planner will help you focus on both. The goal and living a life you enjoy.
If you want to start planning, goal setting, and goal-reaching, check out the Nourished Planner here.
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