While thinking about how best to start the goal setting process with you I was watching my daughter playing tennis, and I was reminded of the importance of milestones along the way towards achieving your goals. In other words breaking down the bigger goal into smaller more immediate, achievable ‘bite size’ pieces so that you can see progress, which in turn motivates you to continue towards your ultimate objective.

So the example here is my daughter aiming to move up to the next level of tennis coaching next year. To get there she needs to be able to rally a ball a certain number of times. This is one criterion to get to the next level. By focusing on the smaller goal, she can concentrate on achieving the more immediate milestone, and thus move closer to her end goal.

In working with clients, I do the same thing. Understand the ultimate objective first, then work back from there to identify the milestones that mark the path. It’s like using a GPS system. Using it without setting the destination first is not terribly useful. And yet this is exactly how so many people run their businesses and go through life. Once you know the destination you can select the best route. The map that comes up has a short term view (i.e. showing the next intersection or landmark coming up). The destination is set, and you can focus on making the turns and twists to get you there.

In my view, whatever you decide to do in business and in life requires some idea of what the destination looks like. Then you can create the path and start the journey. So this is the start of our goal setting exercise for the year ahead. Let’s get serious and start mapping out what you want to achieve for the year ahead!

1. Grab an exercise book, journal, or a number of blank sheets of paper. This will be where you’ll capture all your thoughts, ideas, aspirations and dreams for your business and your life.
2. To start with, find a quiet place and relax. Begin to answer the following question by writing as much as you can. Don’t stop writing. It doesn’t matter how out there your responses become, the aim is to write. It’s time to tap back into your imagination. The question is “What will your lifestyle be like when you have achieved your ultimate goals?” In other words, If you knew you could achieve anything you put your mind to, what would your life be like? Describe it as though you’re already living the lifestyle, as though you’ve already achieved your ultimate goals. Write for 5 minutes – go!
3. Now answer to the following questions – “If you could have anything you want, do anything you want, be anything you want, and you didn’t have to think about how, what would you want?” This is the critical first step in building momentum towards your goals. The more you want something the more likely you are to do what’s required to get it. Where would you go? Where would you live? What sort of home would you have? What type of car would you drive? What hobbies would you pursue? What would you do for pleasure? What sort of career would you have? How much money would you have? Think about the following categories and make a list of all the things you want for your business and your life. Your list needs to be at least 30 items long and it may take more than one day to create the list. That’s okay. Just make sure you get as many things down as possible that mean something to you:
   1. Health / Physical
   2. Emotions & Meaning
   3. Relationships
   4. Time
   5. Contribution
   6. Learning & Growth
   7. Fun, Leisure & Lifestyle
   8. Finances
4. It’s time to classify your goals into three groups – High Priority (H), Medium Priority (M), and low priority (L). You should have at least 10 items in each category.
5. Now go through each category and assign a number from 1 to 10 against each item. If you have more on your list than 10, keep numbering them beyond 10. This is identifying the priority of goals within each category.
6. You should now be able to identify your H1 goal! This is the number one goal in your High Priority list. Write it down on a separate page! This is where your attention now needs to be focused. This is the number one goal you need to aim for to achieve the things you ultimately want!
7. Ask yourself the following questions in relation to your H1 goals and record the responses.

1. • What needs to change to achieve the goal?
   • What resources do you need to achieve the goal?
   • Who do you know that has achieved a similar goal before?
   • What skills do you need to develop or improve to achieve the goal?
   • What do you need to change in your business?

1. 1. 1. Products
      2. Customers
      3. Services
      4. Markets
      5. Technology
      6. People
      7. Management
      8. Structure

If you’ve followed the above steps, you’re well on the way to achieving your ultimate goals! All the items you have recorded are important. Your H1 goal is the most important and the biggest one that all the others will flow from.

Dream big! Dream beautiful! Let yourself go! Don’t be afraid to do the exercise! It’s liberating. It’s clarifying. And it get’s you absolutely focused on what’s most important! I remember this quote:

“Dreams are the seedlings of reality”

James Allen

from As a Man Thinketh