Journaling your goals is a great way to keep up with them and to measure your progress.
How do you go about reaching your goals? There are thousands of programs that you can look into that can help you to get a better handle on the steps that you need to follow, but what if you discovered that a simple tweak to a few words can have a massive impact on your life?
It turns out that the human mind wants certain things, and one of them is to feel sure about itself.
This post will attempt to show you how to write your goals in the present tense.
Write Your Goals As If They Have Happened
The first step to this kind of process is relatively simple. All you have to do is to begin to record your goals. Take some time to figure out what they are and how you will need to order things to make sure that these things become reality. Just be sure to write the finished draft of goals in a way that makes them sound as if they have already happened. This gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Writing your goals as if they have already happened is going to tap into your subconscious mind and it will make you feel as if you have already succeeded at something. Where your choices are not based on what you will do someday, but what you are already on the path to doing. It is also a wonderful way to visualize what you really want in life.
Write your goals in sections. A great example is to use a section like so many months out, a year out, maybe three years out, and five years out. This is actually a practice my husband taught me.
Here is an example of what I am referring to – Next month I have lost five pounds. Next year I have lost 50 pounds. Three years from now I have reached my goal weight. Five years from now I have maintained my goal weight. Get it?
Include the Path to Each Goal
Aside from your goals, you will need to include is a short paragraph or list of action steps to reach your goals. Doing this helps you to have a better understanding of what you need to do and how long it may take you to do certain things. Going through this process will make you more confident about what you are trying to obtain.
Taking measurable steps to your goals will also help you to realize why you are doing what you are doing and why. As you are taking these steps you should include positive self-talk to go along with it.
You can say something like, “I am getting a new career to provide for my family because I am a good parent.” Always make sure that you state reasons why and tell yourself something good about yourself. Even if these are things that you would generally feel stress about, telling yourself that you are good helps you to get closer to becoming the person you want to be each day.
Every day when you write that part of your list, be sure that it’s a different aspect of your life.
The main reason for this is so that you don’t get to silently recite your list to yourself without really thinking about what you’re saying. Having a different focus makes sure that you connect to the goals emotionally as well as intellectually.
Write Your Goals Every Day
A lot of people are going to be a little surprised by this paragraph. It might seem sort of tedious to have to write down all of these things each day, but it is an important part of the growth process.
You want to make this a part of your daily life and belief system. Something you do each day as part of your regular routine helps to cement those ideas and put them into action. When you write something new each day you can make small, calculated changes to help you assess and accomplish your goals in the long run.
Where Should You Write?
You can honestly write your goals anywhere as long as they are accessible. I have suggested many times to write your goals in a journal because it is easily accessible, it is a place to keep up with goals and it can be a place to record your successes.
It is likely that some people will not want to write on a bunch of papers. It is better to have a place to write your goals that is organized and will not feel like a waste of time because you cannot find your ideas later.
It does not matter where you write as long as you find some way to consistently express these ideas. See my article “Using Your Journal to Visualize Dreams and Goals.
Short Term and Long Term
You should have separate lists for goals that are long-term vs those that are short-term. When you keep separate lists you can look at them independently and focus on the ones that are coming up the fastest. You’ll find that the more organized you are, the easier it will be to keep track of all that you’ve planned. Always try to find ways to be advancing towards your goals, and you will eventually get there. Persistence is the key. After a while, all of these things will be a part of your routine.
What Kinds of Goals Can You Choose?
In reality, the possibilities are literally limitless. You can have goals about everything from health, work, and finances, goals on how many people you want to meet, what kind of people you want to be around, and general emotional stability. Anything!
Just be sure that you include all the parts and commit to recording them so you can allow yourself the time to reflect and adjust yourself. It’s important to remember that you can’t expect results without a careful study and active motivation to consider these things.
Feel free to share your ideas below.
Happy Journaling!
Pamela
