We love using the Start Today Journal to set goals and achieve, but it takes a lot more than writing goals down to achieve them. It takes perseverance, creativity, and strategy. We’re going to walk you through the best approach to goal setting and what to do next to achieve them.
How to Set Up a Goal
In order for a goal to be effective, it needs to matter to you. If the goal matters to you, you’ll do something with it. Ask yourself, “How is this goal going to make me feel happier or more fulfilled?” It has to be your story and your mission. To set yourself up for success, your goals must be "SMART". SMART is an acronym for: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. Here’s how to apply this:
Using the S.M.A.R.T. Strategy
Specific: Be as specific as you can. Don’t simply say you want to be a homeowner. Say you want to be a homeowner of a two-story house in six months. The more specific you are, the more clear your steps will be to get there. Click here to see how one of our community members used the journal to become a homeowner!
Measurable: How are you going to track your improvements and success? Find a way to measure your growth each step of the way. If you're starting to feel anxious about any of your goals, take a step back and try one of these exercises.
Achievable: Please, dream big. But don’t set a goal that can’t actually be achieved. If a goal doesn’t have steps to where you want to go, it’s just a dream. Dreams become goals when there are plans attached to it.
Relevant: A lot of us are having to change the goals we set at the beginning of 2020 because they’re not relevant anymore, which is perfectly fine. Make sure your goal is still something you want to be working on.
Timely: Know how much time you need to accomplish your goal and set your goal to be achieved in that specific time frame. If you need help tracking your progress, check out the RISE App to measure your habits. Coming soon!
How to Actually Achieve It with a Road Map
Once you’ve created your goals, you need to figure out a way to achieve them. No matter how specific your goals are, you will still need a roadmap to get there. If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there? You have to have a destination in mind. You have to know where you’re starting. Creating a roadmap means figuring out the steps along the way. If you need help planning your roadmap, check out our How to Create a Roadmap video, timestamp 7:48.
Take time to plan your roadmap. What daily, weekly, monthly actions need to take place? How will you structure your days to make consistent progress? Knowing what new habits and actions you must put into place and when are huge for achieving your goals. By creating SMART goals and creating a specific roadmap, you’ll be set up for success. Time to get to work!
