Inspirational Monday: Up With Quality Pt. 2
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A blogumn by Kalimba Bennett
Welcome back! Last time we began the process of setting goals for the new year by cultivating a list of qualities we want our year to express. Grab that list and let’s jump into the second part of goal setting.
Before we begin, be sure to create a space inside and out that feels energized and inspired – put yourself in a room in your house that is a haven, surround yourself with music that uplifts and gets your mind flowing, make a delicious cup of tea, go to your favorite park or bookstore, make a meal with your partner/spouse and sit down together to co-create an exciting vision for 2009.
Also, make sure you give yourself the time to let your mind flow freely. This process should feel like opening the most fabulous gift ever – it’s the gift of your life! Amazing.
Next let’s write on a piece of paper the different “Life Categories” in which your goals can be placed. Mine usually looks like this:
1. Health
2. Wealth
3. Career
4. Fun/Adventure
5. Spirituality/Soul
6. Relationships/Family
Think of these as areas of your life that you want to accomplish something new or maintain something that is already working for you.
As you write out your categories, leave space under each one to write out the goals within that category.
Now, you should have two lists:
1. Qualities
2. Life20Categories.
The next step is to begin writing down what you want to accomplish, experience or maintain in each category. As you start to write, take a look at your “Qualities” list and see how you can integrate those qualities into your goals list.
Is doing volunteer work an expression of philanthropy, selflessness, fun? Would buying a house express stability, maturity, warmth? Write down whatever comes to mind, even if it seems silly or impossible. No judgement. This is a time for play, so take your time. What do you want in 2009? Who do you want to be in 2009? What do you want to do in 2009?
Next, you want to go through each goal that you wrote down and check to see if it meets these four criteria:
1. Is it specific? The more specific you can be with your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it. You want to be able to see the end goal. For example, if one of your goals is to get a new car, a way to make that more specific would be to choose what year make and model of car you want. “A new car” is a lot less fun to envision than “A black 650i BMW with gray leather interior.”
2. Is it measurable? If you can measure the achievement, then you know you did it. “I want to feel better in my body” is too vague and could mean eating better or exercising, or losing weight, etc. Get clear by choosing a goal that has a finish line for you to reach toward – “I want to lose 15 pounds” – so you can pat yourself on the back when you get there.
3. Is it challenging? One of the best ways to grow as a human being is to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone. Make sure that when you are setting your goals that you are not keeping yourself small, but asking your life to fit the size of your dreams. Anything is possible.
4. Is it achievable? Now, this might sound like a contradiction to #3, but I promise it’s not. The idea here is that you want to stretch and simultaneously set yourself up to win. Dream big, but make sure your dreams can be achieved within the constraints of the real world. Don’t set a goal to become a Olympic swimmer by the end of January if you’ve never set foot in a pool.
Take your time, and have fun with this. Keep your list close by so that over the next two weeks, as new ideas come up for you, you can add them.
When we come back I’m going to walk you through our final step – creating a dream board. It’s one of the most fun and effective tools in goal setting. I think you’re going to love it. Until then….
Bless your bones,
Kalimba
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