With the holiday season upon us, there is plenty to do. It can be a time of great joy but also great stress. Having so much on our plates can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to know where to begin. The first step in cutting through the overwhelm is to create specific goals. Having something to work towards, and understanding what it takes to achieve your goal will make all the difference.
How to Create Goals in 7 Steps
There are many known benefits to setting goals, such as providing focus to drive us forward. But it can be difficult to know where to begin. As ever, dear reader, I would never leave you on your own. Read on and you will learn exactly how to create goals in 7 steps. I’ve included some examples as context.
#1 Start With the Big Picture
The first thing you need to do when creating a goal is to understand what you want to accomplish. You may have a broad sense of what you want, but have you really thought about all that goes into it? Not to worry, dear reader, there is no need to overwhelm yourself with the enormity of it all. Relax and allow yourself to think about the big picture without dwelling on the details.
What would you like to achieve in the most general sense? It can sometimes be fun to create a mood board on Pinterest. I like to set a timer and only allow myself 15 minutes to generate ideas and add to my mood board. This is to be sure you do not go down a rabbit hole–trust me, it is easily done. There are no rules to creating a mood board. The only “goal” here is to help clarify your understanding of your desired result.
For example, if your goal is to have the perfect holiday meal, you first need to know what that means to you. Does that mean having all of your children and grandchildren there to celebrate with you? For you will that mean having the perfect meal on the table? Perhaps it means having a beautifully decorated home. Does it mean curling up on the couch with a stress-free catered meal? Only you know what that means to you!
Keep in mind this will work with any goal. Whether it be organizing your home, planning a trip, or going back to school. I’ve given examples to help you understand the method but apply it to your goal.
Have fun with it!
#2 Break Down Your Goal
Once you have an idea of the desired outcome of your goal, give it a name. Naming something is paramount to manifesting it.
The next step in creating a goal is to break it down.
What does that look like? Let’s use the example of having a perfect holiday meal. Breaking it down would mean taking each element of that perfect meal, and breaking them down into mini-goals. One mini-goal would be to plan the perfect meal. Another mini-goal would be to figure out the logistics of getting your family to your home. Yet another mini-goal would be creating a plan for decorations.
I like to write things down at this point. Personally, I love to use a beautiful notebook. You should use whatever method you prefer when writing lists and making plans.
#3 Make a Plan for Each Mini-Goal
The next step, once you’ve created your mini-goals, is to make a plan for each. Put simply, break them down further.
In keeping with the example of the goal of a perfect holiday meal, let’s break down the mini-goal “plan the perfect meal:”
- Decide on dishes to make
- What dishes to buy/order
- Which dishes will be brought by guests
- Create a shopping list
- Can you make anything ahead?
- What is the timeline for the day?
- What drinks will you be serving?
#4 Execute on Each Step
You’ve learned how to create goals, now it’s time to execute. Luckily, dear reader, you have a detailed road map. All you have to do is follow the route!
#5 Make Adjustments as Needed
One thing I want you to remember is that no matter your plan, things can still change. This is to be expected and is completely okay. Depending on the enormity of the change in plan, there are a couple of ways forward. You can either replan that mini-goal or work your way back down from earlier on in the planning process. The wonderful news is, you have a process! You can do this.
#6 Give Yourself Grace
We all know the phrase “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Thankfully, many of us find it easy to forgive others. Unfortunately, we are not very gentle with ourselves when things go awry.
Even the most carefully laid out plan can have bumps in the road. The most important thing to remember is when things are out of your control, is that you cannot change them. What is always in your control is how you react to a situation.
If things do not go as planned, this does not mean you’ve failed. It could mean that you have to take a breath and adjust. Or perhaps, it could mean that something even better is in store for you. Let go of what you cannot control or change. You will be much happier when you do.
#7 Celebrate Your Accomplishment
You did it! No matter how everything turned out, you should celebrate yourself and the work that you put in. You learned how to create goals. Chances are, if you followed your steps, you took a lot of the guesswork out of making things happen. This, in itself, is an accomplishment. So break out the bubbly and celebrate yourself. You deserve it.
You are worth it, dear reader.
At times the big picture can be overwhelming. When we are overwhelmed we may simply shut down. Think of all of the wonderful things we may miss out on if we give up before we start!
I hope that you will not shy away from creating your own goals in the future. You have all of the tools you need to create the life of your dreams. Though that may sound a little grand, I believe it to be true.
And what better time to learn to conquer your goals than the holidays? Believe it or not, the new year is right around the corner. Be at peace knowing you now know how to create goals.
What is a goal that you are focused on going into this holiday season? Please share with me in the comments. I love hearing from you!
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