Goal Setting and Achieving

We all have ideas on what we want, what we desire, what we dream of achieving.  The question is, how do we turn those dreams into goals?  I have a six-step plan I use for goal setting/achieving and I am going to share it with you!

*  A goal must be well defined.  It makes them more attainable.
*  A goal must be stated in writing.  We are all super busy and without a written goal, placed somewhere (say, the fridge) to be see on a daily basis, it is easy to push aside or forget what we are working towards.
*  A goal must be stated in the positive.  Stating a goal in a positive way makes it an affirmation.  Our minds don't understand negatives.  Saying…"I am not going to eat chocolate computes as, I will eat chocolate."  Instead, try, I will make healthy choices when snacking.
*  A goal must have a deadline for its completion.  In order to stay focused on want we want to accomplish, we need a deadline to keep a sense of urgency, to push us to stay on track.
*  A goal must have sincere emotional appeal.  An emotional appeal adds to the motivation and sense of urgency.  Goals must be prioritized and distinction must be made between a wish and an important objective.
*  A goal must be difficult, yet realistic.  Set goals in a sustained concentrated effort that way the confidence will be there that it can be achieved.

That's it!  That is the list to start reaching your goals.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Inspiration

I have had several people ask me recently, "What is your inspiration?"  And to be honest in the answer, this could be a very long post.  I find inspiration in new ways everyday.  Sometimes, it even surprises me where it comes from.  It is hard to pin-point any one thing and my motivation sometimes differs from my actual inspiration.

I have talked about Synergy and adding this Blog and my Facebook Page is another step in balancing my life.  I get inspired by motivating others!  That is my biggest inspiration.  There is nothing in this world like helping someone else achieve their goals.  And what is great is sometimes it can just be tiny small things that I may not be aware of at the time that can be pivotal moments in a person's life.  Other times, it is a concentrated effort to be that cheerleader and guide in a life.  No matter how small or how big the effort is, the reward is the same.  Positivity.  To impact a life in a positive way and encourage and inspire someone to take control of their health is awe-inspiring.

Health has always been a part of my life.  My parents, especially my mother, was always cooking food in the kitchen and making sure every meal she served was balanced.  I can remember hating some of the veggies as a kid that I love today!  My father was always active, his job was very demanding and he had to be fit to be successful and my mother kept herself well.  She lifted weights and was an avid walker my entire childhood.  She played tag, ball, tennis, swam, whatever we wanted, with us all the time.  Having an active mom and those memories are one of my driving forces to be fit, I want that with  my girls too.  I want to give that to other families!

It is so hard sometimes and I know there are so many people out there that can relate to this.  Wonder woman one moment to feeling failure the next.  Together we can be stronger than apart.  We can lift each other up when we are down and help carry the load when it gets too heavy.  Inspiring each other, will keep you inspired.

That is it, in a nutshell.  Like I said, there is so much that is driving me in this endeavor, but to have words to share why, is difficult.  I think I will continue to add little bits of my inspiration as this blog continues.  Maybe it will help you recognize what inspires you!

Every journey begins with a single step...

I would like to open my blog with a little more about myself.  I am a wife of an amazingly supportive husband that has encouraged me to follow my dreams and with his continued support, that is exactly what I have done.  All my life I have been active.  I played a few sports through grade school, danced through high school and even had a studio of my own for awhile.  When my first beautiful daughter was born, I gave up my studio and life started leading me further away from my personal goals/dreams as I assumed the roll of "Mom".  Three years later, I was blessed with another spitfire, a tiny new baby girl to add to the mix.  My girls are my world!  And now, as they are approaching their teen years, I have realized that I can pursue my goals, and in doing so, demonstrate to them what it is to be a strong, independent and successful woman.  Of course, again, my husband comes to play a role in this because he facilitates open spaces of time for me to work on me.  Running the girls to swim and dance (yes, they are active, like their Momma) and doing his fair share of the daily chores helps keep things moving along and everyone getting in their fun!  With that said, my goal is to have synergy in my life.  A balanced life, so to speak.  

So let's talk about "synergy".  What does it look like to you?  What is your ideal synergy?  I believe synergy starts inside of you, inside yourself.  My favorite quote is "The only person you need to be better than, is the person you were yesterday".  In today's society, as women, we have a lot of pressure, or really, perceived pressure.  To fully accept ourselves, we need to let go of the outside world and focus on self.  Who are you?  Who do you want to be?  What are you doing to achieve that?

I am on this same journey.  It looks different to all of us, so let's start doing what we can, let go of what we can't control and commit to being in charge of US!

syn·er·gy

ˈsinərjē

noun

1. the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.