day 3: goal...a four letter word.

Goal: something that somebody wants to achieve.

Fail: to be unsuccessful in trying to do something.

Isn't it so sad that, more often than not, these two terms go hand in hand?

While I was employed as a Market Center Administrator (technical term for paper pusher) for a real estate company, I had the opportunity to learn all about goal setting. Here is a very brief rundown of the process:
1. Decide on a goal. Whether it has to do with health, wealth, business or personal, the goal must be specific.

2. Figure out what steps you need to take in order to reach your goal successfully.

3. Breakdown your goal into obtainable checkpoints. (example: I want to lose 60 lbs in one year; 5 lbs a month. or 1.25lbs a week) This can be used with ALL goals; it’s simple math. Make sure that this breakdown is REASONABLE. Do not set yourself up to fail.
a. Your goal isn't directly related to numbers? Let’s say that you want to have a better relationship with your spouse. Now, the steps want to take to reach that: watch a movie together every weekend, have sex four times a week (remember: don't set yourself up to fail), take a dance lesson two nights a week. Now you have numbers to work with. ONCE a week or FOUR times a month. You get the picture.

4. Commit!

5. After committing you MUST have accountability. At my office, this consisted of a weekly one on one meeting discussing each other’s goals and what we had done to accomplish those goals.

6. Succeed! Accomplish your daily goals, in order to accomplish your monthly goals which will, inevitably, cause your yearly goals fall into place.

Sounds easy enough. Yet daily, people are failing. Why? Although there are thousands of websites with insight as to why people fail their goals, for me it lies in step number 5...ACCOUNTABILITY! Who else will know that I have failed a goal other than myself? And what will ‘myself’ do if I fail at accomplishing that goal? Not a damn thing, other than weep quietly when no one is looking…or eat! Ha!

Not this time, my friends…NOT THIS TIME! Even though it has only been three days, I think about my blog every time I reach for a snack or fill up my water bottle. There was a moment of clarity the first time I started typing...I could just tell that this was it. If I am unsuccessful, who will know? The world (not that “the world” is reading my blog) but, again, you get the picture.

Succeed: to manage to do what is planned or attempted.

And so I say to myself, Self…"Take this goal, and kick this goals ass!"