Did You Set Goals For 2013? By Lynne Watts

Did you set goals for 2013?

Does it aggravate you to have someone ask you that… again?  Is your response to the question of goals or resolutions, “I don’t do them because they never work?” Did you know that goals aren’t supposed to work, you are the one who is supposed to do the work?

Most everyone will say they have goals, but for many of us, goals are more like a wish list, something that we might send in a letter to Santa.  You know, a list of things you write down and hope that luck or chance will cause to happen.  Just as those toys magically appeared under the tree on Christmas morning, most of us also think that just because we HAVE a goal, it should come true.

There was a time when setting goals wasn’t on my radar

Those were the days of wishing I was an author.  Days of hoping I would bump into an author who could advise me on how to publish a book.  Those were days of wondering how to break into the world of speaking at conferences.

When did I make the shift? 

When I suddenly realized that as long as I waited for things to happen, I could expect to continue living the same unintentional come-what-may kind of a life that I had been living.  Instead, I could begin living an intentional life where I set goals and deliberately planned my activities to accomplish what was important to me.

One shift in my mindset 

That one shift in my mindset made all the difference and has created the framework for where I am today.  Three years ago when I decided to BE an author, I had no idea I’d be able to accomplish so much.  I look back on the journey and while it’s been a ton of work it has been exhilarating.  It has also taken a total shift in my mindset and perspective to accomplish it. If you are reading this and thinking, “Well, it worked for you, but I’d never be able to accomplish something like that,” please read on, because I stood solidly in your shoes for years.

One of the most common statements

I often hear, “I have a story that I want to write but I just haven’t got the time.” Or, “I’d like to start my own business but I have a full-time day job now.” People give a lot of reasons for not fulfilling their dream. Sometimes they have a family and it keeps them too busy. Sometimes they have a full-time job and when they retire they’ll get around to it. Sometimes they don’t have the financial resources and someday when they make more money, inherit some money, or their ship otherwise comes sailing in… they’ll do it then.

Do you believe those excuses? Do you make them yourself?

I did. I’ve made them all.  Probably my main excuse was that I just didn’t know how to do it and I needed someone to show me. No one ever did because I never asked.  These statements are excuses. Not because the person making them is lazy or unmotivated, because it’s like putting the cart before the horse.

Successful people understand: BE DO HAVE

You must first change your mindset and BE what it is you want to be.  When I made the decision to be an author, I started writing every day in my journal, “I am an author who is publishing and selling books.”  The more I wrote it, the more I believed it, the more I talked about it, the more I searched for ways to make it happen, the more I spent time writing.  Unsuccessful people believe in: HAVE DO BE. Unsuccessful people wait to have the time or have the resources or have the right contacts. Rather than waiting to have what I needed to accomplish my dream, I began by believing and acting like I was the dream.

Creating the life you want

This first involves being the person you want to be, envisioning it, developing goals and then doing the work. BE the person God meant you to be. Write a goal and review it daily.  Incorporate the vision into your daily life.  DO the necessary steps.  Develop a plan of action steps to reach your goal and accomplish at least one a day.   Then expect that you will HAVE the success you envisioned. Don’t wait to HAVE the time, the relationships, the resources, the information, or you will never move forward because you are WORKING THE PLAN BACKWARDS.

What about you?

Are you being who you want to be now?  Are you setting goals in all the major areas of your life?  Are you reviewing them daily and envisioning the end result?  Or are you waiting to have the time, resources, etc.?  How’s that plan working for you?

Want to learn more about goal setting and how to Be Do Have, even with a busy life?  Join me for a free teleseminar on February 19th with Jen McDonough!  Details are here:  Teleseminar

Want to spend an entire day learning more about following your passion and making your goals happen?  Consider attending our Called Woman conference in March and listen to an impressive lineup of speakers who can teach you how to take your dream to reality.

Space is limited so sign up today!!

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