Goal Setting
When setting goals for ourselves, it is absolutely essential
that they are realistic. It is possible to achieve any goal no
matter how big it seems. The key is to break it down into
realistic doable portions.
About 6 months ago, I set a goal that I viewed as impossible.
But when I broke it down, I saw that it was very possible. The
technique that I used was a mind map. The goal that I set for
myself was responsibility. I spent many years completely
dependent on my parents because of my many mental and physical
challenges. My mother did all of my laundry, paid for my car
insurance, and my gasoline. She cooked for me and even cleaned
my room. When I finally decided that I was going to become
responsible, it encompassed such a wide spectrum of things. I
didn't even have a checking account much less a credit card.
In the middle of my piece of paper, I wrote the word
responsibility and drew a circle around it. Then I branched it
out into 5 categories: self-care, finances, personal
relationships, career and education, and spiritual growth. This
was the beginning of my action plan. I'm going to use my
finances as an example. I came up with a list of every action
that I needed to take in order to change my financial situation.
My list is as follows:
Finances: Establish checking account Establish savings account
take over gasoline bill take over car insurance payments Learn
to balance checkbook Get a small secured credit card put $10 per
week into savings Retain attorney for bankruptcy File for
bankruptcy Save $5,000 for downpayment for new car Save $3,000
for furniture for apartment Save $2,000 for moving
expenses/deposits Get apartment
When I accomplished something on my checklist, I would check it
off. Each time that i checked off something, I felt a sense of
empowerment. Now there were a few things, sepcifically in the
self-care category where consistency was the key. In those
things, I kept a daily log. When I had done them everyday for 21
days, I would check it off. It is proven that it takes 21 days
to change a habit.
One of the most important things that helped me as I tackled
this huge goal was support and accountability. I picked people
that I trusted to be my support buddies. I made them aware of
the goals that I had set for myself. I checked in with them
regularly, sometimes even on a daily basis. I let them know what
I had and had not accomplished for that day.
Ultimately what happened is I started to hold myself
accountable. I continued to have support, but I no longer needed
to be accountable to them.
It has only been about 6 months since I swtarted my checklist
and I have completed almost everything on my list. Anything in
life is possible. I am proof of that. I encourage you to pick
something to work on and break it down. The feeling of
accomplishment when you've completed a big goal is an awesome
feeling. Just remember to take it one step at a time! Good Luck!