Monday, January 2, 2012

...Setting & Achieving Goals

Oh no! I'm a day late already! I have a very good reason though. I was achieving one of my 2012 goals! Cleaning the office. It was such a mess and has been an eye sore for the past 12 months. The desk pad calendar was still on February, 2011. Yeah, it was a mess. It is now an office to be proud of!

Okay... back to what this post is suppose to be about: Setting & Achieving Goals. I LOVE setting goals. But what I love more is achieving them! It is an amazing feeling when you achieve a goal. You're missing out if you don't know what I'm talking about.

One of the most important things about goals is getting them written down. There's something much more official about a written goal versus one kept in your mind. Also, telling someone your goals will make you accountable - that's why I'm telling you. That said, here are my 2012 goals so far:
  1. Schedule my Personal Trainer Certification Exam by 1/31/12 for no later than 2/29/12
  2. Pay off debt (excluding mortgage) - this includes credit card, car loan & student loan by 10/31/13
  3. Keep office (and the rest of the house, especially my side of the bedroom) clean by setting up a weekly schedule and sticking to it
  4. Take more pictures and learn how to take better/more creative pictures
  5. Find & sign up for a running/obstacle event
  6. Read (not listen to) one "just for fun" book a month
  7. Set specific health/fitness & nutrition goals (Yes, I just set a goal to set goals.)
I'm sure I'll have more goals to add to the list but this is as far as I've gotten.

If you're going to set some goals, here are some principles to keep in mind (taken from my Jan/Feb 2012 Women's Health Magazine but can be found on almost every website that talks about goal setting):
  1. Specific: Vague goals leave too much room for cheating.
  2. Measureable: You want to be able to gauge and quantify your progress for short-term and long-term goals. Set a daily, weekly or monthly goal.
  3. Attainable: Before setting a goal, ask yourself if it's something you have the ability/skills to reach.
  4. Realistic: Make sure your goal is one that you can actually reach based on your situation.
  5. Time Sensitive: Set a deadline for your goals.
I hope you take a few moments to think about some goals and write them down. And, you can always share them with me. :)
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4 comments:

  1. Aaron W.January 2, 2012 at 10:37 PM

    I'm happy for you Lizzy! Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see you debt free in the near future!

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  2. BethyJanuary 2, 2012 at 11:57 PM

    Your an inspiration to me Liz...I know you're a friend I can count on to hold me accountable to my goals :) and some of our goals are shared so we can keep each other on track!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Patricia Gligor's Writers ForumJanuary 3, 2012 at 9:08 AM

    I love the S-M-A-R-T principles of goal setting. I'm big on setting goals and writing them down which, as you pointed out, is crucial.
    I have a "Goals" notebook and I go through it periodically - not just at the beginning of the year - to see how I'm doing on old goals and to jot down new ones.
    An important aspect of goal setting is not to be too hard on yourself if you don't accomplish a goal within the allotted time frame. Just move it to the next page and don't ever give up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ErinJanuary 4, 2012 at 4:17 PM

    I think I've got number 5 covered for us. But you're coming to Chicago for it :)

    E

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