Resource link: Workbook One: Goal-setting in 20 minutes or less
Welcome to your first iteration of the goal-setting exercise.
In the next 20 minutes, you will determine three long-term goals or objectives, one for each domain, a personal life area, a social life area, and a professional life area. You will write these goals down as clear and concise statements and each target date. Next, you will determine the intermediate-term milestones for each goal that will lead to goal attainment. You will set short-term SMART goals to form the base for your action planning. You will decide who to enlist as social support for your accountability structure. You will plan for celebrations. You will commit to consistent action. You will decide on rituals for monthly, weekly, and daily planning and taking action. Finally, you will devise a way to monitor and evaluate progress systematically.
All in 20 minutes or less. Let’s go.
Three long-term goals or objectives
I sent you the “Best Possible Self” Visualization Exercise to prepare for long-term goal setting. Based on what came as an inspiration from that visualization, now write down your three goals, one for each area you have chosen to focus on, that you intend to achieve in the next 10 to 15 months.
Today, you take just one area for each of the three domains. In later iterations, you can choose other areas in addition to or expand your goals in a chosen area; but today, we limit ourselves to one goal in one life area for each domain, giving you three goals in total.
Clear, concise statements and target dates
Personal goal
Professional goal
Social goal
Intermediate-term milestones for each goal
Make these milestones 3 to 4 months dated from now. This is a reasonable timeframe to impact an issue and accomplish something substantial and of concrete form.
What milestone would move you closer to your personal goal; what could you achieve in the next three to four months that would have meaning and excite you to move toward as a stepping stone to your greater personal goal? Take a minute to write it down.
In the same spirit, what milestone would move you closer to your professional goal; what could you achieve in the next three to four months that would have meaning and excite you to move toward as a stepping stone to your long-term professional goal? Take a minute to write it down.
Similarly, what milestone would move you closer to your social goal; what could you achieve in the next three to four months that would have meaning and excite you to move toward as a stepping stone to your social goal? Take a minute to write it down.
Set short-term SMART goals.
A milestone for a long-term goal leads toward achieving the long-term goal.
A short-term goal is a measurable, specific target achievable in a realistic timeframe. The outcome of achieving a SMART goal should be an output that closes the gap between the present state of affairs and the next milestone ahead. You can point to an output and say, “Look at what I have done; what I have achieved.”
The timeframe is arbitrary and depends on the goal and your resources; it can be a week, twelve days, or twenty-three days, but have a SMART goal for each month so you can see the next stepping stone to your milestone ahead.
So, what’s your SMART goal for your personal milestone? Write it down. Write down the date you target to complete this short-term goal.
What is the unit of measure for this personal goal? What is the amount? Is this amount reasonable to achieve in the set time; will it be enough to bring you closer to your milestone? In your implementation and execution of your action plan, you will be mindful of keeping the right balance so that exerting effort and employing resources and strengths will bring you fulfillment and joy rather than overwhelm or, the opposite, boredom. You can adjust and adapt as you wish and as you see fit.
Let’s move to the SMART professional goal that will lead you to your professional milestone. Again, take a minute to ponder and write it down with a set target date; aim to be specific, make it measurable and attainable; think of the unit of measure and the amount you would be able to achieve and also feel good about.
The same for your SMART social goal; what will you target by when? Take a minute and write it down.
Who will you enlist as social support?
As an accountability partner, choose someone who will be delighted by your thriving, your flourishing. Maybe someone is also on a positive change path, and you can support each other’s growth. Propose your support partner to learn and use active constructive responding in your accountability meetings.
When will you contact this person?
What are your celebrations?
Experiment with this one; find ways to celebrate the small things and find ways to celebrate the big things. Become a celebrator, and maybe your life becomes a celebration, a blessing. Go for what feels authentic.
Commit to consistent action.
Consider when you committed to something important to you recently. How did you do that; how did you commit? What was the importance of the thing you committed to?
What is the reason you want to commit to this newly formed goal: this personal goal? Where does this personal goal sit in your life vision? What are the available resources that you are going to marshal in service of your personal goal? How confident are you that you will achieve this personal goal? What do you need to take your confidence one notch up?
Consider your professional goal: as you hear my voice right now, do this; speak your commitment to your professional goal, and announce your intention, “I commit to my professional goal of this or that.” How do you feel? What is your first reaction? Did you straighten up or slump down; did you lean forward, or are you holding yourself back?
The same goes for your social goal; give us your commitment right here, right now. How does it feel?
Commitment is an ongoing whole-person state. It needs attending; as the word indicates, it needs tending. So be caring and renew your commitment as you see fit.
Rituals: Monthly, Weekly, and Daily
To a minimum, you should establish a weekly ritual of 20 to 30 minutes to plan your daily actions for the week ahead and track the results of the actions taken in the previous week.
Your monthly ritual can become an extended version of this weekly meeting. Similarly, you can adopt a daily action planning and execution habit.
What day of the week will you have your weekly plan, track, and evaluate meeting; what time? Put it as an appointment in your calendar.
In the same way, what day and time of the month will you have your monthly appointment? Put the dates on your calendar, even for the next six months ahead.
How will you structure and follow your daily habit? Write it in a short sentence or two, write it down.
Monitoring and evaluating progress
How will you monitor your progress? How will you track it? At what interval will you evaluate your progress and your effectiveness in goal pursuit? Pick a date for your first evaluation meeting. Write down some questions you will use as you evaluate progress and effectiveness.
Consider how you can use your strengths and resources more effectively; can you bring in other strengths and resources? Can you develop and use some of your latent or underused strengths and resources? Conversely, are you overusing some of your strengths and resources?
Take two minutes and write the three or four questions and criteria for how you will evaluate and review progress.
After your review, how will you make adjustments? For example, if you are amending your actions, will you take out your weekly action plan and write your amendments into the action plan for the current week? What about the monthly, short-term SMART goals; will you record your amends in your Goals Tracking Sheet immediately, or will you wait for the next monthly appointment date to arrive?
What will you do about red flags; what will be the red flags in the first place?
Closing
That’s it for today.
After we close this session, just sit for two minutes and let the gladness sink in, the gladness that comes from doing good for yourself and others.
The “Best Possible Self” Visualization Exercise
What would your life look like in a perfect future? How would you spend your time? Who would be by your side? In this exercise, you will imagine your best possible self in a future where things have gone as well as possible, and you have accomplished all your goals.
You will imagine and describe your best possible self in three domains: personal, professional, and social. Use pen and paper to write your visions.
Visualize. For the next week, spend 5 (+1) minutes visualizing your best possible self each day. Focus on one domain daily, cycling through each domain throughout the week.
To perform visualization, picture your best possible self in as much detail as possible.
Think of a scene in which your best possible self might find herself/himself, and imagine the sights, sounds, and feelings you would experience.
It’s common to feel distracted during visualization. If you notice your mind wandering, that’s okay. Simply return your thoughts to the exercise once you become aware.
“Best Possible Self” Personal Domain
The personal domain includes skills, hobbies, personality, health, accomplishments, etc.
Imagine your best possible self in the personal domain for 1 minute.
Write about your best possible self in the personal domain for 5 minutes. Continue writing for the entire time, using as much detail as possible.
“Best Possible Self” Professional Domain
The professional domain includes areas of your job, your sense of purpose, education, skills, retirement, income, etc.
Imagine your best possible self in the professional domain for 1 minute.
Write about your best possible self in the professional domain for 5 minutes. Continue writing for the entire time, using as much detail as possible.
“Best Possible Self” Social Domain
The social domain includes areas of a romantic relationship, friends, family, social activities, etc.
Imagine your best possible self in the social domain for 1 minute.
Write about your best possible self in the social domain for 5 minutes. Continue writing for the entire time, using as much detail as possible.