Learn Your Flow

Have you ever had a dream, idea or aspiration that was unsuccessful or did not come to fruition? Making changes in your life can be difficult, but when approached in a structured and logical way you will be able to increase your chances of success. If you have been following our life coaching series here at Learn Your Flow, you will have hopefully used the tools and techniques provided to identify which areas you wish to change. Once you have identified these areas you can then begin to think about the next piece of the puzzle which is to put your ideas into useable goals.

In some cases, how you create the goal can be the difference between being successful or unsuccessful. In order to mitigate this risk, you can approach the creation of the goal by using the following model.  

This model is called ‘Smart Goals’. There are many benefits to using this framework which include the following:

• Being specific helps to improve focus
• The framework can help to improve motivation
• It can help with tracking progress
• The framework can help you use your resources effectively
• It can also help to increase the chances of success

In this model the ‘smart’ aspect of the title is an acronym, as shown below.

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

R – Relevant

T – Time Bound

Specific

Being clear about what you are trying to achieve is important. In order to optimise success, it is good to look at all the specific details before you start as it can prevent difficulties later. For example, if you wanted to start a meditation practice as your goal you can include specific details such as the length of time you want to meditate for, the number of days you want to meditate, and the time of day you wish to meditate. This in turn helps to reduce the amount of decision making on the day making you more likely to be successful.

Measurable

It is always easier to stay motivated when you can track your progress and by making your goal measurable will make it easier to do this. If we use the example of a meditation practice, you can make it measurable by stating how many days you wish to meditate for in a row and then track the number days you were successful.  

Attainable

When setting your goal, ensuring your goal is attainable is also important. This means that the goal is both realistic and achievable given the time and resources you have. If we look at our meditation example, if you only have time to meditate for 5 mins due to a busy schedule there is no point in setting a goal to meditate for 20 mins everyday as this is not achievable.

Relevant

To improve motivation making your goal something personal, and relevant will help you become more successful. To make your goal relevant you can use the wheel of life to help you identify the areas that you wish to change and use this information when you are setting your goals.

Time Bound

Setting a date for when you are going to complete the goal by is also useful. By setting a time frame it helps to increase the chance of success as you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you make your goal ongoing you are more likely to put the tasks off or find it difficult to stay motivated.

Setting goals can be a useful tool when making changes in your life. By exploring living authentically and identifying areas of change with The Wheel of Life you are now ready to create goals that you know you can achieve.

Once you have decided on your goals there are creative life coaching tools to help you stay motivated which will be covered here at Learn Your Flow. We will also be covering hints and tips for how to turn your goal from an idea to reality by looking at different planning methods. So stay tuned!