The Magic of Boldness

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Let’s recap the last couple of posts, shall we?

First, you were to choose an area or areas of your life you want to accomplish things this year.

Second, you were to set one goal for each area you chose.

Third, I asked you to take time for visualization. I wanted you to visualize moving through your goal, accomplishing it, and imagining the feeling you’d have after accomplishing it.

Fourth, you were to make sure you were setting smart goals – goals that are [S]pecific, [M]easurable, [A]ction-oriented, [R]easonable, and [T]ime-bound.

So if you’ve decided to follow the above, you should have at least a goal and maybe multiple goals for this year…ones that you can get done, ones about which you are passionate and committed.

Congratulations, now you’re being proactive and putting yourself in the best possible position to succeed.

What now?

I’m assuming with all of the above, you’ve written things down. If not, that’s step one. Commit the goal to paper, not just a digital file. Print it out. Put it where you can see both it and the final and interim deadlines you’ve set.

I recommend taping it somewhere you frequently visit. It might be your workstation, it could be on your fridge. But put it somewhere you’ll look often.

If you have either a paper or digital calendar/planner, then put the dates and deadlines in there as well.

Writing down your goal makes it more real. And it’s time to get really real.

Track your progress.

Any time you accomplish an interim step, mark that down as well. Then celebrate. Find a way. It can be something small or large. It might be downloading that song you’ve been wanting or buying a book. It could be taking a nap. That’s up to you but recognize it and pat yourself on the back.

Allow yourself to fail.

If you don’t meet a deadline, do not berate yourself. Set another deadline. Sometimes life gets in the way. Appreciate both the effort you took to set the goal and the progress you made. Recognize how much farther along you are than if you hadn’t set the goal. Get up. Go again. Accomplish and celebrate even harder.

Figure out if you need accountability partners or maybe even a coach. Only you can figure out what works for you. And if you’re not moving as you feel you could, then do a mid-course correction – modify the goal or ask someone to be there to hold you accountable. And this is important…decide how much accountability you need. Some people need strict deadlines where those will completely shut some people down. Some people just need gentle encouragement and support. You’ll discover whether you work better with a stick or a carrot. Remember, this is about you.

Remember the journey. It’s not about the mile markers and meeting them. It’s about getting to where you want to be. Forget about checklists. Remember the why of this. Why are doing this or wanting to do it? That should be your motivation, not just blowing through. Slow down and be deliberate.

Be honest. If you need to be more aggressive, do it. If you need to be less aggressive, do that as well. This is about you and no one else. If you discover that this really isn’t that important to you then quit. But be honest. If it is important and you’re just not moving as quickly as you’d like, either try and figure out why or enlist a colleague, friend, or coach to help you.

Remember…you can’t do everything. That’s the reason for priorities! Maybe you simply have too much on your plate right now. I’m at a different stage of life right now than you. It might be easier for me or it might be easier for you. See if you can eliminate other things that are in your way. If not, then maybe the universe isn’t saying “no” to your goals but “not now.”

Remember to manage expectations. Expect your best but be realistic in what you can handle.

Be prepared for the unexpected. Yes, this is a contradiction. You can’t expect a specific unexpected event but you can expect that something unexpected will happen. It just will. That’s the way life works. Be prepared for something to knock you out of the water. Allow yourself some grace, put your swimmies back on, and climb back into that pool and start paddling.

Remember to always support others as they try to accomplish their dreams and goals. This isn’t a competition. Everyone can win. You do no one any good by wanting someone to fail to make you look better. And you do yourself no good. Practice good ju-ju to others as you would have them practice good ju-ju to you. This is the golden ju-ju rule.

Okay, now you’re ready.

But what, you say, if this isn’t the way I work? What if I’m just not a goal setter? Am I deficient in some way.

Absolutely not. You may work a completely different way and there’s nothing wrong with that. But that, my dear friend, is the next post.

Namaste, y’all,
Terry