To have goals that are successful, you not only have to define exactly what you want, but you also need to know how you will get there.

When my husband and I decided to explore the San Juan Islands in our sailboat, we first needed to determine where we wanted to go and when.

But we not only needed to know our final destination and the time of departure and return, we also needed to know the best route to take, what navigation hazards were involved, what waters were safe for our sailboat, etc.

Knowing how to read and understand charts (the water’s road maps) and monitoring navigation and weather channels were critical. We needed to know how to avoid hidden obstacles (submerged rocks, reefs, etc) and shipping lanes (there are no freeway markers), and the location of marinas and safe anchoring spots to take us out of strong winds, currents and low tides at night.

Our boat needed to be well equipped: a depth sounder, fuel, anchor, adequate lines and a dinghy to get to shore when anchoring out or for emergencies. There needed to be adequate supplies of food, water, and clothing for cold, wind and rain.

You don’t prepare for such adventures the week before you leave. Long before we began serious cruising, we had taken Coast Guard navigation courses. We purchased charts and other navigation equipment. We not only knew our boat, but had become skilled at sailing her. We talked with other sailors and read books on sailing.

A lot of work? Not at all. The preparations were well worth the rewards of sailing in the beautiful waterways of the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands.

There are no words to express the beauty of a secluded anchor spot with only the sounds of nature and the setting sun. Or the playful marine life that surrounds you as you cruise; the birds that sweep low over the water on their way home for the night. The memory of such events and many more is forever etched in your memory.

So it is with our life goals. When we know what we want and are willing to do the homework to get there, the rewards forever enrich your life.

What kind of preparation is required for you to reach your goals? Perhaps it is learning how to manage your time and be self-directive. Considering the obstacles that stand in your way ahead of time can make the journey easier.

Marlene Anderson

You have made a list of the goals you want to complete. Pick one that you are ready to work on.

Now ask yourself:

What will be different when my goal is completed. Get a firm picture in your mind of how your life will be improved when you complete your goal.

Goals need to be specific and measurable. State your goal as a behavior – something you are ready to accomplish. When will you start?  How long will it take to complete?  Set a time when you want to have this accomplished.

Here are two examples of measurable and specific goal statements: “I will enroll and complete a course in writing” or “I will design a time management schedule for myself and my family; I will get input from family members tonight.”

Goals need to be made in the first person. They must be personal. If you do not own your goal, you will not complete it. Don’t make goals that you feel others want you to make.  This is a goal you want to complete.

So the first task in making successful goals is to write down a statement that defines your goal as measurable and the positive behaviors that are required to get started.

Thursday we will continue with this process of making goals that work.

Marlene Anderson

You have taken your wish list and eliminated the items that are not important enough to make them into goals. You can go back to them later if you want.

The ones remaining are important and you are now ready to turn them into goals and plans of action. You have chosen to take charge of your life.

Making goals can be both sobering and a bit intimidating. There is a payoff, after all, for not making goals. When we do not take an active role in setting goals and working towards them, we will use the excuses of blame and victimization. We are let off the hook. But in the end, we are left without a sense of worth and esteem and lack of accomplishment.

Goals take a commitment, a willingness to work harder and sticking to a plan of action. They don’t have to be huge. But the rewards far outweigh the inconvenience, extra time and effort and persistence it takes to accomplish them.

Any time we take charge of our lives, we are experiencing freedom. We are responsible for what we do and our responses to life. Goals give us the ability to make the changes we want to make.

But where do we start?

If we choose too many goals to work on at one time, our energy will be scattered and we will end up getting discouraged, stressed and give up. If we choose a long-term goal it will be hard to stay motivated.

 Success breeds enthusiasm

Start on a goal you know you can accomplish within a month or two. It might be a goal that helps you manage your time or helps you to become organized. As you start with little steps working daily on these types of goals, they will soon become a habit. Starting with small goals and experiencing success sets the internal motivation and establishes a foundation to work on larger goals.

 Marlene Anderson

Focus on where you want to go – not just what feels good in the moment.

We tend to live our lives doing what feels good in the moment but spend little time thinking about our future.  We tell ourselves that we will get serious later in life, when we have more time, or are less tired.

Wishful Thinking or Focused Resolve

There are many things I would like to do. But unless I purposefully turn my desires into a goal, they just remain wishes.

Turn a Wish List into a Goal List

First, make a list of all the things you would like to do, wish you could become or want to have happen. Then go over each item on your list and ask yourself, how important is this to me? Do I really want to accomplish this? Am I willing to spend the time, energy and money to make this happen? If not, cross it off your list.

Wishes are desires you wish would happen, but do not want bad enough to find a way to make it happen.

Goals are targets you want to hit. You know where the goal posts are, and have a strategy on how to get from here to there. Where do you want to be in five years?

Look at each of the remaining items on your list, and answer the following questions:

• This is important to me because…..
• I am willing to sacrifice time, money and energy to make this happen because…

    Make it into an affirmation statement that you read every day.

Now ask yourself what would happen if you didn’t make these important goals? How would you feel? Will you be in the same spot tomorrow if you do nothing today?

Goals are for people who want to make things happen – who want to take charge of their lives.

If you lack confidence, just going through the process of making some little goals and figuring out how to accomplish those little goals can make you feel ready to tackle the bigger ones.

 Marlene Anderson

If you do not know what you want, your goals will not be well defined. Unless they have a desired outcome, they will remain just a general direction – not a goal.

Your goal should state: this is what I hope to do – this is what I want to accomplish. Write it down as an affirmation statement.

Goals can be as simple as developing a habit to exercise every day, becoming more organized, or expressing a kindness each day. Or they can be as complicated as getting a degree, paying off debt or learning how to become a better parent.

Unless goals are important to us personally, motivation will be difficult to maintain.

When we don’t see immediate progress, or we continue to face difficult obstacles, it is easy to get discouraged and give up.

 When setting long term goals or ones that do not immediately reward us, it is hard to remain motivated and committed.

To counter those times, it is important to be honest with yourself. What things tend to sidetrack you or keep you off track? How do you handle discouragement? What enabled you to be successful with goals in the past? What do you say to yourself about your ability to complete your goals? Are you setting yourself up for failure by having too many complex goals in place?

The structure of our goal and plan of action needs to complement our personality and typical way of doing things. Otherwise, we will not have the strategies in place to offset difficult and low motivation times. If self discipline and self regulation are difficult, a buddy system or other support system can help.

Is your goal important enough to sacrifice time, effort, money and immediate gratification in order to accomplish it?

Think about the goals you currently have in place or want to put in place. Can you write an affirmation statement that states why this is important to you? How will you feel when you accomplish this?

 Marlene Anderson

Unless we start making committed goals we will simply move along with the current of life without directing where we want to go – kind of like a piece of wood that floats down the river.

While we may make some specific goals, too often we simply float along the river of life without the defined goals needed to improve our life, marriages, relationships, etc.

When we get serious about taking charge of our lives, we start making committed goals.

When starting out, we might just move in a direction until we know what specifically we want, kind of like what happens when students enter college. They know they want a college degree but aren’t sure what they want to major in.

College is a good starting place in defining that direction because the first two years of study students take general courses needed to complete any degree program. It gives them an opportunity to explore options and discover more about themselves.  When I returned to college I thought I would major in music but soon realized that wasn’t  where my heart was.

Exploratory goals are ones where you start in a direction and then with more information about ourselves and our options, we define goals that we can accomplish.

Let me share is a personal example. I started journaling after the death of my husband. It led to the publication of my first book and more serious writing. I decided I wanted to become a better writer so I could share information I had learned both professionally and personally. I wrote in a forum with easy access for people who might be interested. As I blogged, attended writing critique groups and writer’s conferences I have become a better writer and have expanded my writing goal to seek ways to publish my work.

My desire to become a better writer established a routine of writing every day and writing more succinctly. What started as tiny steps in one direction has now led to a larger expansion of that original goal.

Where are you on your journey to take charge of your life and accomplish the things you want to do? What do you want to have happen? What things are you currently doing that are taking you in that direction? Are you ready to put together a more constructive and committed goal?

Marlene Anderson

January starts a new year and we think of it as a way to make some better lifestyles habits as well. So we make a list of resolutions and promise ourselves we will accomplish them.

However, unless we turn resolutions and good intentions into goals,  they remain simply resolutions and good intentions.

Goals are more than just New Year’s resolutions that express our desire to make better lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise that often start with a bang of energy but soon fizzle out.  They need to have a plan of action and a way for you to remain motivated to complete them.   Well defined and designed goals can establish new habits that continue even when we don’t feel like it.

Many goals are nothing more than completing To Do lists. But even then, we are following some of the steps we use when we make more formalized goals.  We know what we want to accomplish, we know what kind of time frame it will take to complete the project, what is involved in doing it, what obstacles might interfere or keep us from completing our goal and what we need to do to stay on course.

For example, a To Do item might be to clean up the garage.  I know it will take some time,  I have to figure out how to keep from being distracted, obstacles might be where will I put some things, and I have to keep reminding myself how nice it will be when everything is put away and organized so the job doesn’t become overwhelming.

How do we change a desire – a wish – a resolve into a workable and achievable goal?

In my upcoming blogs I will share with you how to make goals work for you, how to manage them within in busy life and persevere over time.

 Marlene Anderson