Create your own beautiful new world
Setting and achieving a goal means you are going to create a new version of your world. So first visualise your new version of the world and then work out exactly what you need to do to achieve it. If necessary, simply jot down all the things you will have to do, in no particular order. Then create a plan with realistic timescales. Schedule milestones and key turning points – especially important if your goal is a long-term one – and review it again to ensure your motivation is still high. These seven steps will help you to create great goals that will help you to create a beautiful new world.
1. Visualise: You may already have a clear goal in mind, in which case, simply visualise how the world will be once you have achieved it. If you want to change your life and are not sure where to start, think about how you would like to live your life: what would a typical day be like in your perfect life? A typical week? Who would be part of your beautiful new life? How would you spend your time? Do not try to rush this. Allow yourself time and space to really think about how you would like your life to be, who will be part of it, where you will be and what you would like to be doing on a regular basis. Visualise your new beautiful life and “see” yourself going through the motions of a normal day; make your internal video as vivid and lifelike as you possibly can. Run through this internal video several times so that you can return to it whenever you like.
2. Align: Now ask yourself what your values are. Sometimes, the hurly burly of our lives can distance us from our own true values but our values drive everything we do, so it’s important to identify and acknowledge them and align our goals accordingly. You may recognise your values in the following list, but you may have many more to add.
honesty beauty charity comfort health family trust money art
religion faith generosity security kindness power friends creativity
3. Select the values that resonate most strongly with you, those that are “must-haves” in your beautiful new life. Run your internal video in your mind again, and just check that your values are implicit in your new beautiful life; if does not fit with the values you have identified, you may need to have a rethink, either about your goals or your new life…or both.
4. Identify: Now you have a clear goal in mind, you must make it SMART, that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. If you want to lose weight, for example, saying “I want to lose weight” is not a goal, it is a wish. A SMART goal is “I will lose 2lbs a week for the next six weeks”. Or “I will reduce my calorie intake from 2000 a day to 1500 a day, and factor at least one hour of exercise every other day for the next month”. Losing 2lbs a week for the next six weeks is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Cutting calories from 2000 to 1500 is also specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. “Wanting to lose weight” is not specific, measurable, achievable, realistic or timely.
5. Plan all the activities that you need to undertake to achieve your goal. Give yourself a clear timetable and make sure it is specific, achievable, realistic and timely; you may like to set milestones along the way and give yourself rewards when you reach them. If you are making major changes to your life, you may want to break them down into several goals so that you are not overwhelmed by all the differences. If your goal is SMART your plans will be too.
6. Remind yourself of your goal: good ways of doing this are to tell people around you what you are doing, so that you will be accountable to them; use written reminders in your diary or calendar. If your motivation flags, visualise the world as it will be when you’ve achieved what you want to achieve.
7. Review your success. Once you’ve achieved your goal, think back over all the activities you undertook to achieve it, and congratulate yourself. Keep your success at the front of your mind, because it will help you stay motivated in every new goal you set.
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