Creating Your Future in Advance with Goals!

Why Goals Create Our Future

As a certified life coach my first concern when I am coaching, is to make sure the coachee understands that the goals they are setting today and will eventually be achieving, are the pathways to creating their future. Why is this so important? Because without goals, and a plan to achieve them, we have no destination. We are choosing to leave our future to chance. We are not controlling our destiny and thus our lives.

Goals Are a Choice

Why are goals a choice? Goals are a choice because we consciously choose to write them down and figure out how to go about their attainment. This means we have put some thought into the goal. It will serve a greater purpose, that will help us take our lives in the direction we want.

Not Many People Set Goals

I believe the problem with not setting goals for most of us, is that we never created the habit back when we were teens and young adults. Goal setting was not taught back when I was in elementary, junior or high school. So I did not create the habit back then. In fact, it was not until I heard “The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale in my mid twenties, that it dawned upon me how significant goal setting was.

How To Create Your Future with Goals

So how can we create or future with goal setting? Look, goal setting is a skill that can be learned and mastered. Just like any other skill, it takes some practice to perfect. Repetition is the key to building our goal setting muscles. So how do we set goals? Where do we begin?

Here is a quick goal setting outline to help you get started. This is the goal setting method I was trained on by Dr. Shad Helmstetter. Dr. Helmstetter is a life coach and best selling author. I personally use this method for myself and all of those I coach.

First, make a list of each significant area in your life. (Health, Relationships, Career, Finances, Personal Development, Self-Esteem, Quality of Life and Personal Organization). For each of these areas, you should write down your three most important goals. Once you have done that, look at each goal and think about how to prioritize them. Set a completion date for each goal.

Next, for each goal, write down 2-3 obstacles that have stood in your way. They may be internal obstacles or external obstacles.

Finally, for each obstacle, write down the action steps necessary to overcome them. Date those action steps. Take action on these actions steps and refine them as needed until you reach your goal.

Final Thoughts on Goals and Creating Your Future

As you can see, setting goals is a great way to design your life in advance and give yourself a better chance at creating your life as you consciously choose.