If you know me, ever had a conversation with me, or worked with me, you know I am incredibly ambitious. Anything and everything I set my mind to, I accomplish – no matter how big or small, or the timeline, I get it done. I love supporting others, and I found myself giving out advice on this topic so often that it became worthwhile to write a blog post…or three…on the topic!
In this three part blog series, I walk you through how to establish, strategize, and execute your goals. Today, we are focusing on establishing your goals. Let’s dive in!
1. Brainstorm without commitment.
You can do this as a quick 5-minute exercise, or better yet, do it throughout an entire week! Set up a distraction-free space and set a 5 to a 10-minute timer. For those 5-10 minutes, jot down anything and everything that comes to mind. It could be anything from “Make my bed every day” to “Compete in the olympics”. Don’t judge or commit. Simply write down anything that comes to mind during that timeframe.
I love to do this daily. Every morning, I take five minutes to brain dump every goal I have for that day, week, or month. Later on, I refine, organize, and prioritize my goals. It’s a great way to build your daily to-do list as well.
2. Review past goals.
Look at what you HAVE tangibly achieved this past year. Big things, small things – they all count. As you go through each month, you will come across something that you’ve forgotten about! We often forget how much we achieve, and this is an excellent self-recognition exercise as well. Start in January, ask yourself, What did I accomplish? Then go through all the months. Get your calendar out too. Make sure you get everything! They can be any type of achievements; equestrian, personal, business, spiritual, educational, financial, materialistic, etc.…
For example, I’m really proud of myself for riding consistently, almost every day, during the summer. It really built up my confidence and partnership with my horse. I am also proud of being diligent with budgeting, saving the money needed to make that happen.
3. Reflect on past goals.
How do you feel the year has been? What made me think positive (happy, joyful, excited, motivated)? What made me think negative (sad, burnt out, tired, irritated, angry)? What have you done this year that’s really fuelled you? Pinpoint what you can do more of to feel more positive and fuelled. Figure out what truly inspires you!
“If you’re not reflecting, you’re not learning or growing, and then you cannot change in the future.” – Danielle Canty, BossBabe Podcast.
To be frank, 2020 was a hot mess express. Never in a million years did I think I would be surviving a global pandemic. A significant negative was being out of the saddle for 5+ months. It was a forced break due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. However, it wasn’t as big of a setback as I thought! For me, way more positives came from it rather than negatives. For instance, I collaborated and modelled for over 30 brands remotely, some of them being small businesses and larger companies like Kerrits. I was able to work on myself, my career, my blog, and I saved up a lot of money. When I was finally able to return to the barn, there were a few setbacks, but I was able to work hard. Plus, I had the funds to half lease, which meant I could really invest in my riding. With that, I was riding almost daily, lessoning 1-2x a week. As a result, I really built my confidence and hit some significant milestones with Forrest! Never in a million years did I think I would be jumping 1.50m, especially on Forrest after where he & I were with our partnership this time last year.
4. Workbook prompts.
Journaling sounds like a woo-woo idea, right? I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. So, let’s call it a workbook. Grab a notebook (paper or digital). Write down and answer some thought-provoking prompts to get your brain percolating in the right direction. Here are a few of my favourite prompts to brainstorm & establish my goals:
- What do I want to contribute to the world?
- What am I willing to sacrifice to make my goal a reality?
- What inspires and motivates me?
- What am I willing to commit to?
- Where do I SEE myself when my goal is achieved?
- What do I want to FEEL?
- What do I want to HEAR? (i.e. if people were talking about you without you present, what would you WANT them to say – pick three words).
- What makes me feel positive?
- What makes me feel negative?
In my next post, I’ll walk you through the goal-setting strategizing process. This will help you craft a game plan to get you to your destination. Feel free to explore all my FREE goal-setting resources below; free planners, worksheets, prompts, and more to keep you on-track. Tally-ho!