>You dream….
In order to make the dream a reality you need a goal with a date signifying when you plan on reaching that goal. Clear objectives must be outlined showing benchmark dates and tasks where you “check in” to see how you are progressing towards reaching the goal. You can’t just say, “I want to buy a house” and not give yourself a deadline with measurable benchmarks. You have to say, “I want to buy a house by Spring 2011” and then give yourself three, four, or six month incremental benchmark dates to check your progress.
Here are a few examples of various types of goals (broken down by category):
Financial: Increase my earnings to $9,250 per month beginning August 2011 (benchmark dates are every three months); eliminate my bad debt of $75,000 by Thanksgiving 2013 (every month I will pay off $2,083 in debt); pay off my $2,000 credit card debt before July 4, 2010 (I will pay $400 per month).
Relationship: I want to take my sweetie to Europe for 14 days by September 1, 2010 (benchmark of every two months); get married by July 1, 2011 (I will propose to her January 1, 2011); I want to have a baby by December 2010 (we will go off birth control next week; monthly benchmarks); take a couple’s cruise to reignite our “flame” by July 2010 (monthly payment plan and benchmark); start having weekly “date night’s” beginning March 1, 2010.
Spiritual: Read the entire Bible by the end May 2010 (March 20, 2010 benchmark to confirm half-way point).
Household: Re-paint the house by September 2010; new flooring by Christmas 2010.
Health/Fitness (weekly/monthly benchmarks): lose 10 pounds by April 1, 2010; run the 5K in May 2010; lower my cholesterol by 10 points by June 2010; run a mile in 5 minutes by April 29, 2010.
Once you have set your goals and objectives, you then share this information with one to two people who truly support you and want to see you succeed; so they can not only be your cheerleader, but also hold you accountable.
Copyright © 2010 by Natasha L. Foreman. All rights reserved.
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