Setting Goals Part 3: The Truths You Need to Know

1.  Write down your goal.
Post it where you will see it every day, and refer to it regularly.  The visual reminder will keep you on track.

2.  The process of meeting a goal is not linear.
People have the erroneous belief that going from Point A (where you are now) to Point B (where the goal has been reached) will be like driving on a flat highway in the desert:  smooth sailing all the way.  
Not so.  Life has a funny way of throwing us curve balls that throw us off course:  loss of job, child care problems, illness, and so on.  Sometimes you'll feel like you're driving up a very steep hill, other times it'll feel like free-falling, while some of the time things will feel effortless.  There's also the possibility that you may have to pull over and take a break because other things in your life take priority.  In this circumstance, you will pick up where you left off once the dust settles in your life.
 

3.  Goals can be modified to meet your personal circumstances, talents, skills and abilities.
Let's say a woman who lives in Nome, Alaska wants to be an actress on Broadway.  It's possible, right?  However, she's never taken an acting course nor has she been in any theatrical productions, she's a single parent of three kids, scraping by to make ends meet, and has no support from family or friends. What are her chances?  Close to zero, I'd guess. 

Instead of abandoning this dream, though, she could tweak it by taking some acting lessons part-time at her local community college (using the on-campus child care center), honing her skills in campus plays, eventually becoming a sought-after actress in Nome's community theatre productions.  She may not be dazzling audiences on the "Big White Way," but she will be an actress nonetheless.  Perhaps when her children are grown and gone, she could still head to New York City and seek her fortune.

4.  Abandoning a goal doesn't mean that it was a bad idea.
You've decided to give up the idea of becoming a math teacher when you've had to take Algebra 1 three times.  You will no longer pursue a career in nursing because you can't pass A & P I. 

You tried your best, but the skills, talents and abilities needed did not line up with your own.  Time to modify the goal and tweak it to match with what you're truly good at (see #3).

5.  You will reach your goals only when you make the time.  
We get 168 hours every week, and we're busy.  In fact, we often wonder how we manage to get it all done!  If you are truly committed to the goal, however, then you will need to find the time to do what you have to do to get there.  There's no shortcut around this.

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Images courtesy of Google Images, unless otherwise noted.
(c)2012 Robyn M. Posson