Goals, start with your desired future outcome.

In our previous blogposts we covered the importance of goals, how to use affirmations to make progress in your goals, and lastly making your goals trackable. In this blogpost we are going to look at:

• How understanding your desired future outcome sets you up to create actionable goals.

• We can then construct our goal by using the goals formula from the desired future outcome.

We need to understand that, at its core, goals help us make progress in the areas of life we want to see growth. Goals are not the outcome but help you make progress toward your desired future outcome.

At its core, goals help us make progress in the areas of life we want to see growth. Goals are not the outcome but help you make progress toward your desired future outcome.

An example would be “I want to be more healthy”. One goal for 2024 could be to exercise at least 4 times per week. This is only one area of becoming more healthy, (desired future outcome) but it will help you make progress.  With that in mind let’s look at, what I call the goals formula: Identifiable area + ongoing trackable markers = Desired future outcome. The way you want to approach setting your first goal is to work from your desired future outcome backwards.

The way you want to approach setting your first goal is to work from your desired future outcome backwards.

Becoming clear about your desired future outcome will greatly assist you in setting goals that are relevant to your context, specific and tangible enough that you can picture it, and of course trackable. Many make the mistake of starting to set goals without a clear desired future outcome which makes the rest of the goals formula almost impossible. This leaves you with the goal as the outcome instead of the desired future as the outcome.

One way to become clearer about your desired future outcome is to picture or visualize what your aspiration would look like once you have reached it. Think about how your life would look like, your daily routine, your interactions with people, etc. The important thing is not to overthink the validity of your desired future outcome.

The important thing is not to overthink the validity of your desired future outcome.

By overthinking the validity, I mean comparing your desired future outcome to others, your current competency, disqualifying yourself before you start, and the list goes on. Reaching your end destination takes time, intentional effort, and refinement along the way. Remember the purpose is to become clear because clarity gives purpose and direction which will help us to set and maintain our goals.

The purpose is to become clear because clarity gives purpose and direction which will help us to set and maintain our goals.

I remember watching the popular TV series Survivor. The winner of one of the seasons told the story about how she wrote Survivor Winner on a sticky note and stuck it to the screen of her computer at work. She wasn’t the Survivor winner when she wrote the note, she was, however, clear that winning Survivor was the path to achieving her desired future outcome. Clarity gave her determination which helped her take steps toward her desired future outcome.

Clarity gave her determination which helped her take steps toward her desired future outcome.

When we think about our relationship with God, his desired future outcome for us is to be like Jesus, knowing him. We often make the effects of that deep transformational relationship, like the fruit of the Spirit, making disciples, etc. the desired future outcome, instead of becoming clear about what it would look like when we have reached the Father’s desired future outcome.

Coach U

My challenge to you is to spend time thinking about your desired future outcome. What would reaching that look like in your daily routine, your interactions with people, etc. Once you have a clear picture write it down in a sentence or two.

It is very beneficial to consider booking coaching session to assist you to make progress with clarifying and setting your goals. For more information book a free 30min information call to see if coaching is for you.

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