How to Set Realistic Goals Today & Make Progress Tomorrow

“A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.” — Walt Disney

Walt definitely knew how to dream. The more remarkable thing is that he made those dreams come to life.

How do we dream BIG like Walt without slipping into the world of fantasy?

Start with Your Why

If you’ve created a life plan, tie your goals back to the areas of your life that need the most attention.  

No life plan? That’s ok. (Although I HIGHLY recommend it). Wherever you want to focus your goal, think first about why. You’re going to have to dig deep here.  It must be tied to your values.  What really matters.

“If the heart doesn’t find a perfect rhyme with the head, then your passion means nothing.” Bono

What’s Your Objective

Goals fall into two categories: achievement or habit goals.

Achievement goals are focused on one time accomplishments.

• Launching your website
• Planning your family’s summer vacation
• Running a half marathon

Habit goals are for an on-going activity.

• Exercise 5 days a week
• Message 5 new prospects each day
• Schedule a weekly family game night

Too many goals is a recipe for failure. I like to keep at 9-10 for the year. Next I separate that into quarters. Choosing 2-3 goals to focus on each quarter.

Right now you might be thinking...I’ve got BIG dreams Jen.  This isn’t something that’s going to fit into a year or a quarter.

I’ve got you.  Let’s break this down even further.

Say you dream of being the CEO of your own media company to empower women's voices.  You’re at square one. Right now that dream is just a dream. What would a yearly goal look like? Here are a few ideas:

• Build a platform of 5k engaged followers on Instagram
• Clarify your mission to empower women to find their voice
• Create a killer email list of 500 subscribers

Your yearly goal is that next step. Or the first step. You don’t have to have the whole path figured out.

Make these goals outside of your comfort zone.  Don’t skip this step ladies.  In order to gain confidence and clarity these goals need to be a stretch.  You’re not going to capture your dreams by doing the same thing again and again.

But beware of delusion.  You may want to rise to Oprah fame but if you don’t have the time to go all in on those dreams maybe time to reset your sights.

Now, It’s Time to Achieve Those Goals Tomorrow

Before you click away because I’ve clearly gone insane, hear me out on this one.

Let’s go back to our example of your dream to be the CEO of your own media company.  It’s a big dream that will take years to accomplish. Your goal for this year is to create a killer email list of 500 active subscribers.

So what can you do tomorrow to make progress on this goal?

This is a specific goal that can go on tomorrow’s todo list that will make an impact on your BIG dream of being a media mogul.  To borrow a term from my days in pharmaceuticals, it is the minimum effective dose. 

“The minimum effective dose (MED) is defined simply: the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome." Tim Ferris

It’s the smallest step you can get done tomorrow to make progress on your BIG dream.  So for our media mogul that wants to build a killer email list here are a few ideas:

• Get to know your Ideal Customer by spending time engaging with them on social media
• Hire an email marketing coach
• Brainstorm freebie ideas to offer in exchange for emails

See how I did that?  We’ve gone from the BIG dream of becoming the next Rachel Hollis to what you’re going to do tomorrow to make that happen.

Is this going to be hard? Maybe, but I’m here to help.

Now it’s your turn.