What does the goal setting process look like?
In the early 1990s my husband and I decided to sell our computer business and move with our two young children to France. We had never dreamed such a BIG dream before, but the idea of exploring a new culture and spending more family time together after years of being tied to a small business was irresistible. Since my husband was still busy with the shop, it fell upon me to get the ball rolling. I knew I could quickly be overwhelmed by the scope of this undertaking, so I committed to making the planning process as orderly, focussed and smooth as possible. I had just finished working through the exercises in Tony Robbins Personal Power series with my friend and learning partner, Anita, and she was more than willing to help me take on this challenge.
SETTING THE GOAL
First we set the goal. What exactly did we want and when did we want it to happen?
Though we weren’t yet aware of the S.M.A.R.T approach to goal setting, we seemed to follow this process rather instinctively.
We designed a goal that was…
Specific – to live in the Gascony region with a view of the Pyrenees in a farmhouse in the countryside for a year.
Measurable – because our goal was so detailed, it was easy to measure whether we were progressing toward it.
Action-based – to reach this goal would require taking specific actions (some of them new and challenging)
Reachable- we felt certain that this goal was not a pipe dream, that it actually could be done.
Time-bound - we set a firm time for completing this goal (our departure date) and bought tickets early which helped to keep us focussed and motivated.
CHOOSING THE ACTION STEPS
We then decided what needed to be accomplished to make this goal happen. For example:
Renting a house in France
Selling our business
Finding a renter for Chicago home
Getting passports/applying for visa
Packing and shipping household furnishings
Shipping car
Studying French
For each of these activities, we decided on small, clear action steps we would need to take, we wrote them in a planner, then developed a flowchart to make sure each was completed on time.
GETTING IT DONE
We we so excited by the vision of French country life, and so blessed by friends who wanted to support us that we accomplished all the necessary actions in time to board the ship to England.
I sincerely believe that effective goal setting transformed our dream of moving to France into reality. Just four and a half months after we made our decision there we were, enjoying our first bottle of wine on on the terrace of our 300 year old French farmhouse overlooking fields of poppies and sunflowers. Amazing!
I hope you’ll try goal setting and taking action to make all your own dreams come true.
Get excited and get support. And let me know if I can help…
With love,
Mary Lou
