The Story Changes

What is the purpose of Goal Setting?

You have heard about the importance of goal setting before. Probably more than once. Goals are important to have. How can you get to where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re going? Right?

However, what if goal setting isn’t actually about achieving those goals?

Did I lose you?
Let me explain…

Goal setting is less about achievement and more about your personal development. The question isn’t “how” to achieve those goals. The question is “Who do you need to become,” to be available to achieve those goals.

So now what kind of goals are we talking about here? We are talking about the HUGE goals and dreams you have for your life. Maybe it’s being a millionaire. Maybe it’s being the top rank in your company. Maybe it’s reconciliation with family. Whatever it is, this goal should excite you, motivate you and give you at least few butterflies.

Who you are RIGHT NOW is not good enough to reach that huge goal you have swimming around in your mind right now; which means now it’s time for a little exercise:

Grab a blank sheet of paper and your favorite pen.

Write down that big goal or goals you have in your head. I don’t care how big it is. The bigger the better. Really let your imagination fly with this one. And make sure to ignore the “how.” That little word can really hold you back.

Below those goals, write down WHO that person is, who has achieved that goal. What does this person look like, feel like. What does this person have. What do other people think and feel about this person. Be as detailed as possible.

You have just written down your future YOU. You now know WHO you need to become to be available for the kind of success you envision for your life.

And here’s the thing: If you can THINK it, you can DO it!

It’s time to start formulating daily habits which will shape you into the person you wrote down just now. Before you get overwhelmed and quit before you start, write down ONE daily habit you can start. Just one. And then after a few weeks, add another.

What goals did you write down? What is ONE daily habit you are going to start practicing? I would love for you to share it in the comments!

My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.