Setting Goals - And Sticking With Them

How often do you decide that you want something different for your life? Better relationships with your children, ex-partner or friends. Better fitness, more money, a bigger house, a more flexible job, a ‘cooler' wardrobe, a new relationship, or simply more ‘me time'.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. And you deserve the very best. And there are no limits to what you can achieve when your decisions, discipline and mindset are all in alignment. Here are my top 5 tips.
1. Invest Time
About 99% of people invest more time planning a holiday than they do planning their life. For single parents it's all the more important to be clear about the future you want for yourself because time is a premium and we're the number 1 influence in our children's lives (for now!). So, take 2 hours with a pen and paper and invest in some future-thinking. Ask yourself: Where do I want to be in 12 months time?

2. Be Specific
When you're designing your goals, it's important to be specific. So instead of ‘I'd like to lose weight', say ‘I weigh 10 stone or less by 15 December 2008'. The reason the detail is important is because it's linked to the detail of your commitment physically, emotionally and spiritually.

3. Write It Down
This is SO important I'm going to say it again. WRITE IT DOWN. Write it in the present tense like you've already achieved it and add an emotion to it. So ‘I'm so happy and grateful for the extra £5,000 I received in my March ‘09 pay review - woohoo!'

We single parents carry enough information in our heads: children's routines, school kit, play dates, shopping lists, banking information, work details, passport renewal dates (that's in my head right now!). Your goal will get lost in the ‘soup' of your memory. So, write your goal down, on a card and carry it with you at all times.

4. Read Your Goal Daily
In fact, I want you to read your goal 3 times a day. If you're on the tube traveling to work, take out your goal card and read it. If you're waiting for the kettle to boil, read it. If you're walking to collect the kids from school, read it. And when you read it, engage your imagination. BE the person who's achieved what the card states. Imagine how your life will be when you've achieved it.

5. Be Grateful
Every day as you move towards the goal you've set yourself, thank the Universe (or God, or Source, or Sprit, or the Divine, or Nature - whatever is your spiritual anchorage) that it's bringing you closer to the achievement of this goal. Now, I say this with great sincerity: being grateful IS the key to goals (and everything you want from life) being achieved with ease! Gratefulness positions you for ‘speed' in accessing the highest parts of you. And it delivers momentum as you achieve one goal and move swiftly on to the next.

When you put this 5-step process into action it will change your life. Have fun. And email me when you achieve your first goal so that I can celebrate with you!!