When I started this journey, I faced two HUGE challenges. Let's call them roadblocks, because that's more what they were. Those challenges were:
- I thought my Life Purpose was 'stupid' and 'mundane.'
- I couldn't figure out how to create concrete goals which would lead me to my dreams.
Both of these issues held me back from doing some of the most important work of my life: Setting clear goals which would lead me from where I am now to where I want to be.
When I started out, I wasn't clear about what the problem was. It seemed to me that my Life Purpose was "trite" and "stupid" and that my Dreams were bigger than I was.
If you're feeling discouraged by your Dreams, or if you feel like you're stuck in a rut, you probably struggle with finding the path from Purpose to Dream.
Everything you accomplish will start with your Life Purpose and lead you to your Dreams. The hard part is what happens in the middle.
Maybe you were taught from an early age that you had to do something to earn the Dream.
Maybe someone told you you had to come up with a plan to accomplish something.
Maybe someone asks you (every time!) "How are you going to make that happen?"
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| If you want something, it's worth going after! Set tangible, quantifiable goals aligned with your core values, and you'll see your Dreams take shape! (Source CC BY) |
I'm an excellent example. I knew what I wanted starting out (the Dream). I was able to write it down and could produce affirmations to fill up a composition book with words. I can use Pinterest to illustrate my dream, can paint a picture with words, could go on for an eon about what I want to get out of life.
But I couldn't tell you how I was going to GET THERE.
In the meantime, doubts crept in.
"But you need money to buy a home like that."
"How do you think you're going to do that? You're not working right now!"
"What if nobody likes what I'm doing?"
Doubts. Are. Everywhere. We're taught to doubt ourselves by parents, teachers, and peers. As time goes on, we learn to behave in a way which is expected of us.
In short, we're taught not to trust ourselves.
Learning To Trust Yourself Is The First Step To Setting Good Goals
Before you can start working your way from Purpose to Dream, you need to trust yourself to realize (make real) your dreams. Don't get caught up in the "how." For right now, just accept if you want it you can have it. Period.
Put to rest the voices in your head that ask you "how?" and "what if?" For right now "how" doesn't matter -- you'll get to that part later on. Focus, first, on trusting yourself to reach your Dreams.
The Path From Purpose to Dreams Is Goals
Before you can establish good concrete, measurable goals, you need two things: Purpose and Dream. (If you don't already have both of these things, watch out for next week's blog posts about finding your Life Purpose and creating your Dream.)
Setting goals was, without a doubt, the most difficult part of this process for me. I struggled with goals I could measure, or break down into tasks. I'd stare blankly at my Rituals for Living Dreambook and wonder what I was supposed to put into those blank pages. It was a hurdle I know others using this journal have also faced, and I want to share with you how I overcame it.
How To Build Measurable Goals, Starting With A Dream
First, let me reiterate: Your goals are what will take you from where you are not to your Dream. No matter how much you trust yourself and the Universe to provide you with everything your heart desires, there's usually some kind of work involved.
Work is often the cornerstone of fulfillment. These steps not only help our mind to focus on the outcome, but they give us something to hold to when the doubts creep in or our friends and family begin to question the plan and the path.
Goals are, therefore, necessary to achieving what we want (whatever that might be).
What Are 'Measurable Goals?'
Measurable goals are goals which can be confirmed as completed. For example, I might set a goal to obtain (and retain) 100 followers for this blog via Facebook. Once this goal has been met, it can be checked off as having been completed.
Good goals are measurable and manageable. Avoid creating goals which are too abstract. For example "I want to lose weight."
When you create measurable goals, be sure you start with goals you are certain you can accomplish. This will, over time, help you build your confidence in your ability to manifest your dreams.
Make them clear and concise. "I want to reach the end of January having written in my journal thirty times during the month of January." (Done, by the way!)
These goals can then be broken down into tasks. "Invite friends to like my page on Facebook" or "write in my journal every morning."
You're more likely to achieve a goal with clear tasks associated with it. If you cannot assign tasks to the goal, look for another way of wording it, or put aside that goal to look for another. A goal which cannot be broken down into tasks isn't 'measurable' and you are less likely to achieve it.
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| Your goals should be something that takes you steps in the direction of your Dreams, and which also aligns with your values and Life Purpose. (Source CC BY-SA) |
How Dreams + Purpose = Goals
Your Life Purpose is an amalgamation of your talents, values, virtues, and desires. Once you have determined what your Life Purpose will be, it will guide the steps toward your Dream.
Two people may have the same or similar Dreams, but different Life Purposes. They may have similar Life Purposes, but Different Dreams.
In both cases, the path -- the goals -- will be different.
Let's work with an imaginary person named Jo.
Jo's Dream is to own a Fitness Club. She wants to own a place where people can go to work out in a fun atmosphere. She's built a Vision for this Dream and can see it in her mind as clear as it already exists. She could pour countless hours into putting the Dream down into words. She sees the club as successful, serving the country's elite.
Jo has worked out her Life Purpose as well. Based on her talents (motivating people, endurance, stamina) and her values (hard work, health, nutrition), she has decided that her Life Purpose is "To motivate people to make changes to their lifestyle in an atmosphere that favors community."
Now Jo has both a Dream and a Life Purpose.
The next step is for Jo to create goals which align with her Life Purpose and which will take her in the direction of her Dreams.
Let's take a look at how you would do that, if you were Jo!
How To Create Goals Aligned With Your Life Purpose
First, write down your Dreams. I recommend picking up a notebook (I prefer the Leuchtturm 1917 dotted notebook, frequently referred to as a "bullet journal") and writing in it first thing in the morning. This is when you're the most fresh and your thoughts and creativity flow the most!
(The nice thing about using a notebook is that you don't have a set number of lines to write on. You get as much space as you need!)
Go into detail. Describe EVERYTHING. Don't leave ANYTHING out when you do this exercise. If your dream is to own a fleet of luxury cars, list each car you want in your fleet. Decide what colors they will be and where you will keep them. Don't skimp on the details when creating your vision in your journal!
Don't think about what you have to do to obtain the Dream! For right now, just write it down in as much detail as you possibly can. Try not to think about the cost of those luxury cars or how you'll hunt them down -- that's part of the fun of getting them!
Now, once that's done, consider your life purpose. How does your life purpose align with your Dream?
In my case, my Dream is rooted in financial security and a sense of family and community. (I won't go into too much detail -- I don't share my Dream and risk the negative voices of others!) My Life Purpose is to inspire other people to create their best lives.
Therefore, I had to find a way to use my Life Purpose to make money for me. (Most of us probably have dreams that are rooted in finances, let's be real.)
I had a solid vision for what I wanted, an inventory of my talents and gifts (if you don't have one, put one in your journal!) but no direction. This is where things got interesting.
How Three Pages Of Longhand Every Morning Can Help You Clarify Your Goals
I wrote. Every morning I woke up and I wrote. For two weeks, I wrote. I wrote down everything from how felt that day to what I wanted to accomplish.
I'd already set SOME goals. For example, I had agreed that I would post in this blog three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and sometimes on the weekends when there was something special or important I wanted to write about.
(You probably have some of these "foundation goals" too. Maybe you've agreed that you'll drink 64 ounces of water a day, or that you'll take the time to get entirely dressed, even on the days you don't go to work outside of the home.)
The key, for me, was to use those "foundation goals" to decide which direction I would take.
You will find yourself able to use the things that you are doing now to get what you want, provided that you TAKE ACTION.
For me, I wanted to use my blog to make money. There. I've said it. I had a vision that I would use affiliate marketing to earn money using my blog while following my own journey to self-acceptance and manifestation.
It hasn't turned out that way.
Along the way, as I wrote in my journal and created a fuller, more solid vision for my future, I realized that I had more to give than what I had originally envisioned.
There are three components here:
- A well-formed Dream.
- A Life Purpose rooted in values and talents.
- A daily journaling practice.
Start by knowing what you want. "I want to have my books on the shelves of popular book stores."
Determine what you want to achieve through your life. "I want to entertain people and spread my message through fiction."
Create quantifiable goals which connect the dots between the two. "I will obtain an agent and have my book accepted by a known publishing house"
Break the goals down into manageable tasks. "I will submit query letters to agents."
Finally, be confident in your ability to succeed. Silence the voice in your head that asks "how?" and "what if?" Commit to completing the tasks which will lead to accomplishing your goals, and remember that each goal you achieve is one step closer to realizing your dream!
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