2017 is upon us and everyone has something to say about how we reach our goals.

(Apparently, including me)
Here in Neslandia we believe in doing things, big things. So, if you’re looking to accomplish the goals in front of you or you don’t even know where to start check out our first post on How To Reach Your Goals.

Today we’re discovering Step 1 of How To Reach Your Goals.

1. Identify Your Goals

This is where most people miss it.

There’s this misconception that Step 1 to achieving your goals is to make a massive all encompassing list and lay it out before you like a map to the New World. We’re told to empty our minds and think of every possible scenario, every far- reaching dream and stop only when we’ve built a list so monumental, so audacious that at the very mention of our name our dreams will tremble in fear and surrender one by one.

Unfortunately it’s not until The Dark Days, you know – that strange time after Christmas but before New Years, where you’re not sure what to do with your whole life, that accomplishment by list reveals itself to be a lie.

The 1st step to accomplishing your goals is to Identify Your Goals.

How do you identify your goals? How do you choose the one or two things to focus all of your time, effort and energy on? How do you, with any certainty, pinpoint the meaning for the next 365 days?

Start with your vision.

What does your vision have to do with reaching your goals?

Your goals are born from or in support of your vision.
It’s your vision that determines the difference in what you can do and what you must do.
It’s your vision that filters out the noise and finds the song. The song that will drive you, the song that makes your heart leap.
Without a vision for your life you will accept anyone’s dream as your own.

Your goals don’t define you – they reinforce you.
Your goals don’t bring out a new you – they push you deeper into you.

Your goals come from a place, a passionate place, a place where vision lives.
There is no shortage of things to give your life to. Your friends, your family, every commercial ever will sell you on a list of causes to make your whole life about.

Unless your goals are born from a place deep inside, even accomplishing them, will leave you empty.

Don’t waste your time chasing after what someone else wants for your life. Chase after what you want in your life. I’m not saying don’t shoot for the stars but your stars don’t live in someone else’s sky.

We all want something for our lives and that something is called a Vision.
What’s meaningful to you, what are you naturally good at, what could you do for hours without batting an eye? Your vision, that unique mixture of your values, strengths and passions, is the breeding ground for homegrown lifelong goals.

Eric Ravenscraft, Senior Editor of LifeHacker, ingeniously said; “To create a vision, begin by identifying your core values, your passions, what you believe to be your purpose, and how you envision your life. From there, be more specific and remember to be clear. Your vision should embody your values and your view of the future without being too generic. …a well-defined personal vision should naturally lead to a more focused goal set.”

Goals without a vision are chores & a vision without goals is a bore.
Your vision carries you, it gives you direction, and it takes you to places you never knew existed; fantastic, wonderful places.

Once you unearth a vision for your life all other attractions, all other distractions, all other goals fail to compare to what you have found. Your vision gives breath to your goals. If your vision is to obtain wealth then your goals will line up with that. If your vision is to live overseas then your goals will find a way to support that. Goals follow vision so if you want to identify your goals you have to find your vision.

Your vision should be short and meaningful. Brief but impactful. Tweetable. If you can’t tweet it then it’s too long. The shorter the statement the more care you have to put in crafting it.

Here are a few of the most powerful vision statements ever written.

Denise Morrison – CEO of Campbell Soup: To serve as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference.”

Sir Richard Branson – Founder of The Virgin Group (Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Mobile): “To have fun in my journey through life and learn from my mistakes.”

Jesus – Savior of the World: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Want to achieve your goals? Start by identifying your goals. How do you identify your goals? Start with your vision for your life. From there, not even the sky’s the limit.

On the next post we will get into Step 2. Prioritize Your Goals.

– N

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