Some of the happiest and most successful people I know are those who set goals on a regular basis. They decide what they want to achieve and then three months (or three years) later, they’ve done it.

Whether the goal is to run a marathon, write a book, build a business or buy a home, there is something inspiring about those who set their mind to something and then bring it to fruition. They may be driven by passion, purpose or the excitement of trying something new, but the result of goal setting is often the same: feelings of confidence and empowerment.

Visualize, Goal Set & Create @Terri_Cole (Click to Tweet!)

Goals help guide the direction of your life and get you into the habit of setting intentions to create what you desire. Goals give you something to look forward to and can add meaning and purpose to life.

Setting the goals is the easy part—it’s accomplishing them that requires a plan. Following through can be daunting, kick up perfectionist tendencies or fear of failure. Having a plan that includes small, actionable, daily steps will get you to your desired result with the least amount of stress.

Goals don’t need to be so big that they scare you. They can be anything your heart desires. If your goals excite you, you’ll be compelled to move forward. If they are based on what brings you joy, not what you think you should do, working on them will feel good. If you are looking to set goals here are four strategies to help you get it done!

1. Baby steps

Any journey begins with the first step. Though one step in a series of thousands can seem daunting, I know. For that reason, I encourage you to break your goals up into small bite-size tasks. Keep it simple and do something everyday.

2. Be specific

When you have a goal in mind, be specific. For example, setting a goal to “work out more” is too vague. However, saying “I want to work out four days a week for the next three months” is much more achievable because there are parameters. The more specific you can be in terms of what you want and the time frame, the more likely you are to have success!

3. Celebrate small wins

When you rush through your days pausing only for a moment—or not at all—to celebrate life events, you quickly find yourself moving on to the next one. Life feels like a race against the clock to pack in as much punch as possible.

Without taking time to celebrate the small victories, you can lose momentum and inspiration. I often encourage my clients and friends to celebrate every little thing. If your goal is to go for a jog at 6:30 a.m. and you did, awesome! If weekly acts of self care are what you need and you booked a massage, amazing! When you finally complete that project at work, go grab a latte. Good job, go you! Remember to always celebrate small wins.

4. Start anywhere

When it comes to achieving your goals taking action is key so don’t get bogged down with needing the perfect plan! Analyzing something to death can create analysis paralysis which can keep you stuck doing nothing. Decide and just do something! 🙂

When Goal Setting remember taking action is KEY.

Achieving goals is not for the faint of heart. There will be let downs and at times it will be hard. However, remember that the joy is in the journey and no matter the outcome you are awesome. Working towards any goal takes patience, commitment and self care. Your best effort will look and feel different every day and that’s okay. Just keep going, keep your focus, and as always, keep taking care of you.

Love Love Love,

Terri

Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, transformation coach, and an expert at turning fear into freedom. Sign up for Terri’s weekly Newsletter , check out her blog and follow her on Twitter.

Image courtesy of Green Chameleon.