Welcome back! Another week has flown by, and 2023 is even closer. Are you ready? For those who celebrate Christmas, are you ready? So much pressure for just one day, which begs the question of whether my emotions are ready.
Last week I wrote about setting your Target, or goal, and realizing your new Identity based on that target, which hopefully you’ve been thinking about, begging the question: are you ready?
Unlike Christmas, where we know the objectives, have a defined deadline, and sometimes have someone to help, reaching our goals is largely up to us. So if we are ready today, we still have to be ready tomorrow, the next day, and so on. Can be pretty daunting! Again, are you ready?
I am not ready for Christmas, but happy with how little I have left, considering one week remains until the big day. This afternoon was productive towards that goal, as I gander towards the living room where unwrapped gifts are piled next to the wrapping paper and tape. It’s something! I have a plan, though. I promise!
Having a plan is comforting, because it breaks things down into manageable pieces in a sequence that makes sense. For example, I knew I had to buy the gifts and wrapping paper before I could actually wrap the presents. Seems so obvious that we don’t realize it’s a plan. We are constantly making plans!
The next step in my goal achieving process is to focus on making a plan to get you from today to the identity you have realized. Notice the word today, which is completely intentional, and you will see why soon!
Target
Identity
Map ——————–
Exact
Reality
I call the high level, mile long inch deep plan my Map. Spare the details or how it will be done, instead just focus on what progress is, specifically identify the benchmarks you expect to meet at predetermined time frames.
As an example, back to the weight loss goal of losing 10 pounds in two months, which is actually pretty easy if you are willing to do some math. Clearly, we want to lose five pounds in one month, which is a little more than one pound per week eight to ten times. At this point, feel free to rewrite your goal to 10 points in 10 weeks if you prefer the symmetry, because now’s the time.
Another example I used last week is wanting to be a writer. I started my blog, which is essentially a version of the weight loss goal, since it’s broken down into weekly increments of one post per week. My book is the crown jewel of my writing career, and I have set a pretty lofty goal of publishing-ready by the end of 2023. I’ll spare you the details, but trust I have benchmarks for the first day of each month. I was talking to a coworker about my books, telling her I have a plan, and she just laughed, commenting “I’m not surprised.”
When we set a goal that follows the SMART criteria, a Map naturally falls out, but I feel it is important to define these, and write it out. I suggest putting these targets on your calendar, whether that’s a physical one or on your phone.
.As you can see from my two examples, monthly and weekly benchmarks are pretty easy to define and make the task feel obtainable. If you want to learn a new skill, such as a language or an instrument, a lesson a week is perfect, right? In one year, you’ll have at least 52 lessons, which is an incredible accomplishment!
Now that we have found our Target, realized our Identity, created our Map, what is next? Exactly! We need to decide Exactly how we will reach each benchmark through our Map.
Target
Identity
Map
Exact ——————–
Reality
These are the specific details to reach each benchmark within the predetermined time frame
Tip: the smaller the time frames, the easier this step will be, so feel free to go back a step now.
Back to our examples, losing one pound a week may simply mean hitting the gym a couple times a week; plus, we forgo the trip out to lunch, instead opting for a homemade, healthier option.
What is important is specifics, or being Exact, about how you are going to do this, which means looking at your calendar and saying gym will be Sunday and Tuesday with a walk after work on Friday. Additionally, I will meal prep Sunday (riding the momentum after your trip to the gym), so I have easy meals to grab for lunch.
Similarly, when learning a language or an instrument, plan out the time you will practice, giving it the same requirements as these Christmas presents over here that haven’t wrapped themselves. In other words, when something becomes a priority, we find a way to get it done.
For my writing goal, today marks 29 straight days of writing, which seems crazy in total, but for each individual day, it was as simple as picking the hour I plan to write. I am to the point now that it will take something incredible to break my streak, which means coming home after 10 pm the other night meant a late start for that hour, but I did it!
Sure, I’m different in many ways, but ultimately, this is important to me. Also, that was Friday night, so I could sleep in the next morning, but still! This is important because of the journey I am on towards my identity as a writer, which is why I emphasized that step last week.
So this week, put that Map together. Don’t worry if you have to revisit your goals, tweaking them as you see fit. Put them down somewhere you will see, or set a reminder, or heck do both!
After that, figure out how you will do your first week. Just one week is easy, right?
You can do it! I believe in you! I cannot wait to see your progress!
Have an amazing week!!!