“It’s not about where you’ve been, but where you are going”.

I have always wanted to live a certain lifestyle. I could envision it, but I had real trouble executing it. Where do you go to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, obtain financial security, or live luxuriously? All I knew was I wanted all those things for myself. I am closer than I have ever been, and I want to share with you how to use goal setting to build the lifestyle you want.

Goal setting has become the catalyst for all of my business and personal success. My life is far from perfect, but more and more I am enjoying the life I am building for myself, and honestly I want that for you too. I think we have to share what we learn so we can help each other grow.

One of my biggest resources when it comes to setting goals would be my writing group See Jane Write. Javacia (the group’s founder) has taught me so much over the last couple of years about goal setting. She hosts monthly goal setting sessions and check-ins and she drops so many gems. She has helped me refine my goal setting process tremendously and I am forever grateful. I still don’t write as much as I would like, but I am getting there.

I just finished 20,000 minutes in the Peloton Annual Challenge. The purpose was to gain the discipline and consistency to create and maintain an active lifestyle. 50 weeks done and dusted! This goal was so special to me because in the past I always set and met business goals, academic goals, or financial goals. This is the first year I ever added a goal that focused on health and well being. Literally, I couldn’t be more pleased with how everything shaped up. I finally have a healthy lifestyle, and I am super excited to keep it up!

What is a lifestyle?

Your lifestyle is a combination of your habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that constitutes how you live. Everybody’s desired combinations are different, and everybody’s route to their desired lifestyle looks different, but whatever it is you want for yourself setting goals will help get you there.

Why set goals to achieve the lifestyle you want?

Building a lifestyle isn’t easy. Setting goals helped you to get clear on your objectives and targets. The clarity allows you to put the appropriate systems and resources in place to help make your desires more feasible.

Goals help you prioritize your busy life. When you are clear about your objectives it is easier to pick what is important.

Goals help you stay motivated. For example, I live to check my numbers on my Apple Watch.

Goals keep you from getting stuck. You can see your true potential when you track your goals. It makes it easier for you to gradually increase your expectations.

Is it difficult to reach your ideal lifestyle?

Setting goals can definitely help you get the lifestyle you want, but it isn’t a magic bullet. No one else can do the work for you. Achieving goals can be hard, but we can do hard things. You’ve got to be willing to suck at some things, lean in, and grow. Goal digging takes werk-werk! Most of the time before you achieve a big juicy goal you have to learn a few hard lessons and deal with some setbacks and adversities. The good thing is you can anticipate some and alleviate stress during your goal setting sessions and check ins.

Tips to help you achieve the lifestyle you want through goal setting:

  1. Set specific goals that will help you achieve the lifestyle you want.

Goals should not be nebulous. Lately I have been using the bucket list method, and I love it. I write down all the things I’d like to achieve over the next 90 days and then I get after it. This method taught me to make room for joy, and that has been an absolute game changer! Specific for me means concise, time sensitive, and trackable. If you don’t write it down and track it, it didn’t happen.

2. Set achievable goals as you work your way to the lifestyle you want.

A lot of people think that when you set a goal you just magically reach your destination. For example, new business owners I coach often tell me that they want to make $5,000 or $10,000 a month when they haven’t made their first $1,000 in sales ever. It can happen, but that feels more like luck (which we will take), not execution. If you set meaningful, achievable goals you will most definitely will be able to work your way up to any dollar amount. I believe we should set incremental or mile marker goals to help us reach our destination. I often have to remind my coaching clients there is learning to be had as you prepare for the next step.

3. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket if you want to achieve your ideal lifestyle.

Some people will tell you that to achieve your goals you need to only focus on one thing, but I don’t believe that. I believe that you have to have multiple goals in several facets of your life to achieve the lifestyle you want.

6 Areas of Lifestyle Goals

Use this download as you set your own goals here.

4. Don’t worry about what others think about the lifestyle you want.

There are lots of negative people in the world. They can’t show up for you because they haven’t even figured out how to show up for themselves. Don’t let them stop you from being the best “you” you can be and achieving the lifestyle you dream of. Everyone will not see your vision, and that’s okay because it is not for them; it is for you. It sucks to not have the support you crave from family, friends, or even a significant other. Experience has taught me that as you move in towards your goals, people love to cheer on winners. Set yourself up to be your own cheerleader and the fanfare will definitely follow. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want. A new body, a new hobby, a new purse, a car, a house, a better job, passive income… whatever it is, it’s waiting for you.

5. Give yourself grace as you build the lifestyle you want.

You will not achieve every goal you set, and that’s okay. You can’t be afraid to suck at things, to lose, or to fail. These are key ingredients for success. So many of us are on a healing journey and we are determined to rise up from our past circumstances, and I truly believe there is abundance for all of us. Be kind to yourself. Hopefully what I shared today can be helpful to you as you build the lifestyle you want. Everyday is a new opportunity to move towards your goals.