Secret to Successful Goal Setting in 2017

There’s something so powerful about being the age I am because I have the gift of hindsight… I recognize the word “someday” doesn’t happen unless you put it in motion.  It’s like playing football or hockey. The game doesn’t go on forever, so it creates a sense of urgency. It’s incredibly motivating to live every day in the game.

A few years ago, I began sharing my story and suddenly couldn’t stop telling it. Why? Because I heard from many people that my sharing my challenges and message had made a difference in their lives.  I recognized that every one of us has a story that’s uniquely our own, and that story can change lives.

In 2009 I began a written vision board. I began recording my hopes, and dreams for the future in my journal. It became part of my daily morning practice and it’s never stopped.

There’s power in the written word.  According to author Michael Hyatt, studies done at the Dominican University of California report you are more likely to achieve a goal if you write it down.

I did this exercise in 2013 and committed to finally writing the book I said I would write… someday.  I had a published copy of my book, How To Survive the Worst that can Happen almost a year to the day that I set the goal in writing.

I wrote down another goal 2 years ago. I wanted to have my articles featured in Huffington Post. I almost gave up… I doubted myself, and my abilities, even cried a few times. But, I consistently worked on improving my writing and submissions, making them better and better… and it finally happened in the fall of 2016! Twice!

Here’s the secret: Write your goals with wholeheartedness and an “achieved by” date.   

• A goal without passion doesn’t rise to its greatness.
• A goal without an “achieve by” date puts it into the category of “someday.” Those goals often go unfulfilled.

Goals have to evoke real passion or you won’t do them. Give your goals some excitement and challenge. They might shift and change as you approach the finish line… and that’s okay. For example, I wanted to return to radio as a talk show host, but then Livestream Broadcasting was born, and it gave me an even broader reach than I ever had on KNRY Radio! And… I do 4 shows a week… not just one!

I’m declaring this year as the year of the Emerging Woman for all of us. It excites me as I begin to discover and define myself as “emerging.” I can hardly wait to wake up each morning to continue the process. I know it’s happening because it almost hurts to stay the same. By struggling to keep things the same, it restricts the possibilities of tomorrow because I can only see the point of reference I have today.

That must be exactly how the butterfly feels just before she breaks free of her cocoon… or the baby chick, before she cracks the shell to freedom. They have no idea what the new world is like-they just know it’s waiting and they must emerge, no matter what.

The word “emerging” is an adjective that comes from the verb “emerge.” Can you relate to any of these definitions from the dictionary?

1. To rise and come forth into view, into existence

2. Become apparent, important, or prominent.

3. This one excites me because it is relevant to my life: Recover (to emerge) from or survive a difficult or demanding situation.

The emerging woman is the lure of becoming something more, yet something that was always meant to be.

When I was a young girl, I first witnessed a transformation like this in my mom. She was a natural beauty with the gorgeous good looks of a movie star. She managed a spotless house while raising 5 children.

As we grew older and needed Mom less, she grew restless.  I’d hear her listening to Earl Nightingale on the radio while Dad was at work. Earl was a radio show personality and an early pioneer in the self-help industry. One of the phrases that memorialized him as an inspirational writer and speaker was: "We become what we think about."

I saw Mom begin to emerge as the woman she was called to become. She decided to open a restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula, and failure wasn’t an option.

For Mom, it wasn’t so much about creating a place to eat as it was about creating a culture and environment where people wanted to gather.  There were lines out the door of customers grabbing lunch, a piece of pie, and chat. Mom knew most of the customers by name, and they certainly knew hers.

I’m proud of Mom for showing me that life has cycles, and if you feel a calling and believe you can do something, just do it!

Being an Emerging Woman means creating opportunities as your heart calls you to emerge. By making changes and adjustments you’re making room for the transformation. It also can mean saying goodbye and finding completion in situations that don’t work for you anymore.

Don’t be afraid, that fear you’re feeling is your heart’s call to your personal greatness.

Is this year the year you’re in a stage of emergence? Have you thought about who you’d like to become in the next act of your life?

The secret is in the thinking, and maybe Earl Nightingale was right: "We become what we think about."

Make room for your goals to grow bigger than you’re even capable of dreaming!

I'm planning on making 2017 my best year ever! I hope you’ll join me.

Get started by Downloading this worksheet: Click Here,

The clock is ticking!

I leave you with this thought from Philosopher and Theologian, Howard Thurman:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. “

And that’s exactly what I intend to do. I hope you’ll join me.