Tag Archives: Goal setting

Where Are You – in colour?

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Following on from my blog post Where Are You, here’s a very simple way of visualising where you are in every area of your life.

I love visuals and colour which is why I love visualising where I am in life through colour.

The above image is a scale that is widely used for mental health evaluation. You can use this for your Wheel of Life which will give you an effective snapshot of how you are functioning in all areas of your life.

You simply assign the appropriate heading and corresponding colour to each area of your life.

Not only will this give you a very colourful Wheel of Life, it will also highlight the areas of your life that require the most attention.

Of course we’d all love to be thriving and excelling in all areas of our lives but that’s just not realistic.

Life doesn’t work like that.

There is always some challenges, some struggles, some obstacles to be overcome.

My goal isn’t to be excelling and thriving in all areas. I just want to stay out of crisis mode and if I find myself there, that I move out of it as quickly as possible.

I also don’t want to be struggling in any area for too long.

Life’s inevitable ups and downs means we will be in crisis, we will struggle, we will just be surviving in some areas – the magic is how we deal with life when we find ourselves in these places.

It’s most likely that your Wheel of Life will have a mixture of all colours, you more than likely will be thriving in some areas and struggling in others.

When you have assigned colours to all areas of your life, your Wheel of Life may look something like this.

No matter where you are, it is just your starting point.

Where you go depends on your goals and how much work you put into them.

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Siobhain

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Where Are You?

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If I asked you WHERE ARE YOU what would you say?

Is the first thing you think of your physical location?

What if I rephrased the question and asked,

WHERE ARE YOU IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE?

Now that’s a totally different question and will have a totally different answer.

In the Lean world we refer to this as the CURRENT STATE.

If you were planning a physical journey you would first need to know where you are planning that journey from in order to get where you are going!

The same principle applies in goal setting – before we set our goals we must first know where we are starting from – we must know our CURRENT STATE.

Below are 4 simple steps to evaluate WHERE YOU ARE and what your CURRENT STATE is in each area of your life.

STEP 1:

Divide your life into categories. Categorising your life makes it easier to set goals and also easier to make progress on these goals.

I use the Wheel of Life to categorise my life – the categories of my life are Sense of Self, Health, Relationships, Finance, Work, Experiences/Fun, Environment & Contribution. You can use my Wheel of Life or create your own to create categories for your life.

STEP 2:

Go through each category in your Wheel of Life and answer the question,

WHERE ARE YOU IN THIS AREA OF YOUR LIFE?

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about this area of your life?

If one area of your life is going super and you don’t feel the need to change – acknowledge that and be proud of yourself.

If an area of your life is a mess or isn’t what you want it to be – acknowledgment and acceptance of that is the first step to change.

STEP 3:

Go through each category in your Wheel of Life and answer the question,

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BEING HERE?

This is about what you like in each area of your life.

What brings you joy?

What makes you happy?

What makes you smile?

STEP 4:

Go through each category in your Wheel of Life and answer the question,

WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE ABOUT BEING HERE?

This is about what you don’t like in each area of your life.

What doesn’t bring you joy?

What doesn’t make you happy?

What doesn’t make you smile?

All of the answers above are your CURRENT STATE at this moment.

Where you will be at the end of 2024 will be determined by the goals you work towards 😊

What will be different for you in 2024?

How far will you move from your CURRENT STATE?

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Siobhain

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Thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions

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What’s your thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions?

I used to set New Year’s Resolutions every year until I realised they didn’t work for me. My New Year’s Resolutions were vague, unmeasurable and I almost always broke them within a month of setting them. On speaking with others about New Year’s Resolutions, this seems to be a familiar pattern.

My New Year’s Resolutions were the same year on year which should have been a red flag to their effectiveness! 🚩

My New Year’s Resolutions went along the lines of – exercise more, eat more healthy, drink less alcohol, smoke less, spend less, save more, invest more, read more, write more….you get the gist.

Year after year I made these resolutions but they only made me feel like I was going around in circles, which I was!

Everything changed for the better when I forgot about New Year’s Resolutions, started setting annual goals and started using metrics to measure progress towards these annual goals!

The difference is my annual goals were intentional, focused and measurable whereas my resolutions were wishy washy at best.

Whether you set New Year’s Resolutions or you set goals with metrics, I hope every step of your path in 2024 is enjoyable and paved with health and happiness ❤️

You can start preparing for 2024 goal setting TODAY by either buying a nice new notebook or downloading the Asana App.

WHY?

Because what gets written down gets done 😊

Henriette Anne Klauser’s book ‘Write it Down, Make it Happen’ outlines the science behind the principle that writing your goals down gives them a higher chance of success.

I use Moleskine journals for physically writing down goals. Moleskine journals are beautiful, hard wearing and in my humble opinion the best journals in the world!
The Asana App is my go to app for documenting and monitoring goals online. Asana is super easy to use and is also an excellent project management tool. I have been using the free version of Asana for years and it suits just perfect
I also use Google Suite for online documentation

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Siobhain

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You Are ENOUGH!

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WE HAVE ENOUGH, WE DO ENOUGH AND WE ARE ENOUGH!

Movie star Jim Carrey is most widely known for his comedic genius. More recently he is known for sharing his spiritual path which is light years away from the movie star life he used to lead.

In a recent video Jim was talking about retiring. Three sentences he spoke really hit a chord with me and have become a mantra that I am happy to carry with me every day.

I HAVE ENOUGH

I’VE DONE ENOUGH

I AM ENOUGH

Imagine having such a sense of fulfilment and contentment within yourself that all you currently have is ENOUGH, all you have done is ENOUGH and all that you are is ENOUGH.

Watch the video here,

No matter where we are in our lives, starting from this baseline of having ENOUGH, having done ENOUGH and being ENOUGH is incredibly liberating.

Starting and finishing EVERY DAY with this realisation means that everything you get, everything you do and everything you become is then a BONUS!

I HAVE ENOUGH TODAY

I’VE DONE ENOUGH TODAY

I AM ENOUGH TODAY

Having ENOUGH, having done ENOUGH and being ENOUGH doesn’t stop us from wanting to have more, wanting to do more and wanting to be more.

It does however, allow us to be happy with what we have, what we have done and what we are while we pursue all we want, want to do and want to be!

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TODAY?

HAVE YOU DONE ENOUGH TODAY?

ARE YOU ENOUGH TODAY?

Whatever you have, do and are – YOU ARE ENOUGH 😊

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Siobhain

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Less is More

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I have always believed in a philosophy of LESS IS MORE.

The underlying message in LESS IS MORE is that we don’t need more to be happy, we possibly need LESS.

Before getting MORE, we first need to be happy with what we have

For the past few years all my goals centred around LESS IS MORE principles which has brought me so much peace, joy & happiness.

Because of this I am continuing with these valuable LESS IS MORE principles but this year but I am going into them in more detail.

The underlying message in LESS IS MORE is that we don’t need MORE to be happy, we possibly need LESS.

Here are some of the LESS IS MORE principles that create the umbrella for my 2024 annual goals,

DO LESS, BE MORE

Sometimes I find life is just one big long to do list.

This doesn’t bring me joy, it brings me anxiety!

I want to DO LESS and enjoy BEING & LIVING more!

WORK LESS, HAVE MORE TIME

I love working, I really love it. For 25 years I worked for large corporate companies which brought me much joy and a certain amount of wealth.

Working so many hours for other people no longer suits or interests me.

Also working so many hours even if I was working for myself doesn’t suit me either.

I want to work less and spend my precious time in other areas of my life that are important to me and that bring me immense joy.

LESS EARNING, MORE LEARNING

I struggled with writing this as who actually wants to earn less money?

Me – just for this year anyway!

Actually this will be my 3rd year in a row earning less money.

This reduction in earnings has resulted in abundance of another type. I have abundance in terms of time which brings me more joy than any amount of money ever could.

With this time, I plan to learn more this year.

Learn more about myself, learn more the world around me, learn more about what I want from my life, learn more about the work I love to do etc.

These learnings will in time allow me to earn more.

ACHIEVE LESS, ENJOY MORE

I was never a ladder clImber but I did love what I worked at and so any achievements I had were from the passion I had for my work and not necessarily ladder climbing of any sort.

In saying that I do have ambition – ambition to work towards and fulfill my dreams.

On this journey, ENJOYMENT is much more important to me than ACHIEVEMENT.

I do want to ACHIEVE but not at the expense of ENJOYMENT!

LESS SPEED, MORE PROGRESS

In my 20s, 30s and early 40s I lived life at a fast pace – always going, always doing, always striving, moving at the speed of light.

A few years ago this all changed and I started to slow down.

The fast paced life no longer suited me and I started to enjoy the peace & bliss of a slower lifestyle.

This slower lifestyle brings me more peace, tranquility and bliss than any fast paced life ever could!

Ironically I seem to be getting more done.

Dr Wayne Dyer’s quote comes to mind ‘Doing nothing yet getting it all done’!

LESS RESISTANCE, MORE ACCEPTANCE

Eckhart Tolle says ‘It may look like as if the situations in our life are creating the suffering but ultimately this is not so – it is our resistance to the situations that causes the suffering’.

I find this has deep wisdom to it and I want to practice less resistance and more acceptance.

This is not an easy practice but is one that brings much peace. Another quote from Eckhart Tolle helps us cultivate less resistance and more acceptance – ‘What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to something that already is’.

LESS RUSHING, MORE RELAXING

I really dislike rushing – rushing makes me feel under pressure and stressed.

Feeling under pressure and stressed is not enjoyable for me.

I love relaxing – relaxing makes me feel happy and peaceful.

Feeling happy and peaceful is immensely enjoyable for me.

LESS CONSUMING, MORE CREATING

For many years I spent much time consuming content – reading physical books, listening to audiobooks, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, reading emails I was subscribed to and scrolling social media.

This amount of content consumption now makes my head hurt.

I still love consuming content in these ways, I just don’t love so much of it!

Consuming all of this content while working a full time job, trying to write & create content and start a business was a recipe for disaster that ended up in burnout.

Going forward I want to consume less and create more.

I want to write more, I want to have a deeper understanding of how to write, I want to develop more depth, meaning, openness and transparency in my writing.

BUY LESS, USE MORE

I have enough of everything.

In terms of material things I don’t need anymore, what I have is plenty.

I used to love shopping for all sorts of things – clothes, make up, fancy toiletries, stuff for our home, books, stationary, the list goes on and on.

The problem with this constant shopping is that I ended up with many things that I just dont use and eventually things that I no longer liked.

That’s it, my LESS IS MORE principles for 2024.

Ironically, with so much LESS comes so much MORE JOY, HAPPINESS, PEACE & CONTENTMENT.

What would your LESS IS MORE PRINCIPLES be?

Whatever your goals for 2024 are, I wish you success, love, peace, health and happiness.

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If so download my free ebook ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below 😀

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Siobhain

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Goal Setting Templates

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SMART is used universally across the globe and is well known in the world of strategy as a popular goal setting template. I have used SMART but I never fully aligned with it, I always felt it was limiting and wasn’t creative enough.

I highly recommend you create your own goal setting template depending on what aligns with you and what doesn’t.

Here’s what I like and don’t like about SMART goal setting,

S = Specific – be specific about what you want to accomplish

I like this part as if you’re not specific, you are vague and vague isn’t going tp get you anywhere!

M = Measurable – use metrics to measure progress towards your goal

I’m a big fan of metrics, without metrics you don’t know if you are moving towards or away from your goals.

A = Achievable/Attainable – is your goal achievable & attainable?

This is one of the parts of SMART that I don’t align with. I prefer to set goals that aren’t achievable. I prefer to set big, audacious, almost unrealistic goals – anything else feels limiting to me. You may not be able to achieve your big, audacious, unrealistic goals with the current resources you have but who knows what the future will bring.

DREAM BIG and don’t worry about whether it’s achievable or not, the process will get you further than you can imagine!

R = Relevant – is your goal relevant?

This is another part of SMART that I don’t align with. Goals may be relevant today and irrelevant tomorrow and so only setting relevant goals also feels limiting to me.

T = Timely – does your goal have a timeline?

I half align and half misalign with this. I agree goals should have timelines but I don’t think they should be set in stone. I prefer timelines to be flexible and changeable with an awareness that everything mostly unfolds in its own time, if we have the patience to allow this.

The goal setting template that I absolutely love and really align with is Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals! I love Brendon’s energy, excitement and enthusiasm when explaining what DUMB goals are.

This is what is needed when goal setting – POSITIVE AND INFECTIOUS ENERGY, EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM

If you watch one video this week, let it be this one!

Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals

D = Dream Driven

These goals are influenced and powered by your dreams, your destiny and your passions. What will make you feel meaningful and alive?

U = Uplifting

These goals are compelling, attractive, fun, exciting and driven by gain. We are way more likely to achieve goals that are compelling, attractive, fun, exciting and driven by gain than the opposite.

M = Method Friendly

What practices or methods do you have that make your goals easy to achieve? If you don’t have the methods to achieve your goals, you will need to create these methods.

B = Behaviour Driven

Your behaviours become habits and your habits move you closer to your goals. Your habitual behaviour then becomes the driving force behind your dreams.

No matter what goal setting template you use or how you set goals I echo what Brendon says at the end of his video

‘I don’t want you to be realistic anymore. I want you to advance with reckless abandon towards your dreams by just being DUMB – setting up those very simple Dream Driven, Uplifting, Method Friendly, Behaviour Driven goals that fire you up and get you up every single day’ Brendon Burchard

I wish you joy, happiness, health and contentment on your goal setting journey 😊

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If so download my free ebook ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up!

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Siobhain

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The Real Magic of Goal Setting

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The REAL MAGIC OF GOAL SETTING is not found in achieving your goals but in the process of working towards your goals and what that process brings you.

The process of working towards your goals brings much learning, growth, enjoyment, understanding and fulfilment. Even if you never reach your goals, focusing on the process and what that brings means you are super successful before you even start!

The REAL GOAL of goal setting is THE PERSON YOU BECOME through the process of goal setting and working towards your goal.

THE PERSON YOU BECOME DURING THE PROCESS – THAT’S THE REAL MAGIC!

Not only is this a magical way to think but it totally removes any pressure that might be attached to goals. Reaching your goals then becomes an added bonus to the REAL GOAL.

If the REAL MAGIC is the process and the PERSON YOU BECOME then every step forwards and even every step backwards is a WIN!

If the REAL MAGIC is the process in terms of what you learn, how much you grow, how much you enjoy, understand and are fulfilled along the way then every day is a WIN!

‘Once you realise that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy it’s beauty and wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, it itself an ecstasy’ Nisargadatta Maharaj

One of my favourite quotes explains this so well,

‘The Journey is the Reward’ Chinese Proverb

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Siobhain

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My 2023 Annual Goals

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Annual reflection is much easier than annual goal setting.

Annual reflection is a one time event that is carried out by reflecting on the previous 12 months.

Annual goal setting is a different story – annual goal setting isn’t a one time event.

Annual goal setting is a continuous process of learning, sharing, reflection & change that is worked on EVERY DAY FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

This is what makes annual goal setting COMPLEX AND TIME CONSUMING, it is also what makes it INTERESTING AND WORTHWHILE.

Before we set goals, it’s good to highlight how important Annual Goal Setting is.

Annual goal setting gives us DIRECTION for the year ahead.

Where we end up as a result of goal setting is UNKNOWN but wouldn’t you rather be going in the DIRECTION YOU SET instead of anywhere else?

Annual goal setting gives us PURPOSE & MEANING and the more we work on our goals, the more PURPOSE & MEANING we bring into our lives.

Who wouldn’t like more DIRECTION, PURPOSE & MEANING?

I’ve been sharing my Annual Review online for 10 years yet this is the first time I have shared my Annual Goals. I divide my Annual Goal Setting process into 3 parts, detailed below

A. Categorise my life using The Wheel of Life

B. Create a framework for Annual Goal Setting

C. Document my Annual Goals

A. Categorise my life using The Wheel of Life

The change tool I use to categorise my life is the Wheel of Life. The Wheel of Life has been widely used since the 1960s and so it has been around a very long time. The tool itself has not changed but how we use it evolves as our lives evolve. My Wheel of Life consists of the following categories,

1.Sense of Self

This is a category that I created recently as much of my time is spent here at the moment.

This category combines my personal development, personal strategy and my relationship with myself.

This category is all about who I am, who I want to be, who I need to be to achieve my dreams and how I feel about myself and the world around me.

This is also where I work on the concepts of Self Love, Self Worth, Self Esteem, Self Belief, Self Trust, Self Confidence, Self Assurance, Self Understanding, Self Regard/Self Respect, Self Awareness and Self Observation

The success of this category determines the success in all other categories of my life and so it is the most important category in my Wheel of Life.

It is well known in the world of personal development and business that if we don’t work towards our potential as a person we’ll never reach our potential in any of the other areas of our life.

2. Relationships – This category is about my relationship with others in my life

3. Health is Wealth – This category is about my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health

4. Work – This category is about the work I do

5. Finance – This category is about personal finance

6. Social Life/Fun – This category is about my social life, having fun and recreation

7. Environment – This category is about our home on a personal level and our planet on a global level

8. Contribution – This category is about how I give back to a world that gives me so much

That’s it, my Wheel of Life.

What are the categories of your life?

Would you use some of the above categories?

B. Create a framework for Annual Goal Setting

My annual goal setting format is short, simple and pretty high level yet it is detailed enough to give me enough direction to create plans. I use the below format for each area of my Wheel of Life, asking the questions

I. What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

II. WHY are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to me?

III. HOW will I achieve my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

IV. What METRICS will measure progress towards my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

Below is an outline of these questions in detail,

I. What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

This is not an annual goal but more of a LIFETIME DREAM that annual goals work towards!

Remembering Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals

What are your DREAMS for every area of your life?

What would be a DREAM come true?

This is where we DREAM BIG about what we want for our lives.

There are no limits or obstacles in DREAM DRIVEN GOALS – just DREAMS!

HOW BIG WILL YOU DREAM?

II. WHY are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to me?

Simon Sinek in his highly viewed Ted Talk and bestselling book says to START WITH WHY and that is where I start with goal setting.

I outline WHY DREAM DRIVEN GOALS are important to me.

Understanding my WHY not only supports the goal setting process but it also keeps me going when times get tough, which they inevitably will.

What is your WHY?

WHY do you want to FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS in each area of your life?

WHY are your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to you?

III. HOW will I achieve my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

The HOW is the actions taken to move closer to DREAM DRIVEN GOALS.

What ACTION do you need to take to get closer to your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS.

What do you need to START OR STOP DOING to move you closer to your DREAM DRIVEN GOALs?

What do you need to LEARN to move you closer to your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

IV. What METRICS will measure progress towards my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

Metrics are incredibly important as without them we don’t know how much progress we are making and whether we are moving towards or away from our DREAM DRIVEN GOALS.

What metrics will you use to measure your progress?

‘WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS IMPROVED’ is a quote by Peter Drucker that is as true today as when he said it 40+ years ago.

That’s it, that’s my simple, short and high level format for Annual Goal Setting.

Could you use this format for your own goal setting?

You’ll notice I don’t include timelines in my Annual Goal Setting format – this is on purpose.

How could I possible know when I will get to a year’s worth of goals?

I create TIMELINES when I create my PLANS and these change on a DAILY BASIS.

C. Document my Annual Goals

I document my Annual Goals in Google Docs & Google Sheets and for the first time I have shared them online here in this blog post.

Below are my 2023 Annual Goals for each area of my Wheel of Life:

1. SENSE OF SELF:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To prioritise, work on, know, understand, accept grow, learn about and love myself to bring the best version of my truest, most authentic self to my life, my relationships & the world.

To utilise, learn more about and improve my personal strategy.

Reminder:

This category combines my personal development, my personal strategy and my relationship with myself.

This category is all about who I am, who I want to be, who I need to be to achieve my dreams and how I feel about myself and the world around me.

The success of this category determines the success in all other categories of my life and so it is the most important category in the Wheel of Life.

If we don’t work towards our potential as a person we’ll never reach our potential in any of the other areas of our life.

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Our only source of real happiness and joy is within ourselves and so however we feel about ourselves is what we will bring to the world. In order to get the best out of and bring the best to the world I want to be the best version of myself.

As mentioned above, if I don’t work towards my potential as a person I’ll never reach my potential in any of the other areas of my life and reaching my full potential is really important to me.

My personal strategy keeps me on top of everything & ensures I get everything done with no stress, strain or pressure! The more visibility & understanding I have in my life, the more I can see what areas I want to improve and change.

When I don’t utilise my personal strategy I feel disorganised, overwhelmed, under pressure, less grounded, less happy & less fulfilled.

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Create my Personal Strategy for 2023
Carry out daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly & annual plans and reviews
Journal daily and weekly (daily journaling is a game changer in terms of self awareness)
Spend sufficient time in solitude – I’m an introvert and so solitude is as important to me as oxygen is!
Read physical books and give away books I no longer need
Learn more about sprituality, psychology and concepts of self (basically learn more about myself!)

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Progress in terms of ‘Sense of Self’ is difficult to measure, it’s almost intangible. It is however closely linked to my happiness, contentment and fulfillment of which all of the above add to immensely

*Process confirmation that all elements of personal strategy is being carried out (plans, reviews, journaling etc)

*Process confirmation is a tool we use in the Lean world which tells us whether a task has been carried out or not

Progress on all Sense of Self concepts & learning
Number of books read & given away

2. MY RELATIONSHIPS

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To continuously nurture my relationships & spend quality time with Mike, my family & friends ❤️ This part of my life is really just about enjoying the company of those I love and who love me ❤️

There is no greater gift! ❤️

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

My relationships with those I love are my greatest source of happiness and I want to ensure my relationships are given the time and space they deserve ❤️

I am at my happiest when in the company of those I love and who love me ❤️

The work I do in the ‘Sense of Self’ category will also support this category to ensure I bring the best version of truest, most authentic self to my relationships ❤️

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Spend precious time with Mike, my family and friends – a simple goal yet one that brings the most joy in my entire life! ❤️

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

There are no metrics in this category although I do ensure I capture the precious time I spend with those I love in photos and journalled memories ❤️

3. HEALTH IS WEALTH:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

These Dream Driven Goals are short and simple yet much work is required to work towards them.

Mental & Emotional Health: To continuously protect & nurture my mental & emotional health

Physical Health: To continuously work towards being the healthiest, fittest and strongest I can be

Spiritual Health: To grow and stay grounded spiritually

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

My health is the foundation on which everything else is built. Without health, nothing else can thrive.

In 2022, my entire perspective on health changed. It is no longer about being healthy because I enjoy eating well, exercising and fitting into my clothes.

Health is now about longevity and having health, fitness, strength & mobility to enjoy that longevity.

Dr Lisa Misconi says ‘Your health in mid life is the biggest determining factor of your health in later life’. This is why it is so important to become the healthiest, fittest and strongest than I have ever been!

I feel more grounded, happy, less anxious, less overwhelmed and more at peace with myself, life & everything when I feel fit and healthy.

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

I make the same health goals every year and have learned that progress is not linear.

Some years I am at my healthiest, fittest and strongest and some years I am not. What matters here is not so much progress, but what I learn about my health and the continuous work I put in to improving it.

1.Mental & Emotional Health:

To allow, accept, understand and prioritise what supports my mental health. For me, mental health is the most important element of overall health as without optimum mental health, nothing else will function optimally.

To allow, accept, understand and prioritise what supports my emotional life. I’m an Enneagram 4 and so pretty much live on my emotions! Managing my emotions needs to be a daily practise to stay sane!

2. Physical Health:

Continuously work on my physical health to be the healthiest, fittest and strongest I can be. I do this through embedding healthy habits for nutrition, exercise, sleep, relaxing etc. Here I schedule and monitor results of health check ups – optician, dentist, bloods etc.

3. Spiritual Health:

To learn, grow and stay grounded spiritually. This category is very much tied to the work I do in the ‘Sense of Self’ category and will ensure I bring the best version of my truest, most authentic self to my health and all aspects of my life ❤️

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Where I am on the Stress Performance Curve & the Emotional Scale
Health metrics of BMI, Weight, Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, Bloods,
Health checks completed and progress on same

4. FINANCE:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To achieve and enjoy Financial Freedom.

Financial freedom is defined as ‘having sufficient income, savings or investments to live comfortably for life and meet all one’s obligations without relying on a salary/paycheck’.

I have learned a huge amount about Financial Freedom from Tony Robbin’s excellent book ‘Money – Master the Game’. Tony says Financial Freedom is ‘a long-term plan to build the life of your dreams. Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want, that’s also financial freedom’.

Both of these definitions sit well with me and sum up my Dream Driven Goals for Financial Freedom!

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

I want the freedom to do whatever I want with my precious time.

I want the freedom to work for joy and not for the necessity of money.

I want the freedom to give as much time as I want to other areas of my life

For me, financial freedom isn’t about having a certain amount of money, it’s more about using my financial situation to have the freedcom to enjoy all other areas of life as much as possible.

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

I use the word ‘abundantly’ throughout my 2023 financial goals as I believe that reaching financial goals has as much to do with mindset as it has to do with money.

If you haven’t read Carol Dwecke’s book ‘Mindset’ I highly recommend that you do. This book teaches the difference between having a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset and the consequences of both.

I truly believe that having a Growth Mindset in terms of finances is the first step to reaching financial goals.

To abundantly spend and enjoy spending

To enjoy spending money and monitor my spending.

To abundantly increase my financial value

To increase my financial value through savings and investments.

My financial value is my total savings, investments and pensions. Financial value is a better metric than salary as while you could be staying on the same salary, your financial value could be increasing depending on your savings, investments and pensions.

In stark contrast your salary could be increasing but if you’re not saving and investing, your financial value will decrease.

I have 2 very large projects planned in this category this year which involves selling/buying property. I also have many smaller projects that will all move me a few steps closer to financial freedom.

To abundantly earn more

I am currently on a break from earning money even though everything I do is geared towards becoming financially free! I have thoughts of returning to earning money but I don’t have a timeline yet! 😊

To abundantly stay out of consumer debt

This is no longer a goal but something that needs to be sustained. I keep this documented as a reminder that consumer debt is something I never want to go back to. Whilst all my reasons/excuses for getting into consumer debt were justified (living my best life, building an investment portfolio, becoming a travel photographer), it took me years to dig my way out of it and it’s a place I never want to visit again.

To abundantly learn more about finance

To learn more about personal finance and continue to embed a Growth Mindset in terms of finance.

I haven’t read many books on finance as it’s not my favourite subject but the books I have read made a huge impact on me. Below are books I highly recommend to learn more about personal finance.

Money – Master the Game by Tony Robbins – I highly recommend this excellent book’. It’s a huge book and I didn’t understand much of it but it’s worth reading for chapter 8 which is all about Financial Freedom and how it’s not as difficult to achieve as you may think.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – this bestselling book was on my bookshelf for years before I finally read it last year and I look forward to reading it again this year. It’s the type of book that you can read over and over again as you go deeper and deeper into it’s wisdom. A must read for anyone serious about financial freedom! 😊

Mindset by Carol Dwecke – this book teaches the difference between having a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset and the consequences of both. I believe having a Growth Mindset is the first step to improving personal finance.

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Progress in large and mini projects
Monitor & document total spend which is Detailed spend, Capital spend, Business spend
Monitor & document total financial value which is Profit, Property & Pensions
Monitor & document total Earnings & Debt
Document financial learnings

5. WORK:

I currently spend the least time in this category which is ironic as for 25 years it is where I spent the most time! Even though I now spend the least time here, it is the life category that is changing the most.

Having left my day job in October 2021, I am currently in between working for others and working for myself.

My focus at the moment is on my writing and building the foundation of my business through my Lean Business Strategy.

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To be a writer.

To build my own business.

To practice and teach Lean philosophy.

To continuously learn and improve my skills.

To enjoy every minute of this process.

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

My favourite thing to do is write

My second favourite thing to do is read which helps me be a better writer.

I have always wanted to work for myself and my business is my channel to achieving financial freedom.

I want to have total freedom over my work, my time, my finances and my creativity.

I want to learn more about myself, other people, Lean and business.

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Lean Business Strategy

Create more time to write, read and create content
Start building my Lean Business Strategy

Writing

Send weekly mail to my community – you can sign up for my weekly email here
Carry out a Digital 5S Project – I’m so excited to get back to practicingLean after a break of almost 18 months! 😊

Income

Return to Travel Photography work in some capacity. I have missed Travel Photography immensely as I haven’t dedicated much time to it in the past few years.

Learning

I have bought loads of courses that I want to finish but these are on hold for the moment.

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Progress in creating more time to write, read and create content
Progress in my Lean Business Strategy
Mailing list metrics & engagement
Progress in Digital 5S Project
Progress in Travel Photography work
Learnings and improvement in my skills

6. SOCIAL LIFE/FUN/RECREATION:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To have fun, smile, laugh out loud more & don’t take life too seriously!

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Because it makes me feel good! 😊

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Spend time with loved ones who make me smile & laugh and bring me so much joy
Be more aware of everyday activities that bring me joy and do more of them
Be more aware of everyday activities that don’t bring me joy and do less of them

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

There are no metrics in this category although I do ensure I capture fun times in photos and journalled memories ❤️

7. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To improve and enjoy my environment which is our home on a personal level and our planet on a global scale. Remove everything that doesn’t serve me and only keep what brings me joy.

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Because it makes me feel good and I enjoy looking after & improving our living space – both on a personal and global level 😊

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Carry out Marie Kondo’s decluttering in our home.

Marie Kondo’s overarching teaching is to remove anything from our homes that doesn’t SPARK JOY! Marie’s book ‘The Magic Art of Tidying Up’ is a must for anyone who wants more space in their home and life!

2. Decorate our home with the support of an interior designer

3. Reduce my plastic usage and find ways to support the longevity of our planet

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Progress in Marie Kondo’s decluttering on our home.
Progress in decorating our home with the support of an interior designer
Progress in supporting the longevity of our beautiful planet

8. CONTRIBUTION

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To have sufficient financial stability to give to those in need.

To contribute to the world with my time & skills.

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

I want to give back and support those less fortunate because the world has given and continues to give me so much 😊

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

I have been supporting 4 main charities that mean a lot to me for many years. All of these charity direct debits are currently on hold as I’m not working but I contribute financially to charities with once off payments.
Contribute to the world with my time & my skills – this means different things at different times.

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Monitor what I give and the impact on others and on me

That’s it, my 2023 ANNUAL GOALS that support my long term DREAM DRIVEN GOALS ❤️

Remember goal setting is just an activity and reaching goals is just a destination.

What is really important is that you enjoy the journey between these 2 points in time.

How you live, love through and enjoy each and every day is really what matters.

To be content, happy and full of joy & vitality every day, that’s the real goal – everything else is just decoration!

Whatever your goals are for 2023, I wish you love, laughter, success, happiness and enjoyment every single day as you work towards them.

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

x x

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Get SERIOUS about your Intentions & Goals for 2022

S = STOP

What will you stop doing that is not serving you in 2022?

Do you have habits that you want to stop?

Do you have behaviours that you want to stop?

E = ENGAGE

Who do you need to engage with in 2022?

Are there relationships you need to give more time to?

Are there relationships you need to give less time to?

Do you need to find a coach and/or mentor to support you?

Do you need to offer support to someone?

Do you need to receive support from someone?

Is there someone you want to learn from?

R = REMOVE

What do you need to remove from your life in 2022?

What do you physically need to remove from your life/work/business?

What do you mentally/emotionally need to remove like beliefs & stories you tell yourself?

What do you need to remove electronically – electronic space also takes up mental headspace!

If your life is full, there is no room for anything else to enter!

I = INTENTION & IMPROVE

What is your intention in each area of your life in 2022?

What will you improve in each area of your life in 2022?

What is working for you that you want to build on?

What parts of your life do you love that you want more of?

O = OPEN YOUR MIND

How will you open your mind and move out of your comfort zone?

Your comfort zone is exactly that – comfortable.

There is no growth there, you will only grow by moving outside of your comfort zone.

What do you need to learn about to move you out of your comfort zone?

What passions do you have in life that you want to learn more about?

How will you grow & evolve in each area of your life?

U = UNDERSTAND

How will you understand more about each area of your life in 2022?

How will you understand more about yourself?

How will you understand more about others?

You are the key to your own success in life and so understanding and nurturing your relationship with yourself is time very well spent.

S = START

What will you start?

We usually take on way too much and so ‘Start’ is the last thing to do.

Our lives are already overflowing with busy and so to start something new, we need to create the precious time to do so.

It’s better to focus on everything else (especially STOP & REMOVE) so you can create the physical, mental and emotional time and space to start something new!

That’s it, answer these quick and easy questions to get SERIOUS about INTENTION & GOAL setting in every area of your life for 2022 and beyond.

Whether this was your first time setting intentions & goals for the year or you have been doing this for many years, I hope you learned something new.

More importantly, I hope you TAKE ACTION!

Intention & goal setting is only as good as the ACTION YOU TAKE to plan for 2022, I’d love to hear how your intention & goal setting went and what ACTIONS you will be taking?

I wish you happiness, joy, success and purposeful, positive change in 2022 and beyond.

You can download your free resource, the ANNUAL REVIEW WORKBOOK below,

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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How To Get SERIOUS About Your Goals!

S = STOP

What will you stop doing that is not supporting you?

Do you have habits that you want to stop?

Do you have behaviours that you want to stop?

E = ENGAGE

Who do you need to engage with to support you?

Are there relationships you need to give more time to?

Are there relationships you need to give less time to?

Do you need to find a coach and/or mentor?

R = REMOVE

What do you physically need to remove from your life/work/business?

What do you mentally/emotionally need to remove like beliefs & stories you tell yourself?

What do you need to remove electronically – electronic space also takes up mental headspace!

If your life is full, there is no room for anything else to enter!

I = IMPROVE

What will you improve in each area of your life?

What is working for you that you want to build on?

What parts of your life do you love that you want more of?

O = OPEN YOUR MIND

How will you open your mind, grow, evolve and move out of your comfort zone?

Your comfort zone is exactly that – comfortable.

There is no growth there, you will only grow by moving outside of your comfort zone.

What do you need to learn about to move you out of your comfort zone?

U = UNDERSTAND

How will you understand more about each area of your life?

How will you understand more about yourself?

How will you understand more about others?

S = START

What will you start?

Our lives are already overflowing with busy and so to start something new, we need to create the precious time, space and energy to do so.

It’s better to focus on everything else in SERIOUS (especially STOP & REMOVE) so you can create the physical, mental and emotional time & space to start something new!

That’s it, answer these quick & easy questions to get SERIOUS about PERSONAL GOAL SETTING in every area of your life for the rest of 2022.

Whether this was your first time setting Personal Goals or you have been doing this for many years, I hope you learn something new during your Personal Goal setting process.

More importantly, I hope you TAKE ACTION!

Goal setting is only as good as the ACTION YOU TAKE.

I wish you happiness, joy, success and purposeful, positive change for the rest of 2022 and beyond.

If you missed my post on ‘A Guide To Your Mid Year Personal Review’, you can find it here,

‘A Guide To Your Mid Year Personal Review’

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

x x

Want to read more about Positive Change in life & business?

Download your free e-book ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ and sign up to my Weekly Newsletter below.

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STEP 1:

STEP 2:

STEP 3:

​STEP 4:

A. Categorise my life using The Wheel of Life

B. Create a framework for Annual Goal Setting

C. Document my Annual Goals

1. SENSE OF SELF:

2. MY RELATIONSHIPS

3. HEALTH IS WEALTH:

4. FINANCE:

5. WORK:

7. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:

8. CONTRIBUTION

S = STOP

E = ENGAGE

R = REMOVE

I = INTENTION & IMPROVE

O = OPEN YOUR MIND

U = UNDERSTAND

S = START

That’s it, answer these quick and easy questions to get SERIOUS about INTENTION & GOAL setting in every area of your life for 2022 and beyond.

You can download your free resource, the ANNUAL REVIEW WORKBOOK below,

S = STOP

E = ENGAGE

R = REMOVE

I = IMPROVE

O = OPEN YOUR MIND

U = UNDERSTAND

S = START

That’s it, answer these quick & easy questions to get SERIOUS about PERSONAL GOAL SETTING in every area of your life for the rest of 2022.

If you missed my post on ‘A Guide To Your Mid Year Personal Review’, you can find it here,

Want to read more about Positive Change in life & business?

Download your free e-book ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ and sign up to my Weekly Newsletter below.

STEP 4: