How to Choose the Right Goals for 2019

Hi, friend! We're so glad you’ve landed here at the Break It Down Week Series! Here’s Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. 

You know when there are so many options that you can't make a decision?

It's called decision overwhelm.

When there are many potential options (that seem equally good), it's hard to know if you're making the right choice.

Have you ever felt that way about goal setting? That there are so many options but you don't know which ones are right for you, in this season?

Well, let's start with some truth: you can't do it all and do it well. So, you have to filter through all the options to pick the right goals that fit within this season of your life.

(If you haven't set your goals yet, there's nothing magical about January 1, and you're going to love Lara's podcast episode that airs tomorrow! If you need a proven system to uncover the best goals for you, jump in with the rest of us and get your PowerSheets® Goal Planner today (25% off with code BREAKITDOWN). And keep reading because this post will help you, too!)

So, you set your goals for the year and it feels great! At first.

About a minute after you stop patting yourself on the back (because boy, does it feel good to set some goals and maybe even tell other people about them!), you take another look at your list. And realize—these goals you set? They just don't feel right.

This is Break It Down Week, where we help you break your goals down so you can make progress with ease, but! If you've yet to take action on your goals in these first three weeks of the year, it might not be because you need help breaking them down—it might be because they're NOT the right goals for you. 

We'll talk about breaking our goals down into smaller, do-able mini goals done over time more tomorrow—but before that, let's make sure you've set the right goals! To do that, ask yourself these questions:

1. Did I set this goal out of thin air, or is it deeply connected to my why? Hopefully, if you set goals using your PowerSheets®, this is a no-brainer! There's one question you need to ask yourself to uncover your best goals, and here it is: where do you want to be when you're 80? All of your goals need to point you toward that vision for your life—it's the secret to setting the right goals.

When the goal you want to achieve matters to you in the big picture, you will follow through. No matter how many times you mess up along the way, you’ll get back up—because your heart is in it! How perfectly you get there doesn’t matter as much as why.

If a goal doesn't really mean anything to you, of course, you're not going to follow through on it—because achieving a goal often takes time, hard work, diligence, focus, and more of your resources that are in short supply. Which brings us to...

2. What is this goal going to cost you? Do you have the "budget" for it? A goal could be deeply connected to your why, but you simply might not be able to complete it with your current resources. Look at each of your goals, and ask yourself:

• Do I have the time to complete this goal? If not, could I shift some of my other responsibilities to give myself more time? Time is the currency we use to invest in the things that matter.
• Do I have the necessary reserves of patience, will power, and focus to complete this goal? (For example, if you've just had a baby and are sleep-deprived, a goal that requires intense detail work might not be the best fit!)

We all have a finite amount of resources, and there are a lot of demands on them. Carefully evaluate each goal to see whether it's realistic to make progress on it with the resources you have. If it's not, tweak or discard the goal—you can always return to it in a different season! Which brings us to...

3. Is this goal the right goal for right now? Or for a different season? Maybe, after asking yourself the questions above, you realize you don't have the resources to complete one of your goals. Or maybe you're in a season of transition (moving across the country, in-between jobs, caring for an ailing parent). A goal can be good, worthy, and deeply connected to your why, but it will only lead to frustration if you try to tackle it in an already-full season of life. 

Hold up each of your goals next to your life as it is today, and ask whether this is the right season to set it. If the answer is no, gently tuck it away for another season—perhaps sooner than you think.

We were created for seasons, and that's one reason we love the quarterly Goal Refresh in the PowerSheets. So much can change in just three months, and you'll soon have another chance to consider whether you're in the right season to tackle this goal!

More for you:
—Coming tomorrow for you here on the blog: you’ll learn how to break your goals down into mini goals!
—Read Lara’s best-selling book, Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life to help you embrace the season you’re in.
—Learn how to set goals in seasons of transition.
—Listen in to the 6 ways to free yourself from the times your to-do list starts running your life so you can focus on what matters.
—Download the free Ultimate Intentional Goal Setting Checklist to do a deeper check on your goals!

Don't have your 2019 PowerSheets® yet? There's nothing magical about January 1st, and at the end of this year, you will be so glad you started today! Use code BREAKITDOWN for 25% off your order of One-Year PowerSheets and get started on your 2019 goals now!