Don't Just Say "Someday I'm Going To" - Write Your Goals Down!

Have you ever said to yourself, "Someday, I'm going to..."?

Three years ago, I moved to London, Ontario from Edmonton, Alberta. If you check the map, you will see that I am now living in the southern part of the country, compared to Edmonton. It is so gorgeous here, that it feels a bit like Paradise to me. There are so many fabulous lakes and beaches, compelling fruit/vegetable markets, incredible bike trails, etc. etc. At the end of May, I took out my calendar and, for the next 3 months, filled in the dates with some of the activities that I really wanted to do this summer -- pick blueberries with friends, go to the beach, bike the local trails, go to a play at Stratford Festival Theatre, host friends for a BBQ once a month, and so on. Summers are short in Canada so, for me, I feel it is important to plan this precious time and get the most out of it. I know, from past experience, that if I didn't plan my time and write it down, many of my fun experiences would not necessarily have happened this summer. My intention was to have those experiences this year. Tomorrow is promised to no one.

The same holds true in planning our lives. I have heard many people say to me, "I don't need to write out my goals. I just keep them all in my head." Well, good for you! How successful have you been in achieving your goals?

Even Olympic athletes write out their goals. That, along with the technique of visualization, creates the energy, drive and emotion to achieve goals.

Writing out our goals accomplishes a few things:

1. It imprints the goal on our subconscious mind. ("All meaningful and lasting changes starts first on the inside, then works its' way out." -- Lou Tice)
2. We are able to keep the goal in front of us, to read and internalize daily (more on that later).
3. It makes it 'real'.
4. Writing our goals helps greatly to clarify our thinking.
5. Writing our goals provides a reliable record when our memory lags.

There are a number of ways to keep track of your goals. One is to write them on an index card, carry them with you and read the cards frequently. Some of my colleagues writing their goals in the form of a 'letter of intention' and read that each day. Writing in a journal is one way of capturing your dreams and plans for your future.

The key concept here is to write out your goals, read them frequently and move towards what you think about. Your present thoughts determine your future.

And if you don't invent your future, someone else will!