Before You Set Your Goals...Do This

 Hey you, happy new year! This blog is late because I had my copy all ready to go, and then I realized that my blog on goal setting (will go out next week Friday) was missing the VERY FIRST STEP towards setting and achieving a goal - wanting it badly enough. What do you want in 2021? Like seriously, what is burning within your heart?

I came across a wonderful method that distilled my ideas about DESIRE into a neat, little acronym which I wanted to share and discuss with you today. Please check out this WOOP method. WOOP stands for:

The whole point of the WOOP method is to help you amplify your desire by figuring out what good is in it for you, and then clearing the path to achieving this desire/goal by identifying obstacles and planning how to get around them. 

If you can see how accomplishing a certain goal will help you to be a better person, get greater professional results, increase your health, make you more money, give you greater opportunities or make your quality of life better, you will want it more.  

Go ahead and download the WOOP app and give it a try. I did it and just for the day, I was able to identify lack of meal prep as one obstacle in me accomplishing the goal of eating healthy on that day. Once I realized I valued the healthy meals, I left what I was doing and got into some serious meal prep! It worked for me. The WOOP app is available in the Apple store, or in Google Play which you are best able to access from your phone :)

Please consider this: all the goals I’ve accomplished so far, I have first wanted badly enough. All the goals that you will accomplish, you will achieve if you start by wanting them badly enough. I wanted to be a runner. I wanted to lose weight and have toned arms (it's corny I know but I am being honest). I wanted to make exercise a regular activity. I've achieved these goals y'all, and you can achieve your goals too!

If you're not into apps and all that, can I just encourage you to sit quietly for a while, with pen and paper, and just dream? See yourself in the new reality that you want to accomplish. Savor it. What is the color? The weight? The smell? The style? What does this goal feel, taste, smell, sound and look like? 

Once you’ve done that exercise, complete this statement: “If I accomplish this, I will be better at --------------, or I will be more ----------------.” You get the picture, right? 

By this time, you will be buoyed with enthusiasm. It is then that you list the obstacles and potential obstacles that can prevent you, or are stopping you from getting to this goal.. Once you have written them out, then write down how you can get around, overcome, divert, minimize or eradicate those obstacles altogether. 

Now my friend, you are ready for the next step. You now have a goal for which you have identified the benefits as well as the potential pitfalls and how to get around them. This goal is now loaded, grounded, rooted in reality, and ready for strategy! And strategy is where we will pick it up next week.

I hope you dream big and plan deep. That is the easiest way to achieve your goals!

If you want to join a community of goal getters that will inspire you, empower you and keep you accountable every week, please click on this link below. On Sunday, January 17, 2021, I launch GoalGetters - an 8 week mastermind group of professionals who will together get to their most important goals in 2021. I want you to be part of this group. I want you to win! Click on the link below 

What I Learned This Week: