We did it!!!
Doing spring cleaning of the desk in my home office (read…a corner in my bedroom as we had to give up the office for the youngest child), the other half came across our list of goals that we wanted to accomplish this year.
As you might now, being an avid reader of my blogs, I am a list writer and have written these goals in many different places…in pictures on my computer, in my Leanne Baker Daily planner, or random notepads when I am trying to get back into focus…the latter was what the other half found during his cleaning spree.
We had done it, completed 3 out of the 4 goals we had set near the start of the year (in March really, as goals can be set at any time of year, and my New Years Resolutions seem to be broken before the champagne cork hits the floor).
How did we do this?
To reach our goals, we needed to make some plans, review those plans when life threw some stormy weather our way, and adjust accordingly.
One of the goals needed time to make it happen, but for the others, money was the driving force to success. So some weeks were tighter than others, especially as we got closer to the goal and wanted to make this happen faster, but the view of the goal being so close, meant that Bunnings for Tea* was completely do-able.
Most Importantly…
The main factor in us achieving so much in such a little time was that we worked together. Not just the other half and myself either. The kids were well aware of what we were trying to achieve and were fantastic at not only smiling when Mumma Bear created something completely random for dinner, but also talking through areas of where we can save more money (yes, one of them became obsessed with turning lights off, often while people were still in the room).
Our children seeing us working with a goal in mind, and being open with them about the why’s and how’s of the goal has made the road to achieving our goal much smoother.
When you experience the inevitable moments of doubt and lose your way, to achieve your goal you MUST have one or more cheerleaders to keep you on your path.
What about the final goal?
The final goal on this year’s list is a BIG ONE… and we have reached several of the milestones we set to keep us on track and stay motivated to keep going. So while we haven’t achieved this one in its entirety, we remain on track to knock this off the list, while coming up with other goals for our family.
In a Nutshell…
There is a quote often referenced to Bill Gates or Steve Pavlina, about overestimating what can be achieved in one or two years, but underestimating what can happen in five or ten years. Goal setting can help to level this out.
We may have overestimated on being able to achieve that last goal, but we have paused to reflect on everything else that we have achieved since setting these goals. 3 out of 4 are done. Many other hiccups financially and otherwise have been dealt with while still achieving 3 out of 4 of our set goals.
All along we had the main factors to give ourselves the best chance to achieve our goals…
- Set the goals using the SMART method
- Make a plan for the goals and review the plan periodically to adjust if needed
- Work as a team, and surround yourself with cheerleaders
*Bunnings for Tea is where we simply have snags in bread, loved by our kid’s. Just ensure you are well stocked in tomato sauce.
