Episode 264: Goal Setting for 2024

So today, we are going to talk about goals for the first quarter of 2024. January through March 31st is the first quarter of the year. We are setting 3 to 5 goals for the first quarter of 2024. Now, the other thing is that if you do the full yearly goals, you could break that down a little bit, baby-stepping into that first quarter. But what I want you to be thinking of is the first of the year through March 31st. That's where I want your focus to be because it's a much more bite-sized piece to apply your goals to and your positive thoughts and actions towards. I want to give you some questions to think about: The first question is, with these goals that you have, where do you feel you are at in achieving them? Talk about what you've done in the past and where that has brought you. And then the next thing I want you to ask yourself is, looking at where you are at in achieving them and what you've done in the past, how has that made you feel? What are your emotions around it? If you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, you will change. Now, the reason why I asked you where are you at in achieving them and how does that make you feel because if you did write something down, "I feel like I've let myself down, I feel like I just keep procrastinating, I feel like I'm such a loser…" I want you right now to feel that pain. I want you to feel it. I want you to get uncomfortable. I want you to recognize all of those things that you just said. Why? Not because I'm some masochist. No, but because I want to get you to change. If you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, you'll change. And then I was hoping you could write this: Today is the first day of the rest of my life. There's that wonderful phrase "Do something today that yourself in year from now will thank you for." Use your mind to govern your brain. Perfectionism leads to procrastination leads to paralysis. Now, I have one more journal question for you: How do you feel when you do not do what you said you were going to do? When you have a thought, that thought leads to an emotion and then to an action. Which then goes back to reiterating that initial thought. I want you now to make three columns. I want you to put one of your goals in the first column. So you're going to put down one of your goals. And then, in the second column, I want you to write down some thoughts that support that goal. So, if my goal is to be a working actor, the thought or thoughts that you would want to write in that second column are I am a successful working actor. I go from success to success in my acting career. I love myself, and I approve of myself. So some good positive affirmations around that goal. Because your thoughts need to back up that goal. What else needs to back up that goal? Your actions. So, I want you to take a look at whatever that goal is, and I want you to think of one to three small actions that you can take towards that goal. What's your goal? What are the thoughts that support the goal? What are the baby actions that you can take towards supporting that goal? And that is the secret to success. It's your thoughts, and your actions must back up what you want. I want you to go back now and look at your goals, and I want you to put next to them, whether they are a habit goal or an achievement goal. So let's say I want to take a vacation in 2024, a two-week vacation in 2024. You need to save up for that. That's an achievement goal. But let's say you want to practice your voice five times a week for half an hour each one of those times. That is a habit goal. So take a moment and review all the goals you have written down and write down if they are habits or achievement. I want you to look at each one of your goals, and I want you to ask yourself, is it a goal that is actually achievable or attainable by the end of the quarter? Or is it a quarter/year project? It should make you just a little uncomfortable. If you babystep your goals enough so that those baby steps are something that you eagerly put yourself forward to do that help you to move in that direction, that is something that is great. Again, that is great because it builds self-esteem. It builds confidence. Now, I want you to look at your goals and I want you to ask yourself questions about them. What is my motive for making my first goal, second goal, third goal happen for me? What will I get out of making it happen? What is my motive? We do things because there is something in it for us. And it's okay to be selfish. When you get to those times when you really do not feel like doing the action step for your goal, you can remind yourself what your motive is. And that's when you can really start asking yourself. How bad do I want it? I consider that question to be the secret ingredient. I operate like this all the time because not every single day do I feel like doing things towards my goals. But when I remind myself what my motive is, I remind myself how it's going to feel when I achieve it. Ooh, baby, that lights a fire under my ass.