Some of you may be getting ready to do a walk for Charity or something much more strenuous like a trek along the Great Wall of China, to raise money for a cause which is dear to you. And as you will know, there is a lot more to it than just turning up on the day and giving it your all!
Success happens by having the end goal in mind and then working backwards, taking time to plan all the steps along the way. This puts you in the best possible place to always achieve what you set out to do and is something I work on with my clients when we do the ‘Suitcase’ exercise.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. When my good friend and colleague Sandi Sayer and I run ‘Dream Team’ workshops, we do a role play as part of the session. I have my own dream of trekking in the Himalayas, and as it’s very easy to be vague about goals (and if you don’t know exactly where you are going, it’s easy to get lost!), Sandi coaches me to pack my suitcase in preparation for success. This is how it goes:
Time to get S.M.A.R.T and make your dreams come true!
Specific – what exactly is my Goal? Well, I have a BIG birthday coming up, and to celebrate the occasion I want to do something which will really be meaningful to me. I want to trek in the Himalayas, I want to work with a health agency to take medical supplies to the poorer communities, I want to sleep under the stars and I want to do part of the journey on a donkey.
Measurable – how will I know that I have achieved it? I will have the photo’s to prove it, I will also have written a diary capturing all the moments along the way, I will have tickets, postcards and souvenirs to put in a scrapbook to pass on to my children.
Agreed – is this a goal that I can agree and set myself or am I being pressured into doing it? Do I need the permission of others in order to achieve it? This is something I want to do myself and although my husband will come with me to support me, I don’t need his permission. The health agency are not pressuring me to take medical supplies, I have a personal contact who carries out gynecological operations - free of charge - in any spare time he can get from his busy NHS clinic and I want to help him.
Realistic – I know that there will be many hurdles to overcome, but others have achieved similar things with similar health issues and so can I. I will need to allow for my FM, and pace myself more so than others, which might mean that I don’t go as part of a larger group. I may not be able to cover great distances in a day and because I have a passion for donkeys, having a long eared ‘friend’ would be a great help. Most importantly, I will need to get help to draw up a realistic exercise programme which will improve my overall fitness and stamina.
Timed – I will have achieved this goal in the year of my BIG birthday.
So, here comes the suitcase part… what do I need to ‘pack’ in order to achieve my goal?
I will need to: contact various travel companies, get appropriate vaccinations, save up enough money, organise visa’s and relevant travel documents, set aside time to plan, create and follow through on an exercise programme, and most importantly I will need a big circle of confidence and lots of positive self belief - I CAN do this!
So now you get the idea, you can try the suitcase exercise yourself. Pick on something you have always wanted to do no matter what that might be and follow the above SMART goal setting format.
Once you have achieved your goal - no matter how large or small - please email me and let me know, I love to hear your success stories!
July is Personal Development month. The Dream Team is offering a three part ‘Self Foundation’ Workshop in Calne, Wiltshire – completely free of charge! To find out more about the Dream Team and the workshop, visit www.bridienelson.com or email to book your place now: dreamteampd@gmail.com
