{"id":264,"date":"2018-03-31T13:14:08","date_gmt":"2018-03-31T13:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deepika-gprakash.com\/?p=264"},"modified":"2021-05-27T17:10:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T17:10:50","slug":"goal-setting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deepika-gprakash.com\/?p=264","title":{"rendered":"Goal Setting!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wanted to jot down my thoughts here about why its important to set life goals and also note some techniques that i’m trying out this year \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Have you ever felt that life is passing by very quickly and you seem to have little control of it? Often in life, we are so busy and stuck in the day to day grind that we forget to see the bigger picture. We don’t spend time to think about what we truly want in life, the experiences and things that matter and how to achieve them.<\/p>\n

How about taking the time out of set your “Life” goals<\/span>? Goals<\/span> to make sure that your life is going in the direction you want. To ensure that it all fits together – your passions, priorities and ambitions.<\/p>\n

They say that, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. Setting<\/span> life goals<\/span> helps you be consciously aware of all these wants and fine tunes your attention accordingly. Goal<\/span> setting<\/span> not only allows you to take control of your life, but also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding. Having a goal<\/span> written down with a set target date gives you something to plan and work for, making you more motivated, focussed and likely to achieve it<\/p>\n

Coming to some techniques that have worked for me –<\/p>\n

1) Build a mind-map<\/p>\n

If you are new to mindmaps, checkout my blog that has a sample<\/a> mindmap. Mindmaps help you generate, visualize and organize all of your ideas and build out the bigger picture. The great thing about mind mapping is that you can put your ideas down in any order, as soon as they pop into your head. You can start out by highlighting the main themes you want to focus and have the specific goals<\/span> branch out from these core themes.<\/p>\n

 A few things to keep in mind,<\/p>\n

a) Have a very clear purpose for your goals<\/span>. I personally chose to focus on all the things that would make me happy, satisfied or equip me with skills for a better future. Having a strong purpose is key to ensuring that you stay motivated<\/p>\n

b) Its not only important to have specific goals<\/span> but also goals<\/span> that you have control over<\/p>\n

For eg: Instead of setting<\/span> a goal<\/span> like “You want to lose 10 pounds”, set a goal<\/span> that you can control like “Go to the gym for 1 hour every day”. An even better goal<\/span> would be to cut some slack for yourself and be realistic in the first place for eg: “Go to the gym for an hour 4 times a week”<\/p>\n

2) Once you have a mindmap, the 2nd step is to break the big picture down into smaller, manageable tasks and create an action plan.<\/p>\n