I sat down recently with my good friend Jessika Brown to talk about all things goal setting! We had a great conversation about how to make sure that when we’re goal setting, we are also aligning those goals to our value system.
Your goals need to be determined by what God has for you, not what the world says you need! It’s possible to conduct God-led goal setting, and I’m going to share 6 steps to get you started!
Define what it means to have it all so your goal setting fits within your value system
So before you even get to your goal setting, sit down with a piece of paper and reflect on what it means for YOU to have it all. Not just in business, but in your whole life.
1. Identify your values to understand your value system
Your values are the top 3-5 things that drive your behavior and make you who you are. And it’s important to put a name to them so you can use them to make decisions in your life – like with goal setting!
When you get clear on these values, you can create a value system that guides everything you do. So when it’s time to partner with God to set goals, you know immediately if what you’re doing aligns with what you’re called to do and the value system you’ve identified.
2. Get clear on why the values you chose are important to your value system
It’s easy to think you’ve created a value system that provides a solid foundation for your life, but so often, the values we choose are either:
Not values that we chose for ourselves (e.g. values that were told to us by our parents, our friends, society, etc).
Superficial values that don’t reflect who we are at the core (e.g. thinking you value weight loss, but when you dig deeper, you discover that the thing you really value is being around a long time for your family).
With each value you’ve identified, ask yourself, “Why did I choose this value?” Get super clear, so you are confident that your value system is a true reflection of who you are and what matters to you.
3. When you’re goal setting, choose goals that align with your value system
Look at the 3-5 values that you identified, and choose one goal that fits within each of those values. For example, if one of your values is faith, ask yourself, “What’s my number one goal for my faith?”
Give yourself a timeline (90 days is a great place to start!) and run after those goals so you can start making that vision you set at the beginning a reality.
4. After you’re done goal setting, it’s time to commit to taking action!
It’s not enough just to decide on your goals and leave it at that. It’s time to commit, girl! Jessika told me during our conversation, “Motivation doesn’t cause action. Action causes motivation.” You need to decide to commit before you’re going to feel the motivation to stick to your goals.
To help with this, make sure your goals are sticky and tactical. Make sure they’re SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Time-bound) goals that are tangible. This is going to make it easy to take action and reach those goals.
5. Prioritize your goals within your value system so you see them through
“Stef, I’m so busy! How do I find the time to follow through with my goal setting?” I hear ya, friend. I’m busy being a wife, a mom, running my courses and coaching, and managing a team! But I’m able to find the time to meet my goals because I prioritize.
You only have 24 hours in a day, so you have to prioritize around your value system. You don’t want to end up drowning in things that you feel like you have to do rather than the steps you created when you were goal setting.
I created a boundary blueprint to help visualize everything I was doing with my time. You can do this however you like, I personally use MindMeister, it’s free and super easy to use. Here’s how you’re going to create your blueprint:
Write down all your non-negotiables on one side
Write down all the other things that you’re doing that aren’t a non-negotiable
Take inventory of how much time all of these tasks take
Look at your non-negotiables and see if any of them are actually negotiable and can be moved into the other column
For all your non-negotiables, ask yourself why you’re doing it. If your answers are things like “I have to” or “I should”, assess whether you truly need to be doing these things or whether you have to say no. You should only be filling your time with things that fit into your value system.
You can decide to say no to things that don’t align with your values.Once you cut out the things which are not fulfilling you and bringing you joy, you create space to spend time on the areas you identified when you were goal setting.
6. Start taking action to achieve your goals
Discipline is the process of learning. You’re going after goals that are deeply rooted in your value system, and as you start making progress, you are going to be learning how your life will change as a result of committing and following through.
It reminds me of Hebrews 12:11:
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Things are going to be uncomfortable and difficult, but there’s fruit on the other side. Ask yourself, “What would be different 90 days from now if you stick to this goal?” Connect your tactical goals to the value system you created to keep you grounded and focused on the big picture.
Goal setting starts by getting clear on your value system. You need to understand your top 3-5 values so you can create goals around the things that truly fulfill you and align with what God has called you to be. With your value system at the foundation, it will be so much easier to commit, prioritize, and take action towards making those goals a reality!
If you need some help figuring out what it is that God has called you to do, I have a free clarity workshop for you! Get clear on your calling so you can start a business that aligns with your value system.
Before you go, be sure to watch the free workshop!
This free workshop is for you if you want to grow an online business in less time.
It will teach you how to explode your audience without the social media hustle, make consistent sales using a podcast, and plan, record, and launch a podcast with ease!
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