[Teli]

I was just about to publish my goals for March and decided I should probably pop over here and make an entry on the importance of goal setting.

You've probably already heard the spiel - goals are important, goals are great, set goals if you want to succeed, etc.

It's true. Once you have a point of reference for where you'd like to end up, you're more likely to get there - it's like a road map for your life.

I like that - the road map analogy - let's use that one.

When someone gives you directions, what's the first thing you normally do? Write them down, right? Why should your goals be any different.

If you don't write down the directions, you're likely to get lost along the way and find yourself late, frustrated, and feeling stupid.

Writing down your goals is like writing down which route you plan to take on your journey. That means your goals will most likely need some details.

But try not to be too specific. Flexibility is important because there is more than one way to get somewhere.

Promise not to beat yourself up if you don't accomplish every goal in the allotted time frame.

There's no use, you can not go back in time and change it, and beating yourself up will probably decrease your chances of achieving your future goals.

Goals are learning opportunities in disguise.

Maybe the bridge is out on the route you originally plotted, or you made a wrong turn somewhere - don't fret, take a detour. Kick back, take some notes, and enjoy it.

You may end up learning there are a couple different ways to arrive at your destination, or you may find someplace better.

And when it comes time to set some new goals, do a review of your previous goals. But instead of reviewing all the things that you missed or didn't accomplish - review everything that you did accomplish, learn, or improve.

When you focus on your accomplishments and all the joy you received, your setting yourself up for more of the same. You will naturally want to experience more happy accidents and learning opportunities.

You may even find that you're better able to deal with unexpected circumstances cropping up.