As 2013 gets into full swing, many people are either recovering from the holiday binges, getting back into the grind of work or slowly preparing our mindset for the year ahead. The optimists often set out bold New Year resolutions of things they want to change for the better in 2013.

The funny thing with New Year resolutions, however, is that they very rarely last (or are even spoken about) past February!

That is why I prefer to set Great Goals for the year, rather than Resolutions, to keep me focused on achieving my dreams, and to keep me inspired and fulfilled in how I live my everyday life.

Having set goals for a few years, I’ve become pretty decent at it and wanted to share some breakthrough tips with you that I have learnt over time. There is no one way that is right for you, but hopefully this helps you attain what you have been aspiring for and take you to new heights in 2013.

Here are my top 5 tips for setting Great Goals for a better life:

 

1. Set SMART goals

 

In my 5 year stint in the corporate world, we were told that our goals had to be SMART. That is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound. These rules are highly valid, so do ensure that your goals are SMART.

 

For example, I have a goal for the Divinity Wellness Institute ‘to heal 1 million lives in 100 countries by 2022’. Whilst it is a huge goal, it is specific to our model of helping people via Energy Healing consultations. It is also very much achievable, has a realistic time frame and still inspiring to me. Therefore set a goal that meets the SMART criteria, but still inspiring to you.

 

A goal like “I want to be rich in 6 months” may be an inspiring challenge, however may be less realistic if you’re starting from scratch and not very specific of what ‘rich’ means to you. The clearer you are about your goals, the more your thought energies are focussed and the more likely you are to achieve them in 2013.

 

2. Set Goals in all 7 areas of your life

I am a big fan of Dr John Demartini’s work, world renowned author, philosopher and star of ‘The Secret’ -  we are exploring collaborations in 2013.

 

Demartini has divided life into 7 key areas – Spiritual, Mental (mind), Physical (body), Social, Financial, Familial and Vocational (career/work related). I have set my goals in these seven areas, to have a clear vision of how I want my life to be and since doing that, I’ve had more alignment with my highest values.

 

Any areas in which you do not set a goal or empower, you will allow other people to empower and have control of over you.

 

If that’s OK with you, no problem, but if you wish to have full control of your life, then setting a goal in that aspect is the first step to your empowerment and designing the life that you want.

 

3. Think short term AND long term

 

I first started with 5 year goals and then broke them down into goals for the next 12 months. Breaking them down like this gives me more focus on a timeframe and set of activities that have to be accomplished in 2013.

 

I then break this down into what I need to achieve in the next 90 days (3 months), which I call a 90 Day Plan. This gives me IMMEDIATE focus, and make sure I have ‘baby steps’ that I have to do NOW, to get to that 5 year plan. Remember the Chinese saying “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

 

90 day plans might seem a little anal and restrictive, but I can tell you from experience that once you set clear defined tasks aligned to your big goals, you are not distracted by unneccessary work and you have A LOT OF FREE TIME to enjoy the other areas of your life.

 

By doing 90 day plans, I have plenty to time to socialise and have fun (SOCIAL goals) and connect with my family (FAMILIAL goals), while still working on big career targets.

 

4. Visualisation and Repetition

 

Visualisation and Repetition are INCREDIBLY POWERFUL techniques for achieving your goals. I have visual images aligned to my goals on a powerpoint slide deck, which I try to look at as often as possible, at least once a day.

 

Others have a ‘Vision Board’ in the bedroom, or create a list of positive, goal related affirmations that stick on the bathroom toilet or office wall.

 

‘What you visualise will materialise’, as our thought energies attract what we want from the universe. I have plenty of experience of this coming true and there is a lot of anecdotal proof about this.

The images should be inspiring and make you “feel” like you already have what you want when you look at them. I have compiled pictures of the places I want to travel to, the people I want to connect with and even a bank statement with the bank balance I want to have!

 

If you are a more auditory person rather than visual, then verbalising your goals & affirmations daily can be very effective. I have recorded myself verbalising my goals on the iPhone voice recorder and listen to them on the way to meetings!

 

5. Practice Gratitude regularly

 

I cannot recommend this enough as it is very uplifting, yet I see so few people doing this. Whilst it is really fulfilling to set inspiring goals and strive toward achieving them, we WILL face enormous challenges and setbacks along the way.

 

This is GUARANTEED!

 

It is a natural part of living and a test to see how you handle such situations. During these difficult times, it is so important not to focus on the negative, act as a victim or blame others for your bad luck. Yet this is what MOST people do!

 

Though it may be difficult to comprehend the reason for averse situations, difficult personalities or unforseen tragedies, I strongly advise you to find things that you can be grateful for and apply focus on that.

 

It will change your perspective and energetic field so quickly and reposition you to continue the pursuit of your goals. One technique I adopted includes adding to my ‘Gratitude List’ – 10 things I am grateful for every morning (they can be a small as a smile from a colleague). Again, this is on my iPhone to look at when I’m feeling the blues.

Another is holding a ‘Gratitude Rock’ before I go to bed at night and recount the one thing/experience I am most grateful for from that day.  Rhonda Byrne’s book – The Magic – is particularly good for Gratitude techniques.

I would also strongly recommend reading ‘The Winner’s Bible’ by Dr Kerry Spackman or any of the books from Dr John Demartini. It is also worthwhile attending any one of his seminars if he is visiting your country – ‘The Breakthrough Experience’ seminar is absolutely great.

I hope all this information helps you with realising your dream life in 2013 and energises your mind, body and spirit toward your true greatness!