In our last blog, we took a deep dive into all our dreams and goals using the Dream Stream. We then refined our goals by rating and prioritizing them, trimming the list (for now, at least 😉). If you're just joining us, I recommend going back to Step 1: The Dream Stream, completing the exercise, and then returning here for the next steps!
For those who have already completed the Dream Stream, congratulations! You're now ready for the fun part!
Let's start by focusing on the top of our goal mountain: The PEAK.
The PEAK represents the big, exciting goal you want to achieve. It's the summit of your mountain, and you're eager to reach it! You can visualize it and you believe it's possible, but you know it will take some effort to get there.
Name your PEAK:
Refer to your Dream Stream and explore all the awesome dreams and goals you've written down. Choose the one goal that truly excites you, the one that ignites your passion. It's the goal that, if achieved, will likely lead to the accomplishment of many other goals on your list. This goal should be exciting, a bit audacious, but definitely attainable. Pursuing this goal will keep you motivated, especially during the challenging or mundane moments.
For example, consider the goal of paying off credit card debt versus the goal of reaching $100,000 in revenue in your business this year. While both are valuable, the latter is likely more exciting and motivating. Achieving this business goal could also lead to paying off the credit card debt. This is how you select the big goals from your Dream Stream. These are the dreams and goals that become your PEAK.
Don't worry if you have more than one big goal. You can have an entire range of goal mountains - think the Rockies, but with goals! We will go through our action plan process for EACH of your big goals. For now, circle the top BIG goals/dreams in your Dream Stream. These BIG goals/dreams now become the PEAKS of our goal mountains.
For the sake of clarity, let's choose just one of your BIG goals as your PEAK for this first Goal Mountain! We will start with the PEAK and work our way down to the base, creating our plan as we go.
Before we discuss how to reach the PEAK (the action part), we need to define how you will know that you've reached the peak or the goal. In SMART goals, this would be known as the "measurable" part.
Ask yourself:
How will I know that I've accomplished the goal?
Is it a specific number (dollar amount, followers, percentage) you are aiming for?
Or is it something else that can't be measured with a number?
Is it a feeling or a very specific result when the goal is achieved?
For instance, if your goal is for your business to be more widely known and to build a growing audience, and you don't have a specific number in mind, how will you know if you've accomplished this?
Here are some ways I came up with for this type of goal:
Increase in social media followers
Increase in event attendance
Sold-out retreats
Waitlist for offered groups
Now that you have the BIG goal, the PEAK in your mind, as well as how you’ll know you’ve reached the PEAK, let's work our way backwards a bit and create the steps or the action plan that will get you there. This part is crucial because we can have goals and dreams aplenty, but without a plan, they remain just that—dreams and goals. We need a plan to turn them into reality.
**Use this printable for a visual and to fill in your goal mountain.
How do we start creating our goal plan?
With your PEAK goal in mind, brainstorm the things you need to do, accomplish, learn, etc., to get you closer to your goal.
To help you brainstorm, consider these questions:
What actions do I need to take to get closer to my goal?
Are there any skills I need to learn?
How can I take significant steps to reach my goal?
What needs to happen to achieve my end goal?
From this brainstorm session, circle the top 2-5 significant items on your list. These become your LOOKOUT POINTS, the medium goals, or milestones you need to achieve in order to reach your PEAK.
List your LOOKOUT POINTS
The LOOKOUT POINTS are your medium goals. They are significant enough to make an impact and create momentum towards your PEAK but not so large that you work endlessly without reward. They are your mile markers, or your stops along the way up your mountain where you get to look back at how far you've come and celebrate your progress.
Our LOOKOUT POINTS or our medium goals generally will take 30/60/90 days to accomplish but will feel really good along the way. These goals will help you get to the PEAK without losing momentum and motivation because you'll experience some wins along the way. (Reminder, you'll likely have at least 2-5 LOOKOUT POINT/medium goals for each PEAK.)
LOOKOUT POINTS are fantastic because if we only focus on our big, PEAK goal and know it will take a year or more to achieve, it can be challenging to stay motivated without recognizing any wins or accomplishments along the way. The LOOKOUT POINTS keep us going and give us a reason to pause and celebrate the view, even when we haven't quite reached the PEAK!
Next, identify the smaller goals, habits you need to create, etc., to reach each of your LOOKOUT POINTS. These are your STEPPING STONES.
Identify your STEPPING STONES
STEPPING STONES are your smaller goals or habits. They are typically smaller actions or habits you need to develop to reach your LOOKOUT POINTS and eventually your PEAK!
A small goal could be anything from sending an email requesting to be on a podcast to making a phone call you've been putting off. These small goals shouldn't take much time, less than a week. You'll get the satisfaction of crossing these items off your to-do list quickly (can I get an Amen!?).
So how do we find our STEPPING STONES???
You guessed it—it's time for another quick brainstorming session!
What small actions do I need to take to reach each LOOKOUT POINT goal?
What habits do I need to implement to reach each LOOKOUT POINT?
What actions do I need to do consistently (i.e., habits) to reach each LOOKOUT POINT?
Unless it's a positive habit that you are creating and doing consistently to reach your goals, your STEPPING STONE actions shouldn't drag on and on. They should be short and quick, with a "just do it" mentality. Building habits, on the other hand, often takes time. To build a habit, you need to create a plan to consistently "do the thing" or work towards being consistent with this habit.
Habits may include consistently posting on social media, sending weekly emails, or in your health and wellness journey, averaging 10,000 steps a day or strength training four days a week. These are habits that will require a plan to keep you accountable. But witnessing the results from creating and consistently doing these habits will be incredibly rewarding!
I truly believe that goals are often achieved by implementing positive, consistent habits over time. I once read a quote that said, "Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out." In other words, many tiny habits done consistently will help you reach that big goal! Habits are crucial; they just might not always seem very exciting.
How to create habits and develop consistency:
Create a "grown-up sticker chart." We're never too old to color in boxes or check off completed tasks.
Reward yourself for doing the habit/action consistently for a certain amount of time.
Making a game out of creating habits or taking small actions really does work. Use a habit tracker, calendar, sticker chart, etc., to track your progress. Checking off a box can be surprisingly satisfying!
In Review:
PEAK: The big, inspiring goal that will take time and effort to achieve but keeps us excited. This goal may take 6 months to a year and has smaller goals built-in.
LOOKOUT POINTS: The medium goals that are crucial to reach in order to achieve the PEAK goals. Generally, these will take 30/60/90 days to reach. They help keep you motivated as you work towards the PEAK.
STEPPING STONES: The small goals or habits you need to develop or accomplish on your way to each LOOKOUT POINT. These are quick actions or habits that shouldn't take more than a week to accomplish. Building habits, however, often requires more time.
This is the basis of our Goal Mountain. You simply repeat this thought and planning process for each of your PEAK goals. It's simple, right? It just takes some time, thought, and planning to create our Goal Mountain and our entire Goal Mountain Range. So, carve out some time and start climbing towards your dreams!
Don't forget to CELEBRATE along the way!
Now, before we end this blog, let's address how you will celebrate. Each time you reach a LOOKOUT POINT, pause and take in the view—how will you celebrate? And when you reach the PEAK of your mountain, that is a BIG deal—how will you celebrate?
Your celebration method will be different for everyone. For me, as someone who looks to the future, sometimes the planning and the journey are the celebration for me—I love the energy of movement and anticipation. Perhaps your celebration involves calling or texting that friend who always cheers for you, or maybe it's a coffee date with your bestie? Or perhaps, for a significant achievement, you'll treat yourself to something more special, like a trip or a spa day. Figure out what celebration means to you and write it down! You're amazing, and when you reach a lookout point, you definitely deserve to celebrate it! Do not skip writing out your celebration plans, and definitely don't skip the actual celebration!
REVIEW:
There’s one more thing I want to mention before we close out this post: the review.
This is something I don’t particularly enjoy, but I know it’s important. Our lives change, our businesses change, things change... and so can our goals. This is where the importance of regular reviews comes in. You can choose how often you want to sit down and review your goals and your mountains. I suggest monthly and quarterly.
When you review, it's crucial to look at your goals objectively, without judgment. This is simply to see if the goals and the path you’ve set still make sense. Perhaps something needs to change, be put on hold, or be recalculated. All of that is okay. We often want to skip this step, so once you have your goals, go to your calendar and set a reminder each month/quarter, or whatever timeframe you decide, to review your goals.
For more on reviewing your goals, I wrote a blog post about the 6 Rs to Refresh Your Goals that you should definitely check out.
As you start off on this journey of setting and achieving your goals, remember that every step forward, no matter how small, is a victory worth celebrating. Keep your eyes on the PEAKS ahead, but don't forget to enjoy the view from each LOOKOUT POINT along the way. Embrace the process, stay committed to your plan, and don't be afraid to adjust course as needed. With determination, focus, and a sprinkle of celebration, you'll find yourself conquering mountains and realizing dreams you once thought were out of reach. Here's to your incredible journey ahead!
As always, I am here for you! To cheer you on, to offer support, and to be your guide. I'd love to be your hiking partner on this journey. Whether it's helping you discover your dreams or goals, helping you overcome a mindset block or sticking point on your climb, or helping to light your path so that the next step is more visible, I'm here! Â Please reach out via email or social media DM (hello@livewildlyyou.com @livewildlyyou on Insta) if you'd like to work 1:1 with me.
Until next time, Stay Wild! xoxo - Chrystal