Coaching and Counseling for Goal Setting Help in Beverly Hills, MI
When you look at your calendar for this week, what tasks do you need to check off? How about for tomorrow or next week? What people spend their time on today often affects what will be on their plate in the future. Most people have a long list of things they need to get done with a few items they would like to get done interspersed, but what if that ratio were reversed? What if people spend their time and effort on things they cared about and were important to them? Many people are working toward setting their own agenda for their calendar by setting goals for today that will set them up for what they want in the future.
“The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun,
in the short run. It seems to me, though, that
the people who get things done, who lead,
who grow and who make an impact… those people have goals.”
—Seth Godin
While many people have a general idea of what they want out of life, setting goals to achieve that ideal is difficult. Even though many studies have shown the connection between goal setting and high achievement, many people struggle, and Seth Godin explains why. Any target worthy of people’s time and effort also requires short-term sacrifices. In the long-term, the effort is almost always worth it, but many people struggle with foregoing money, food, comfort, time, or whatever the cost of achievement may be. Many people are also reaching out for support to help them manage their goals and the sacrifices these goals require. Mental health professionals such as coaches and counselors can often provide the structure to overcome this challenge.
At Thriveworks Beverly Hills we have helped many people who are pursuing long-term personal and professional goals. Our life coaches and counselors know what it takes to clarify people’s values, talents, and resources so that they can take back control of their calendar.
How Do Goals Help?
When people name what they value and when they make choices that align with those values, big things happen. For example, setting goals often helps people…
- Block out the many, many things that vie for their attention and distract them from what is important.
- Focus their attention upon what they care about.
- Bring people’s values, focus, and actions into alignment.
- Take challenging but meaningful action.
- Increase self-control.
- Sustain motivation through hardships, setbacks, and difficulties.
Varied Targets
All too often, goals are associated with unpleasant tasks: eat more vegetables, work longer hours, clean the house, pay down debt, and on, and on. Without doubt, any worthy goal takes effort and work—that much is clear. However, setting goals should not be pure misery either.
The whole point of setting a goal is for people to live according to what they care about and spend their time doing what matters to them—in all areas of their lives. Goals, therefore, can be and should be about fun, exciting, enjoyable challenges. For example, people can set goals for anything, including for their…
- Attitude: What kind of person do you want to become? More empathetic? More self-assured?
- Finances: What kind of financial life to you want to sustain? Do you want to be debt free? Enlarge your earning potential?
- Artistic Endeavors: How can you make time in your schedule for creativity? What would it look like? Painting? Playing an instrument? Writing?
- Family: What could your home life look like? Do you want to marry? Have children? What type of relationships do you want to cultivate with your extended family?
- Career: What do you want to dedicate your life’s work toward? Is there a particular job that excites you?
- Fun: What activities or places refresh and restore you? What puts a smile on your face?
- Physical Strength: How do you want to grow physically stronger? What level of health do you want to experience?
- Education: What do you want to explore? How can you make time for new learning experiences, books to read, museums to visit, and more?
Characteristics of Healthy Goals
Goals that excite and inspire are often very personal, as they should be. The best goals come from within—people’s skills, talents, and priorities should drive their goals. The best goals also push people further than their comfort zones.
The specifics of each goal may be personal, but the characteristics are not. A few characteristics of healthy goals include being:
- Time-bound: Set a deadline for each goal. Timeframes are motivating, but they also allow people to know when they have achieved the goal—triggering reward.
- Specific: The more details the goal has, the better. Vague goals are hard to measure. For example, “watch less TV” is a vague goal. In contrast, “watch TV no more than 30 minutes of TV each day this week,” is a specific, time bound goal.
- Written: Document goals and revisit them. Allow them to guide one’s attention each day.
- Shared: Ask for allies who will offer encouragement and tangible help toward the achievement.
Goal Coaching at Thriveworks Beverly Hills, MI
Are you ready to reclaim your calendar? Has mundane life taken over and you want to take it back? If so, you are not alone. Many people are discovering the power of goal setting and the power of small changes today that lead to big improvements over time. Many people are also benefitting from the help of a coach or counselor as they set and achieve their goals.
If you are ready to speak to a coach or counselor, know that Thriveworks Beverly Hills offers appointments for goal setting help. When you call our office, you may be meeting with your coach within 24 hours. We also accept many forms of insurance and offer convenient, after-hours appointments. Let’s get to work. Contact Thriveworks Beverly Hills today.
