Part 2, "Goal Getter" Series

At the end of January, the first part of the Goal Getter series discussed what to write down in order to obtain your goals. I will stress it again, writing down what you want or as we call it on Here We Are, Inch 1, is the first big step toward meeting your goal. After you decide what it is that you want and have written it down, Inch 2 brings together all the reasons why you haven't yet achieved your goal.

Some people are much better at this whole process than others. If you are resisting Inch 1 or Inch 2 by harrumphing, making mental excuses, or pooh poohing the Goal Getter Inch by Inch plan, then think about this quote, "He who argues his limitations gets to keep them" (no attribution found). 'Nuff said, inch on with me...you are almost there.

Inch 3: Using our frustrated reader example from Part 1, we are now going to take the reader's "Why I haven't reached this goal before" list and make it into an achievable, do-able, approachable, and any other "able" word you can think of. "Able" being an important part of Inch 3.

If you are at this point in the plan (and I truly hope you are), then you are ready and willing to move to Inch 3. The Plan of Action clears the path making you able to achieve your goal. The best part about the plan of action, besides not needing a superhero cape, is that you have the answers right in front of you. "I do?," you ask. Yes, you do.

As we look at the reader's list, keep in mind that the following approach can apply to any goal. It doesn't matter that your specific goals and "why reasons" are different. The frustrated reader example can be interchanged with a goal of visiting the Great Wall of China, returning to college, or budgeting out of credit card debt.

Here we go...Looking at the list, first pick the free things you can do from home. In our example: (1) the reader goes down into the basement to look for the book allotting approx. 15 minutes to find it. She searches with serious intent to find it in the time allotted, but does not. She moves on. (2) The reader calls/emails her friend to ask which book she has and when she can get it from her. (3) While she is at her desk, she calls the eye doctor to make an appointment. This is better done sooner than later because it could be weeks to get her new glasses.

(4) She then looks in hiding places for the lost library card, more than likely it is somewhere logical. (5) Depending upon the success of the first few searches, she calls the library to see what info they require to obtain a new card. In less than an hour, the reader has already addressed five WHY reasons without leaving home or spending money.

(6) She decides to save money by not buying books (with or without coupons). Instead, she'll buy a new library card if needed; thinking of it as a donation. [Look for ways to utilize resources as you inch along. Be creative and curious - you can never know what you might find by exploring a new avenue.] (7) A few weeks have gone by and our reader is wearing her new glasses. Her headaches are gone. While waiting on the prescription, she picked a few magazines out of the stack to read, gave away others, and recycled old issues.

(8) Obviously, meeting the reader's goal depends on her friend, the library selection, and her personal decision on whether to choose an audio or print version. It doesn't matter how or what she chooses. What matters is that a decision is made and she moves forward in reading the first book. She starts by carving out a realistic block of time to read each day. As she turns each page of the first book, she is closer to reading the second one, thus satisfying her WHAT and completing her goal.

In her two month time frame, the reader checked off all eight of her WHY reasons and met her goal by planning out an approach and applying action. By grouping the WHY reasons into categories of time, location, and money, the Plan of Action becomes clear. She can see which action has to be taken first, second, and so on, making her able to achieve her goal. Again, you can use this approach with any goal.

As we know, the focus of Inch 3 is on the Plan of Action. To achieve the WHAT (i.e., the goal), you flip the "WHY reasons" over from being barriers into action. Think of it like an old hit single record, your goal was to listen to the hit song on Side A. Side B was always a less appealing song. With the Plan of Action, the WHY reasons equal Side B of the record; it's not the song you wanted to hear or spend your money on, but you had to accept it because it came with the package to own Side A. Accept that your list is the Side B which contains the barriers of why you haven't reached your goal. To flip the Side B barriers over to enjoy Side A, you must apply a plan of action to those barriers to be able to achieve your goal. 

Remember, inch by inch makes a cinch. Each action moves you that much closer to your goal. No goal is too big, too lofty, or a pipe dream. If it is something you want, then embrace it, list the reasons why you haven't done it, make a plan of action, and start inching your way along.

Ready? 1...2...3...Goal!!!!