Hayley Golledge, Founder of Bloomprint Life Design has created this article as part of our Locimo Expert series.

Goals can revolutionize your future—financially, socially, personally and professionally, and are the stepping stones of success. They are the means by which we chart our course and they are also the means by which we prevent ourselves from being pulled off course. Without goals, aka a written plan, to direct us, generally, one of two things can easily happen: we will either give up because it seems too difficult or we will wander aimlessly for years in search of a final destination we may never reach, always yearning for something different.

Goal setting is an extremely powerful tool for accomplishing your life’s vision. Many people would not be able to tell you what their goals and plans were. Some people may give vague and unrealistic answers and say things like, “I want to be rich”, “I want a big house.” or “own a business.” They will give you general answers that are not goals, but dreams desired by many.

Many people attempt to live their lives without a real plan. Can you imagine a soccer coach trying to lead a soccer team without a game plan, a builder trying to build a house without a blueprint or a CEO trying to lead a business without a business plan? Without goals and a good solid plan, we are perpetuating the confusion and the chaos in our lives.

Here are 5 Key Tips to help you set amazing goals:

1.)   Stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone - You cannot afford to exhaust precious time and energy living in a comfort zone. Set goals that are big enough to push and challenge you outside of your comfort zone.  Fear is a strong force that will handicap your potential. It will convince you to play it safe. It will tell you to stay where you are and that if you try something different, you will fail. Fear can come in different disguises and forms to hinder your success.

2.)   Take consistent action - If you want to accomplish your goals, you must take action. You can have a powerful inspirational word of the year, a compelling vision, and well-written goals and plans, but none of that matters if you do not take consistent action. Consistent action is a daily approach that is not a system of habits, but a progressive attitude in pursuing your goals even if you need to adjust or change or pivot.

3.)   Know your ‘why’ behind your goals – Why do you want this goal? What will it give you and how will it make you feel? Knowing the answer to these questions is what is going to keep you getting out of bed each day and keep you going when the going gets tough.  It will make the difference between being inspired and feeling drawn towards your goals and feeling as though you are trudging and pushing yourself towards your goals each day. 

4.)   Review your goals DAILY – particularly tune into how you want to feel and your ‘why’.   One of the biggest differences between those that achieve their big amazing dreams and those that don’t is that they review them daily.  They let their goals inspire them daily and ask themselves how they could take just 1 small step towards that goal today. 

5.)   Have a solid support team – You don’t have to do it on your own.  Tell your goals to those you truly trust and will help to elevate you every step of the way.   They can help orchestrate your success in ways you never could on your own.

Author Bio: 

Hayley is a life designer and founder of Bloomprint Life Design which she developed after she took a leap out of the government health sector. She has a background and 16 years’ experience in mental health, occupational therapy and psychotherapy. Her business Bloomprint Life Design is a personal growth & lifestyle design business; a source of knowledge and inspiration on changing the way you engage with life.  It is for the courageous, those that love to dream big, and those who want more from life. It is for those who are smart, curious, and conscious, with an open mind, a love for learning, and a deep desire to live a connected, happy and vibrant life. In short, Bloomprint Life Design is for those who want to live life by their design, not someone else’s. Through her individual work, online blog, programs and tools, Hayley inspires people around the globe to step up and have the courage to take ownership of their life; to show up each day and take purposeful and committed action; and to ultimately design the life they want to live while of course celebrating and having fun along the way.