Setting and achieving life goals seems to be harder than most people think at least this is what my coaching clients think before they start working with me.

Most of my clients are thinking about their New Year resolutions. They want a better life or career while some are thinking about starting a business and still others who have a business are focused on making more money.

It boils down to dreams. The problem here is, that's really all they are until you take specific action and start a goal-setting process. It's one thing to have dreams but what can you do to turn your dreams into reality has everything to do with your process.

I've never met a client who didn't have a life goal but working to achieve life goals means they'll have to commit to becoming their best version first then work through the goal-setting process. 

Personally, I always thought it was interesting to meet people who seem to go through life without so much as planning for anything. They sort of just let life happen to them. I've come across many people like this. 

They just sort of meander through their days, weeks, and years without any change at all. The problem is, life can be like a twisted road full of potholes so if you're not ready and don't know how to navigate it, you could end up crashing and burning or worse, dying with all of your dreams still inside of you.

I'm sure there have been times in your life where everything seemed to be smooth sailing and other times where it all seemed rocky at best. No matter what your journey has been or where it will lead you, the key to an abundant life is to achieve your goals otherwise, life could simply get out of control.

Rather than losing control of our life, it's smart to set goals and work towards achieving them every single day. This is what happens in a life coaching session but the first step is clarity. 

Achieving Life Goals By Getting Incredibly Clear About Them! 

Goals are the future events and experiences that you want to plan on making happen right NOW. 

The very first step in achieving your life goals is having clarity around them. Maybe it's about finding the love of your life, maybe you're looking to be financially secure. Whatever it is, you can't have general thoughts about it. 

As your online life coach, let's talk about your own personal 30-day challenge to improving your life or business. 

To begin, decide what area of your life you want to focus on for the next 30 days. Do you need to improve your nutrition? Exercise more? Increase water intake? Save money? Focus on your family more? Grow your email list? Sell more products? Increase your social media following?

The choice is truly yours and you should evaluate what is lacking or needing improvement right now, at this moment in your life. 

Journaling is an excellent way to write out your thoughts about your challenge choices and to evaluate if you need to focus on your personal life or your business. Sometimes the answer isn’t clear until you start taking notes about what’s lacking or what needs improvement.

Here's An Exercise To Help You Achieve Your Life Goals:

Jot down notes about what you need or want to accomplish in your 30-day challenge. Choose either a business-related challenge or a personal challenge.

Be Smart From Start To Finish By Setting Yourself Up For Success With A Plan!

Your 30-day achieve your life goals challenge will be much easier to complete successfully if you plan ahead, so instead of deciding at bedtime on a Tuesday evening that you’ll start your challenge the next morning, wake up on Wednesday and take a look at your calendar for the next month to plan around any holidays, vacations, project deadlines, or business events. This way you won’t plan your vegan eating challenge during the Thanksgiving holiday or while you’re on your dream vacation.

Planning ahead also ensures that you have enough time to get the tools you need in order to get the most out of your challenge. For instance, if you plan to tackle a running training program for 30 days, having sneakers that fit and that offer the proper kind of support is imperative to avoid injury. Likewise, any type of new eating regimen will require grocery shopping and meal planning to be successful. Even business challenges may require purchasing new software, which may cause a delay in getting started.

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” is a quote from Benjamin Franklin and certainly applies to this 30 day self-challenge.

If You Want To Achieve Your Life Goals, Consider Stretching Yourself Beyond Your Comfort Zone

Staying in that comfort zone is what will kill your dreams and prevent them from happening. Let's dig a little deeper and help you expand your mind about some goal-setting ideas that will help you to achieve your life goals.

Let's say for example that you’re a business owner, consider writing 30 blog posts or 30 emails – one per day – as your challenge. If you’re a writer, consider going live on Facebook or posting daily YouTube videos to stretch yourself.

If you’re not used to exercising, find a rail trail or hiking trails to visit every day. If you’re a marathon runner, try swimming or biking every day to build up your skills for a triathlon. If you work strictly online, try networking in person to gain new clients. You get the idea. Whatever you’re used to – that which makes you comfortable – try doing the opposite.

The best (and most profitable) growth takes place outside your comfort zone, so don't be afraid to stretch yourself a bit. However, there’s something to be said about not stretching too far all at once. Sometimes smaller challenges are better than far out challenges, especially if you’re not used to stretching yourself like this. For instance, someone who has never run or exercised before may get injured training for a full marathon in 30 days. Likewise, a business owner may get discouraged if they decide to make $50,000 in 30 days and don’t meet that goal.

These are fantastic goals to envision for yourself but they may need to be broken down into smaller, more achievable goals. Instead of training for a full marathon, aim to run 2 miles a day (especially if you are not already exercising). Instead of earning $50K, try setting a goal of $10K that first month (depending on what your business model is and how long you’ve been in business, of course).

These are just examples of how you can choose lofty goals but then break those goals down into smaller challenges, all leading to the ultimate end result.

Afraid you won't stick to the rules of your 30-day challenge? Get a coach or friend to hold you accountable so you can enjoy the benefits of finishing your challenge and achieving your life goals.

Accountability comes in many forms so choose the best option for you and how you work.

Let's keep the conversation going. What are some ways that you've personally discovered that help you to achieve these all-important life goals? Comment below!