Direction, please

When I was in 11th grade, my English teacher handed back papers making a critique each time he gave a student his/her paper. For me he said he needed a roadmap to get through it because it was all over the place. He was right.

The common definition of a road map is directions to get you from place A (starting point) to Place B (destination). The more general definition is the plan to get you from A to B. In productivity lingo, the phrase is “goal mapping.”

“You can be the most talented individual on the planet, yet if you don’t plan ahead there is little chance that you will reach your full potential. Planning is everything! So before you even start  your journey toward your personal objectives, make sure you design a goal map.” — Damien Catani, GoalMap

So, you’ve set a new year’s goal of getting healthier. Next, you need to define what this means to you and why you want this. It might mean not getting wined when walking the stairs in your walk-up, keeping up with the grandkids, practicing sports with your child, etc. Your reasons could be anything from staving off diabetes or a heart condition to quality time with your children to showing up your best friend that you’ve aged better.

Once you have these questions answered, it is time to look at your goal to get healthier. What are the specifics you will do? What is your time frame? How will you measure progress? Are the specifics attainable? These questions are the ones asked when you make a SMART goal— specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Using the SMART system helps you to track your progress and see where you’re at good or bad. If it is good, you can look at what you’re doing right and if it is bad, you can assess what you need to do to get it good.

“By designing your own goal map, you start taking control of your destiny. You plan you decide, you execute: you are your own programmer. It’s YOUR life, you should be in the driver seat. Write the storyline and shape your own life as opposed to passively dragging along.” — Damien Catani, GoalMap

Once you have broken down your overarching goal into SMART goals, you now have a plan to achieve the goal. I love to cook, so look at it like a recipe. The goal is to make a cake. The instructions show you your progress from mixing the ingredients to pouring the batter in the pan to baking it. The ingredients are the tools to help you achieve your goal. The key thing to remember with any goal is to understand what your motivation is. “Now we get to ask one of my favorite questions….why?  I often ask this question in a little different way.  Instead of just saying why, I’ll ask, “what will be different when you achieve a particular outcome?  How does this change your life?” “ — Josh Patrick, Stage2Planning If your plan is to get healthier, start a meditation practice, open your own business, etc., then what will you get out of this? Not getting diabetes. Reducing your stress. Being your own boss.

Whatever your goal is, it is important to use the SMART system to map it out, so you know in which direction you are headed. As someone who is directionally challenged, I like goal mapping because it is the only time I am usually headed in the right direction from the start.