Most of us, today, use some sort of GPS system in our cars to navigate. Whether you use Google or Apple Maps or you have a built-in GPS in your car, you most likely use some sort of technology to help you get from Point A to Point B– and if you don’t, I’m impressed!
Don’t you sometimes wish you had a GPS for your personal life?
In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, it’s easy to feel lost or overwhelmed by the challenges that life presents. If you aren’t careful, you can easily find yourself simply going through the motions without working towards any of your long-term dreams.
Whether you’re striving to advance your career, develop deep and enriching personal relationships, or simply find your purpose and motivation in life, having a clear roadmap can make all the difference. That’s why I’ve developed my own GPS for life!
This framework has allowed me to approach everything in my life with more clarity and focus than ever before– instead of moving through life with no direction or aim, I’m able to achieve more and live a life that aligns with my priorities. With this framework, you can take control of your own life and make choices that take you in the direction you want to go. Instead of simply floating your way through life, this framework can help you propel yourself forward in the direction you want to go.
My GPS consists of three parts: Goals, Purpose, and System. Let’s walk through each of these and discover how these three things can help you succeed.
Goals
The first thing you must do in order to succeed is set goals. If you don’t take the time to set goals before you act, then how can you make sure your actions are working towards a unified purpose? Goal-setting points your compass in the right direction before you take action.
Setting goals in and of itself won’t ensure your success, though- you have to set good, reasonable goals. When setting my own personal goals, I typically set two different types of goals:
SMART
When setting goals, I try to think about setting SMART goals. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. A SMART goal is clear, concise, and has metrics by which it can be assessed. For example, if you own your own small business and want to see your business thrive, your goal should not be, “Increase my business clientele.” This goal has nothing tangible for you to work towards and doesn’t give you any sort of direction. Instead, a SMART goal might be, “Increase business clientele by 50% by the end of the year by focusing on email and social media marketing campaigns.”
Stretch
Another type of goal I like to set is a stretch goal. Stretch goals are highly ambitious and challenging goals. As the name implies, these goals are meant to stretch your abilities by forcing you to be creative, resourceful, and resilient. These goals are the ones that will seem nearly impossible to realize– in fact, they are supposed to be! The whole point of a stretch goal is to take you further than you thought possible for yourself.
Since stretch goals are meant to motivate you and push you to be better, it’s important to be honest with yourself. If you’re at a point in your career where you’re experiencing low morale, frustration, or burnout, stretch goals might not be appropriate. In contrast, if you’re high achieving and ready to advance your career or business, stretch goals can help push you past your own threshold!
No matter what type of goals you set- SMART or stretch- your goals should be strategic! Goals are unhelpful if they do not provide a clear objective for you. Strategic goals should have a clear means of execution and a clear outcome.
For example, let’s say your business is thriving, your employees are energized and motivated, and you want to see your team reach the next level of their potential. If you’re a strategic goal-setter, you might recognize this as a good time to set some stretch goals for your team because stretch goals force employees to think outside the box. By having strategic goals, you can more easily implement the next step of my GPS system.
Plan
After you set goals, you have to have a plan for putting them into action. If your goals are the compass that point you in the right direction, your plan is the route you’ll take to get there. If you got in your car and just started driving in the general direction of your destination… How long do you think it would take you to get there? When driving to a new destination for the first time, you must have a plan if you want to arrive; similarly, when you set goals, you have to have a plan for how you are going to achieve them.
Daily Goals
Part of my plan for achieving my goals is to set daily goals. I take the first ten minutes of my day, every day, to plan the rest of my day. Before I do anything else in the morning, I make three goals for myself that correlate back to one or more of my overarching goals.
By breaking my big goals down into smaller goals, I have found that I’m usually more focused and able to effectively prioritize my time. Having three daily goals allows me to use every day to its full potential, and it keeps me motivated and focused on a daily basis.
Additionally, a strong, solid plan allows you to concentrate your efforts. Instead of wearing yourself thin clasping at success with little yield, a plan allows you to only spend time and resources doing things that will actually get you closer to achieving your goals!
Lead Measures
Any successful plan has metrics by which one can gauge their progress. Within an organizational context, these metrics are called lead measures, and they refer to the tangible action steps you take to advance towards your goal. For example, if your goal is to see your clothing boutique’s sales increase by 25% in the upcoming year, your lead measures might be:
- Create 5 social media posts per week
- Upsale each transaction by at least one item or $10
- Inform every in-store customer about upcoming deals, coupons, and promotions
Having strong lead measures as a part of your plan can allow you to make practical and helpful choices that get you closer to realizing your goals without requiring you to wear yourself thin. Not only will lead measures allow you to make clear choices, but they’ll also help you predict how well your choices actually work in accordance with your goals.
System
Once you have clear goals you can work towards and a plan for achieving them, you then need a system for tracking your progress. If you just keep your goals and your plans in your head, you simply will not make the progress you want to make!
You can help yourself stick to your plans to achieve your goals by writing them down. Research shows that you are approximately 43% more likely to reach your goals when you write them down! Not only does writing down your goals and plans help you organize them, but it helps you prioritize them by bringing them to the forefront of your mind. Like I mentioned previously, I write down at least three goals every day. This allows me to prioritize my time and direct my energy towards the things I want to achieve.
Additionally, have a system in place to consistently review and adjust your lead measures. Having a system for keeping track of your lead measures allows you to test their effectiveness. Personally, I review my lead measures on a weekly basis, and I adjust them on a quarterly basis. Reviewing my lead measures weekly helps me make choices in alignment with my goals, and adjusting my lead measures quarterly gives me an opportunity to check in throughout the year on the overall progress of my goals.
No matter what system you decide to put in place, a good system will allow you to track your progress towards your goals and adjust your plans whenever necessary.
Get On the Road!
Many people have big dreams; few people see their dreams become a reality. Just like your car GPS helps you navigate the roads with ease, my GPS for life gives you a way to get exactly where you want to go in life. Don’t let your dreams just be dreams– If you have big things that you want to see happen in your life, this system can help you get where you want to be!
Want to take the next step in making achievable goals and increase your productivity without becoming crazy busy? For more information, check out my Life On A 3×5 plan. This course provides a complete framework for goal-setting, setting priorities, and becoming the ultra-productive person you want to be without being crazy busy.
