A small change can make a big improvement. Not all changes need to be on a grand scale. A lot of small changes can equal one big
change. A big change can make a HUGE
improvement. In order to make
improvements I set goals.
I strongly believe in setting goals to accomplish the things that
will enhance and improve my life and the lives of my children as well. If I have the opportunity to do something to
improve the life of someone else then to me that is a true bonus. I firmly believe in a good quality of life
and I strive for that in all aspects of how I live mine.
Setting goals gives me direction and something to work
toward. Without them I'm certain I
wouldn't be able to accomplish the things that I do on a regular basis. I've set some big goals for myself and
sometimes they can feel a bit overwhelming.
If I break that goal down into a set of smaller goals it becomes much
more manageable.
Achieving our goals should never be daunting or unattainable. A good example of this is what I said in the
first post about my daughter's car and
the work she wants to do to it. On the
whole fixing up the car seemed to initially overwhelm her and she didn't know
where to start. We broke it up into
smaller goals, eating the elephant on bite at a time rather than trying to
consume it all at once.
First we simply cleaned the car inside and out, small change but it was a big improvement. Then we moved onto the next goal. Making a small change by buffing out the hood made a big change to the overall look of the
car. We made another small change by repairing the oxidized roof. That small change made another big
improvement. Next we restored her headlights from foggy to
clear. Big improvement not only in
appearance, but their function as well.
She has made more repairs and improvements that are making the car
better, thereby improving her quality of life.
By the time she is done all of these changes will add up to one HUGE improvement.
Patience is another big part of the process when it comes to
accomplishing my goals. I don't always
have a lot of money or time to spend on some of the goals I've set. While a timeline is important, very important,
to getting things done, I sometimes find I need to exercise patience while I
wait for all the pieces to fall into place.
Flexibility comes into play when patience is required which is why
I tend to have multiple goals set and it is not uncommon for me to be working
on them at the same time. While I prefer
to set a goal, work on it, complete it and then move onto the next one it isn't
always possible. If I need to be patient
and wait on one I move over and begin to work on another one. I have a hard time being idle so sitting
around just waiting isn't an option. I
need to be busy.
Tracking my goals allows me to adequately manage them. Especially if I have more than one I am
working on. My preferred method to do
this is simply to write it out on a piece of paper and keep it in my day planner. I look at my lists daily and keep them fresh
in my mind so these projects don't languish or get sidelined indefinitely.
Finding time to work on our goals can be a bit challenging as
well. I prefer to have set blocks of
time where I plan to work and then get as much done as possible in that
timeframe. Sometimes that block of time
may only be fifteen minutes or an hour and that is okay. Any amount of progress you put into a goal is
still progress.
I hope that by sharing how I manage my goals this helps you in
some small way as well. Let me know if
you have any questions. I'm always happy
to hear from all of you.
Thank you! Thank you for all these ideas. I will put them into my day immediately. You guys have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear this! Thank you!
DeleteI agree with what you've said about keeping track of goals. As I mentioned earlier, I've started the 30 things for 30 days. Had I not written them down I'd have forgotten several of them! But I'm making good progress.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this is working for you. Great news!
DeleteI meant to comment on your daughter's car restoration project when you posted, so I'm glad you brought it up again in this post. Seeing your progress on that was such an inspiration!! My car is in similar (before) condition, and reading about her car made me want to go work on my own car! Great job and thanks for all your great posts!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do. Nothing is nicer than driving a shiny clean car. ;)
DeleteGreat post. Loved the part about eatting the elephant one bite at a time.��
ReplyDeleteThank you Connie. It is so true, you know?
DeleteI'm trying to do daily lists again. Just marking a few things off the list proves there is progress.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. Lists are an amazing tool. I couldn't do life without them!
Delete