From Dreams to Reality: How to Set Long Term Goals and Achieve Them

Rather than setting ourselves up for a short-lived excitement, why not work on something more long-term?

First, let’s look at the difference between a resolution and a goal.

Resolution is making a firm decision to do, or not to do something. We started off with making a statement of what we want to change.

It typically involves making big, spectacular transformations. That’s why more often than not it’s short lived.

Find out more about new year resolutions here

Goal is an aim or a desired result. We set one by stating what we want to achieve. It has a different mindset attached to it.

One example here to illustrate my point.

In the case of finances, shopping, and the decision what to do with your hard-earned dime:

Your resolution is to spend less money shopping from Amazon. This statement is loaded with pressure and expectation.

Instead, if we were to set a goal, we could aim to be more intentional with the way we spend our money, and that start with only giving ourselves permission to shop once a month from Amazon, instead of bi-weekly.

So, if making goals would be a better route to take.

Here’s a few pointers on how to set long term goals and achieve them…

Specific, meaning it needs to be clear, simple, and actionable enough.

Ask yourself —> What will you achieve? What will you do? What makes this important?

Who can help me execute the goals? Where can I execute it?

Measurable, meaning there is a way for you to track progress and measure results (or lack thereof)

Ask yourself —> How much do I need to generate? How many km do I need to go? How will

I know when it’s accomplished, what will be the telling sign?

Achievable, meaning your goals need to be sth you can achieve, realistic, within your limit/bound

Ask yourself —> How realistic is this goal, all things considered? Eg, if you hope to get into the

real estate market, have you done enough research to find out how much you

need to have for down payment. Do you have anyone to help you with that?

Relevant, meaning we need to make sure that this goals matter to you and is relevant with your overall life direction/situation. It is important to set goals that would support our functioning and improve our quality of life.

Ask yourself —> Is this the right time to do this? Is it worthwhile all things considered?

In what ways will it impact and contribute to my life today? Is the effort and

time I put in it will match the rewards later on?

Time-bound, meaning we gravitate towards structure and outline. Our brain needs certain direction to motivate itself to exert any effort. Every goal needs a target date, so that we have something to focus on and a point to work towards.

Ask yourself —> What can I to today? Six weeks or months from now?

With that in mind, let’s implement this SMART formula in your long term goals and achieve them!

Break down those long-term goals into smaller, manageable milestones

We are not wired to make big, sudden changes out of the blue. That’s why breaking a big vision into smaller chunks can make it less overwhelming.

In the case of getting into the real estate market, it will be helpful coming up with certain milestone of the amount you need to save up, who you need to contact for what.

Reach out to people who have purchased theri own space and ask them the steps they took to get to where they are at.

Set deadlines for accomplishing certain tasks by a certain timeframe.

Develop an Action Plan

What’s the point of coming up with goals without any plans to churn it into action? *wink

This is the stage where you identify some of the tasks you need to get done in order to turn your goals into action.

Tagging along what I mentioned above, developing a roadmap can help you get some clarity on what needs to be done when.

If you can’t do it on your own, then it’s a good idea to make a list of the people who can help.

Regularly review and adjust your direction

Life is dynamic and sometimes life might throw something at us that would make it hard to achieve our long-term goals.

That’s why we need to bank in some space to accomodate these unforeseen situations.

We need to constantly adapt and be flexible.

Once we reach a certain milestone, it’s helpful to take some time to reflect on how the period of time was for you. Any challenges or successes you experienced throughout the way?

These insights can help you adjust your plan accordingly. It might look like revisiting your timeline, reallocating some resources, or modifying some tasks so that they will fit your current life scenario better.

Believe in yourself

I know, sounds like such a cliche!

And I’ll admit that I am a mindset person.

Even if at this point of the article you’re not quite buying what I shared above, I hope you can leave with one important impression. Whenever we talk about the possibilities of converting long term goals into actions, all the steps above will not be optimal if you don’t even believe in your vision.

Mindset is super crucial in guiding the way we perceive and respond to life.

In order to turn dreams into reality, we need to adopt a growth mindset because it sees challenges as setbacks and opportunities to learn, not just plain obstacles.

Well, every single year we open a new chapter in our life. It is commonplace to rewrite from the same ink.

Perhaps, it is time to make space for something new.

Anything from above that strike a chord?

Give it a try, what have you got to lose anyway?

In some cases it is helpful to reach out to someone who can help you come up with some strategies?

If you feel like you will benefit from having a sounding board, I welcome you to book an appointment so that we got to explore your dreams and aspirations further. I would love to be a guide to get you from where you are to where you would like to be.

HELLO, I AM NITA AGUSTIN

A Registered Clinical Counsellor based in Burnaby, BC. My jam is working with queer youth and young adults, especially those who do not want to be defined by what society told them about themselves. I help clients figure out who they are, who they want to be, and how to get there. We do this by processing how their past impacted the way they live out their life today. From our work together, I noticed clients develop better self-awareness and experience improved quality of life as they can show up differently in their relationships.

I offer virtual and in-person sessions near Brentwood, North Burnaby. I am licensed to practise in BC, as well as all across Canada, so I support clients all over BC, all the way from Vancouver to Kitimat. Other than working with clients who reside in BC, I also can support clients who reside in Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland.

Check out my About me page to learn more about what I do and have to offer for you. Also, explore my Services page to see how I can guide you in making shifts in your life today. If you feel ready to discover ways to live life on your own terms, I welcome you to book an initial intake session. I am so stoked to meet you and start figuring out how you can show up as your best self.