Lots of grit talk lately, amirite? My last major blog post was about commitment and that’s where I want to begin. Commitment to what? Your goal! As I said though too, don’t be afraid of the tears, the sweat, the frustration, the confusion even. Most of the time major goals will test you in all those ways. It’s all part of the journey.

Just stay true though. Stay the course. Put in work. Stay committed. It’s fundamental to your grit and your success. 

So let’s dig into the idea of goals themselves a bit more here… Because let’s face it- it’s almost 2021, and almost all of us (well, probably literally all of us) can agree that we are ready for 2020 to end. Now is the time to talk goals.

First, you need to really fully prioritize the goal. Put enough weight and meaning to the goal so that you feel ALL IN. But what does that involve and what does that look like?

I think most people in life put things off and make excuses as to why they’re not going to get something done right now. I’ll practice tomorrow. I don’t have the time because I have to do this other thing. But if you do not prioritize your time with the things that you feel are the most important, or that will help you achieve your goals, then you’ll never achieve your goals. And you have to start questioning your commitment to the goal.

The fact is that if something really truly means something to you, and if it’s in your heart and you feel that passion, there’s always time to do it. If you don’t feel like there’s time, then you have to ask yourself, why are you not prioritizing it? Are you making excuses because you actually want to choose a different goal? Are you worried that you will fail in your attempt to attain that goal that you don’t even want to begin? Ask yourself the deeper question and dig in to find the goal that your inner being tells you is right, something you can stand behind and prioritize. Get clear on your goal and make sure it really resonates with you on every level.

Then, when you’ve identified the goal for you, no more excuses. Do not say, I do not have time today. If my goal is a real priority, I make the time. And I stay committed and consistent. Every day.

The time is now for the things that you want to do in your life. It could be averaging higher on the lanes. It could be becoming a coach. It could be anything. If it is really something that you want to do, you prioritize it and you make time. When it comes to your passion now is always the time. It’s never, I’ll do it later, or I’ll do it tomorrow. Because if you catch yourself feeling that way or saying that, then perhaps your goals are not aligned to your passion or you’re clearly not prioritizing the goal enough to be on the right path to achieving it.

It’s so easy to not show up when your goals are not clear, aligned or prioritized.

So, what can you do right now to keep your goal prioritized? Make a real plan, a set of intentions, written down. It’s harder to steer away from it when it is written down. (In red.)

I’ve always been one to plan and there are rarely days when I will wake up not knowing what I’m going to do that day. I always have a plan written down. I always know how I plan to fill my day. I spend time thinking about it the night before. I ask myself, what is tomorrow’s focus going to be? What does tomorrow look like? And then when tomorrow comes, I wake up and I think about my plan again and start to put it into action. I think it’s important to be conscious and aware of your day because if you’re not, you’ll waste a lot of time. If I just wing it, I don’t get the important things done.

I’m not saying that every moment needs to be filled with something to do. That’s not the point. What is the point is that you are intentional about your day. Intentionally living is when you wake up and are clear and focused about how you are shaping your day. Maybe it is even a planned day of rest as part of a bigger goal but it’s an intentional rest. It’s part of a plan that is getting you somewhere, not just a lazy day when you’ve lost priority of your goal. The point is to be conscious about your time no matter how it is spent, and do not just wing it from day to day. Wake up knowing and resetting your intentions.

If that truly is in your heart and you want to achieve it, you need to live your life every single day intentionally in pursuit of it. Today and everyday, focus on the steps that you need to take today that lead you to the ultimate goal. You have to believe in that journey and prioritize all those steps just as much as the goal itself so that you can resist any temptation of going and doing something else instead.

Diligent goal setting has served me on so many levels on the lanes as well as beyond the lanes. People ask me how I juggle so many things and get them done? And the answer really is all about how I set and prioritize my goals every single day — and write them down. (In red.)

A goal that isn’t written down can be overwhelming. But if you set the goal and you write the steps that you can do to achieve that goal, it becomes so much more manageable because then it’s not just one big chunk anymore. It is broken down. I’m going to do this. And then after that, this and this. And then guess what? Step by step, it leads you to the big goal and you achieve it! This is a critical part goal setting and something I talk about a lot in my Beyond the Lanes programs.

Next time, I’ll get into this even more and talk to you about my love for checklists!