This post is part 2 of our series on developing and reaching your goals. In the prior post, we discussed how to structure your goal so that it is well-defined and measurable. In this post we will discuss the next part of the process, identifying the related steps, resources, and sequence of your goal.
There are likely a number of smaller steps, projects, or events that that will need to be completed before you reach your goal. Before you start linking those steps together, just list out, the information you'll need to gather, people you'll need to contact, or things to accomplish for your particular goal. For example, if you are planning a seminar on buying local, you may write down book a meeting room at the Hilton, contact Steve about using his projector, create an invite list, call Sarah and Paul to help setup, etc. The steps don't need to be in any particular order at this time. This initial storming process helps you start thinking about the process of meeting your goal, gives you the foundation for your time frame, and most importantly it helps you recognize which resource you have and those you need to obtain, which is the next step in the process.
Thinking about and listing your resources is an important step toward reaching your goals. You likely have more people, knowledge, or tools available to help you than you realize. Returning to our buying local seminar, maybe a friend of yours has already put on a similar event. It may help for you to share the steps you've identified with him or her to find out if you are missing any crucial items. This process will also reveal to you additional steps you need to take to obtain or use a resource. For example, you might recognize that you need specialized knowledge or information to complete one of your steps. You then need to identify how you'll get that information resource as one of your steps.
Putting your steps and resources together is the next part of the goal development process. You'll need to sequence your steps and pair them with resources to create your plan of action. You can use a method for putting the steps in sequence that makes sense to you. However, there will likely be some items that are more easily completed than others or some that cannot be completed with our first finishing some other task. The point of sequencing is to create the basis for a timeline that you'll use to measure your progress, it adds structure to your list of steps and resources. Once you have the sequencing in place, assign a time frame for completing each step. You can monitor your progress by the number of steps you complete and how close to your timeline you keep yourself. It may be helpful to have a partner that can keep you accountable and on track to complete your sequence of steps.
As part of your identification of steps, resources, and sequence to reach your goals you may recognize the need for help, specialized knowledge, or a facilitator for this process. At Focus C3 we offer counseling to help you solve problems, coaching to help you progress, and consulting to help you create potential. We have expertise, resources, and skills to help you reach your goals and move forward. Contact us at info@focusc3.com or visit our website.
The third part of our series on developing and reaching your goals will help you see if your goal lines up with your values and priorities in life. Please feel free to comment on the posts so far.
