Life coaches specialize in helping individuals create the life they most desire. Within that process is visioning, goal setting and creating strategies to achieve those goals.
One of the strategies I use with clients is to view the goal achievement as a path to success. Just as in a cross country trip we know our starting point and our final destination. When it comes down to how we get from point a to point b, we typically have lots of options.
We can drive straight though with map in hand stopping for gas, food and a little sleep. People do this with some of their goals, especially for the goals that become a part of new processes or routines. If a client has been late with bill payments, then evaluating their processes and creating a better process is all they may need to achieve their goal. They develop a routine that works better for them.
However, when a goal is big like losing 100 pounds, “driving straight through” is difficult. Those who implement this goal getting strategy for big goals will often get frustrated, overwhelmed, and give up.
So how do we make big goals more achievable?
We break them down into manageable chunks. Like the cross country drive we chose places to stop, sights to see, and fun things to do along the way. These stops become rewards for driving a certain distance in the car. When it comes to life coaching I call these mileposts on my clients’ path to success.
A milepost is used to get the client to a certain point in the achievement of their goal. For example, the client who wants to lose 100 pounds might have mileposts at every 10 pounds of weight loss. This takes that big goal and breaks it down into manageable chunks.
To go along with each milepost I also like to incorporate a reward. Something that reinforces the positive behavior and the changes being made in the clients’ life, but how does one chose an appropriate reward?
In order to anchor the changes the client is making I take them back to why they are making the change in the first place. Before a client identifies a goal, I have them brainstorm many possible goals and why they want to achieve each one. So if my weight loss client wants to lose weight so she will feel healthier, look sexier, and present herself more confidently I encourage her to find a reward that reconnects her to those reasons for the goal. Maybe a haircut and color, pedicure and manicure, massage, or something else in the self care arena would better reinforce the new behavior than an unrelated item like a new garden bench.
Now to put this into play in your life…
Identify your most inspiring goal. Why do you want this in your life? Clarify your starting point and your end destination. Now start exploring your path to success. Where would the milepost be, how many are there? Look back over why you want this goal; can you identify some motivational rewards that would reinforce your new habits, behaviors and accomplishments?