About 13 years ago I spent 10 minutes writing down some goals for the first time ever. ..and then put them in a drawer and promptly forgot about them.  The goals were a mixture of one, three and five year goals.  Rather innocently they included my desire to find a life partner, start a family, and also become a partner in our firm.  A couple of years ago I came across that piece of paper in one of my irregular purges of excess paper.  Not only had I achieved all my goals, I had even done so in the desired (and arbitrary) timeframes I had set.

Five years ago, I started setting goals annually as part of my involvement in coaching.  Despite my feelings of apprehension the process has proved of benefit to me, my family and my career.

I would like to share with you the basic outline I use in my annual goal setting, so that you too can make 2013 a “get it done” year.  The table below is the framework that I use to organise my goals.  I like to have between two and four goals per section.  More than that and it becomes difficult to set priorities, or you have set yourself a task list rather than goals. 

I do also keep a list of other “things to do or achieve”, a bit of a “bucket list” if you like.  Each year I review the list, add items, tick some off, and delete others that I no longer wish to do or have become irrelevant.  I use this list as a source for some of my annual goals.

Remember, your goals must be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.

Last year, I set myself the challenging goal of cycling from Sydney to Melbourne as part of the 2012 Wheel Classic…a 9 day, 1,250 km ride for charity.  This goal involved many steps including the purchase of my first road bike, the requisite training to be fit enough, and learning about nutrition to ensure I had the fuel to ride.

I never dreamed of the side benefits of having achieved such a challenging goal, and start 2013 invigorated to maintain a healthy lifestyle and enjoy every day with my wonderful family.

A learning I took from setting such a goal is to beware the impact it has on those around you.  My family missed out on quite a bit of weekend time as I was either out training or recovering from training rides. 

This year’s goals for me are a bit more laid back, involving some camping with my family and quite a bit of gardening at home. 

I will leave the last word to Ben Saunders who in his short 10 minute presentation gives his answer to: Why bother leaving the house?  http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_saunders_why_bother_leaving_the_house.html

Happy goal setting – I hope you have a wonderful, happy, healthy and rewarding 2013.