Use Mini-Goals to Achieve Your Big Goals

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jenny Mannion, author of the new A Short Path to Change.

I believe in going after our goals and change with loving kindness and patience to ourselves. Many begin the new year with resolutions in mind, but if they fall off track once, they believe they have failed and give up completely. That is why I believe in goals, intentions, and mini-goals to help you achieve the change you want in your life.

In assessing what you want in the different areas of your life (spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, financially, and relationally), you can begin to fantasize and daydream a bit about what your life would look like if all of those areas were aligned as you wanted. You can allow that daydream to tell you what your main goal or final goal and destination might be. Sometimes, if you only look at that big goal you can become overwhelmed, as it might seem so far away and out of reach. This can cause serious resistance and self-sabotage. A safer and kinder way is to begin by setting a first step or mini goal in any or all of those areas that you want to begin change in. By taking the first step you are telling the Universe you are ready for change and are taking action!

When you take that first step, don’t be surprised if you meet synchronicities to help you along the way. You are putting your energy out there, telling the Universe what you want, and often you will get a response! Say a couple of your long term-goals include having a regular spiritual practice and connecting with people in your community. You might not have a clear picture of what that ultimately looks like, but you know what you want! Your mini-goal can be to go somewhere locally—it could be a health food store, library, or meeting center, or to check a local paper and see if there are any meditation classes or places to learn meditation or another spiritual practice. In doing this one step, you might connect with people who open up a whole new world to you and want similar things in their own lives. You might come across a topic you were interested in years ago but hadn’t thought of since, and feel this deep knowing when you connect with it again. By taking one small step you give permission to the Universe to provide opportunities to continue on your path to change.

It is important to remember to be loving and kind to yourself in this process. Maybe you will not like the first class you attend, but you meet someone with whom you feel a connection. You might start one meditation or spiritual practice and feel it is not for you. Don’t get discouraged! Be loving, kind, and patient with yourself, and try again! No one will be judging you for the first thing not working out except yourself. Your end goal can change as you grow and change and get a clearer vision of what you want. If a friend came to you in this situation, you would offer hugs and words of encouragement—and that is what I will ask you to do for yourself in this process! If you go after your goals and the big picture in a vision but by taking one small step at a time while being loving to yourself, you will achieve that change and those goals and have fun enjoying the process!

Our thanks to Jenny for her guest post! For more from Jenny Mannion, read her article, “How to Begin the Process of Change.”