Sunday, February 27, 2011

Milestones

So last post I talked a little bit about BHAG's and giving yourself something truly Big Hairy and Audacious to aim for. In the corporate world this would be a vision or mission statement but for us it's more akin to your dream. Where you truly want to see yourself.

But Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes...so we next need to break that dream down in to some achievable and recognisable milestones.

So why set milestones?

Heard the saying "a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step".
If you focus yourself on achieving the 1000 miles you could quickly get overwhelmed by the enormity of what lies ahead of you. Conversely if your sole focus is each step you could quickly become bored of the monotonous repartition.

To stay motivate we need that sense of achievement; to keep carrying on we need milestones along the way that are within our ability to reach. They give something medium term and realistically to aim for, while taking you closer to reaching your dream.


Convinced?

So what makes a good Milestone?

  • Aspirational - milestones should be things that you could see yourself achieving with hard work. They need to stretch you but you also need to be able to see yourself getting there.
  • Time - I tend to pick milestones of around three months. I can easily see myself in three months time and it gives me enough time to work around any set-backs etc. I also tend to think of milestones in terms of seasons...eg "right by the end of winter I'm going to be able to run 6 miles on a treadmill".
  • Alignment - probably common sense but your milestones need to support your ultimate goal and carry you towards it.
  • Reward - to underline that sense of achievement treat yourself to something you enjoy as a reward.

Next time we'll get into the detail of setting specific goals that get you to your milestones....

Peace

G
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41 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    Milestones are important. It's like when people that start working out but quit in a month because they don't see super results. It takes time and dedication. Every journey begins with a single step :)

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  2. TarahFebruary 27, 2011 at 6:59 PM

    I set milestones for my homeowkr, I know it seems silly but homework is the biggest issue in my life that creates stress which puts my real goals on the back burner.. btu instead of thinking of ALL my assignments, I just think of the most important, or the next one coming up

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  3. ZakkFebruary 27, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    Hey that's really awesome! I just stopped by to show my support!

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  4. synoptixsFebruary 27, 2011 at 10:47 PM

    Milestones are great to stay focused and motivated

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  5. UnknownFebruary 28, 2011 at 12:26 AM

    i tend to make milestones i cant achieve in time

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  6. Patti D.February 28, 2011 at 1:41 AM

    milestones make me tired, lol

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  7. LiveTheBossFebruary 28, 2011 at 3:40 AM

    One thing to point out that's worked for me--build in some "slack time" into your goals, so you don't get discouraged if you slip up for a day or a week. Life intrudes whether we like it or not.

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  8. Justsayin'February 28, 2011 at 8:31 AM

    Great advice. Showing my support :)

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  9. Ante BabajaFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    milestones are most important

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  10. MeFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    I should use milestones for some of my goals

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  11. The Angry VegetarianFebruary 28, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    I should also use milestones, but I'd have to retrain my brain to work like that :(

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  12. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    very cool idea

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  13. Electric AddictFebruary 28, 2011 at 5:27 PM

    good tips. I constantly get myself in a rut and consciously have to make milestones to get out of it.

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  14. Candlej-February 28, 2011 at 5:28 PM

    i always saw milestones as something that sticks out when you look back on your life thus far.

    randomramblingggg.blogspot.com

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  15. rndmg123February 28, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    i always have a goal, whether it be small or big.

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  16. PatwaMarch 1, 2011 at 5:22 AM

    good advice, thanks ^^

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  17. SamMarch 1, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    Learned something new today, thanks.

    Our blogs seem to be similar in purpose

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  18. TotoMarch 1, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    thanks for the good info!

    http://all-around-toto.blogspot.com/

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  19. Major MackMarch 1, 2011 at 4:07 PM

    milestones? make it till tommorow.

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  20. ShutterbugMarch 1, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    I will reward myself with some chocolate when I hit 200 followers! :)

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  21. Nik MekeenaMarch 1, 2011 at 9:59 PM

    great post

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  22. UsagiMarch 2, 2011 at 7:34 AM

    it's good to set milestone. I did it, but i always fail to reach it

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  23. Solsby KidMarch 3, 2011 at 4:08 AM

    All about them milestones

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  24. FrenchNeoMarch 3, 2011 at 6:43 AM

    Milestone is the name of the droid in Europe. Now I know what it mean !

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  25. JungMarch 3, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    Milestones/benchmarks dictate my life.

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  26. FreekMarch 3, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    You're completely right about milestones. Planning really is half the job.

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  27. MarnieMarch 3, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    I couldn't agree more with this post. Milestones are what gives us focus and keeps us in the "now". xo

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  28. Meghan MoranMarch 3, 2011 at 4:41 PM

    great idea. you gotta maintain perspective.

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  29. noogMarch 3, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    Milestones are definitely a crucial part of living... but I tend to skip all the steps, take the reward, then feel guilty, then repeat... :(

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  30. UnknownMarch 3, 2011 at 8:41 PM

    nice idea

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  31. GenericMarch 3, 2011 at 8:45 PM

    Thanks for the post! Insightful!

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  32. AnonymousMarch 4, 2011 at 1:27 AM

    Great advice. The milestone method definitely works.

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  33. tracirzMarch 4, 2011 at 2:13 AM

    I have such a hard time with black and white milestones... if I haven't reached it by the time I wanted to, I get upset and don't even want to think about milestones anymore. But they do usually get me started on things, which is good I suppose.

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  34. Justsayin'March 4, 2011 at 5:23 AM

    Looking for my life coach. Where are ya?

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  35. philMarch 4, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    I do set myself milestones, some of them I get to and soem of them I never can

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  36. serious_nonsenseMarch 4, 2011 at 12:27 PM

    doesn't have any milestones... mhm... thanks for posting.

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  37. AnonymousMarch 4, 2011 at 4:22 PM

    great advice... thanks

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  38. Lendo KharMarch 4, 2011 at 5:26 PM

    Good advice bro. I give up so easily might this could help me.

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  39. Shelby FoxMarch 4, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    What makes a good milestone is the fact that, at one time, you didn't think you could accomplish it.

    That's what makes Milestones that much sweeter.

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  40. !sense!March 5, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Thanks for the motivation. I needed some ideas to change

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  41. The Awesome AlienMarch 8, 2011 at 7:45 PM

    thank you for teaching me something i have never cared to think about awesome post

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