… always seems to make it’s way back around again sooner or later.

It’s been awhile — almost 2 years, in fact — since the last time I posted anything here. I almost let the domain go, and ditched the whole idea of running a personal growth site at all, but a little voice told me to hang on just a little longer and really do something with it this time. And over the years, I’ve learned to listen to that little voice — usually the hard way.

So here we are again. I don’t think my original purpose of wanting to help people find their own path to personal growth has changed all that much, and I still plan to provide as much information and as many tools as I can to help you do just that.

Personal growth is such an individual thing, and there’s really no right or wrong way to go about it if you are sincere in your desire for that growth. I just love it, though, when individual paths intersect and people share and connect along the way. That’s what makes this so much fun… opening the gateway to my own path and inviting you to connect here while you follow your own path to personal growth.

So don’t be shy — fell free to leave a comment and let me know what you’d like to see here.

One of the things I’m planning is a webinar at the end of the month. Right now the plan is for a Q and A type session where we can get to know each other a bit. Please, over the next few weeks, leave your questions and comments either in the content section, or use the contact form if you are shy. (I’m kinda shy myself so I totally get that you may not want to ask your questions publicly.)

The other thing I wanted to tell you today is that I’m working on a really cool gift for you. It’s not ready yet, but you can go ahead and register for it, and as soon as it’s ready I’ll send you the download links.

I’m really excited to be back working on this site again, and I’m just thrilled that you’re here to be a part of it.

Thanks for being here!

In my post on defining goals the other day I mentioned five steps that are important for setting clear goals. This is the first post in a series that will expand on those steps.

It seems almost too simple to make a big deal out of, but the first step in learning how to set goals is determining exactly what it is you want to achieve.

You have to know where you want to end up in order to figure out how you’re going to get there. Makes sense, doesn’t it? But you’d be amazed at the number of people who try and achieve goals that are really nothing more than a vague idea. Consider these and think about how often you’ve heard someone say them, or maybe have even said them yourself:

I want to be rich.
I want to fall in love.
I want to lose weight.

Sound familiar? They’re a good place to start, but until you put some defining characteristics to them, they’re not really goals are they? You have to define what the concepts “rich,” “in love” and “lose weight” actually mean to you before you can create clear goals around them.

So if we were defining a goal for wanting to be rich, you might ask yourself the following questions:

How rich do I want to be?
Do I want to be a millionaire? A billionaire?
Or would I be rich if I just had enough of a cushion to make sure the bills get paid and there’s a steady flow of cash coming in?
There’s no right answer. Only an answer that’s right for you. And once you know what that answer is, then you can set a clear goal around achieving the amount of money that will meet your definition of “rich”.

Once you know exactly what you want to achieve, then you can go on to the second step in defining clear goals: setting a timeline. We’ll talk about that tomorrow.

Since one of the things on my to do list today is to review my goals and see where I’m at and what, if anything needs changing, I thought I’d write a bit today on what it takes to define clear goals.

It’s one thing to set goals for yourself, but it’s another thing entirely to define clear goals to make sure you accomplish what you set out to achieve. A lack of clarity about your goals can leave you feeling confused about the end result, and put you on a one-way track to being stuck in the mud. Having a clear goal, on the other hand, can give you a sense of purpose and a huge boost in momentum.

Here are five things to think about when you’re defining your goals:

1. Know exactly what it is you want to achieve.
2. Decide on a time frame for achieving it.
3. Make sure your goal is realistic. (So says the queen of unrealistic goals!)
4. See the details. A vague idea is not gonna get you where you want to go.
5. Did you leave room for change? (If you said no, you might wanna think that.)

Over the course of the next few days we’ll talk about each of these five areas in more detail. In the meantime, think about where you are at this midpoint of the year.

Are you where you want to be so far this year? Would redefining your goals help you achieve them more easily?