Here’s an intriguing parable from Alice in Wonderland:

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree:

Alice: Which road do I take?

Cheshire Cat: Where do you want to go?

Alice: I don’t know!

Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t matter!

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there! — Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Now, do you ever wonder why you have trouble accomplishing your goals?

As you can see, what Alice was lacking was…direction!

And without a concrete plan, your goals have no direction either! You may as well be wandering aimlessly through an unknown forest of dreams, just like Alice.

And with a stroke of luck, you’re hoping that one day you’ll somehow end up at your dream destination.

If that’s your approach, Good Luck!

But, if you are serious about finally accomplishing your goals and ready to move forward — then keep reading, because…

Planning is Everything

And sadly, I learned this the long, drawn out, inefficient way.

One of my big goals is financial independence. But before I could achieve that, I had to get out of debt.

And for the longest time, I didn’t know how to do that.

That’s why it took me 11 years to pay off about $9,000 in student loans.

Now I will admit during that time life kept getting in the way (as it always does). So I continually put my goal to pay off the loan on the back burner.

Then after multiple deferments and forbearances, fast forward 10.5 years and guess what? I still had $4,800 of student loan debt lingering over my head!

I know, ridiculous right!

So when I finally had enough of dealing with that madness, I realized that I needed a better plan.

Fortunately…I found it!

And it helped me pay off the remainder of that annoying student loan in 8 months.

So that’s why I tried the same method after going back to school a second time. And this time I was able to pay off my $12,000 debt in only 24 months. Big difference right!

Personally, now I use this method for all my goals. And guess what? When I stick to the plan, it works! And it can work for you too no matter what your goals are.

Now, that’s not to say that the process is going to be a cake walk. It does require effort, determination, and maybe even a bit of sacrifice.

But, thanks to this process I have been knocking out my debt left and right. And I am finally on the path to reaching that elusive goal of financial freedom.

So here’s how I did it.

6 Surefire Steps To Achieve Your Goals

1. Specify Your Goals

Your mindset matters! Part of my problem over the years was that my goal was not clearly defined. And I would think of paying off my student loan as something that I intended to do someday.

So I had to change my thinking to the present tense. And I had to be specific about what I was trying to accomplish.

For instance, instead of saying, “I’m going to pay off my student loan.” I needed to think about the four W’s of who, what, when, and why.

Here’s an example:

• I (who) am paying off my student loan debt (what) in 34 months (when) to help me become debt free (why).

Being specific and knowing how your life will improve helps to keep you motivated.

And if need someone to help you reach your goal then you need to add a 5th ‘w’ for whom. And if your goal involves a different location add a sixth ‘w’ for where.

Another example:

• I (who) will buy a house (what) in California (where) in 2 years (when) to grow my family (why) with my husband’s help (whom).

It’s simple, yet decisive. No paragraphs or narratives. Just state the bare bones facts of what you want to do.

And being very specific sends your brain a clear message of what needs to happen.

A great place to begin is by listing your top 3-5 goals in order of importance. Choose goals that you feel excited about.

Grab your pen and paper and start listing your top 3 goals right now!

List only the ones that provide you the most purpose and fulfillment. That way, you’re more likely to complete them.

But be careful when prioritizing. Because if everything seems like a priority, then nothing is a priority. Focus on answering the 4-6 ‘w’ questions.

And don’t attempt to attack more than 3-4 goals at any given time, because you will not give full attention to any of them. I’ve created this awesome goals checklist to get you started. 

So now that you’ve specified and prioritized your goal, next you must:

2. Set A Plan Of Attack

So, how are your going to reach your goal?

Without a clear-cut action plan life becomes something that just happens to you, around you, and in spite of you (remember Alice). In other words, you control nothing!

The best way to regain control is to list the individual steps needed to make your plan a reality.

In the case of my student debt:

• • I assessed my monthly expenses. And listed everything I could think of on a sheet of paper.

• • I created a budget by determining which expenses were necessary, like mortgage and food. Also which were non-essentials, like eating out, shopping, and movie channels. There are great apps like Mint to help with budgets.

• • I identified areas where l could make drastic cuts. For instance, I limited eating out from 5 days to 1 day per week. And I significantly cut back on apparel shopping.

• • I increased my income by getting a better paying job, thanks to my degree. But even getting a side hustle can help boost income.

• • I paid a designated $500 every month as a result of the first 4 changes.

It was a sacrifice, but that initial loan pay off was 10 years overdue. And I was committed to removing that dark cloud hanging over me.

Now depending on your specific goal, you may need to do some research to create an effective action plan. Or it may even require additional training or more education.

For example, a goal of becoming a pilot. After all, you can’t just get into a cockpit and suddenly know how to fly.

Next, you need to…

3. Establish Firm Deadlines

Here’s another fascinating parable:

There was a TV commercial with a lady leisurely walking alongside a beautiful pond. There were green trees and pretty flowers. A soft breeze was blowing. And the tranquil sounds of nature were all around her.

She didn’t appear to have a care in the world.

But in the background, something was lurking and watching her every movement.

Then when she least expected it, a grandfather clock ambushed her from behind and knocked her into the water.

The slogan for the ad was, Time is not your friend!

It was a kooky commercial with a pertinent message — stop wasting time! Because before you realize it, time can sneak up on you and ruin your day.

It’s necessary to have a sense of urgency if you ever want to achieve your goals.

So, set deadlines for each of the individual tasks that you’ve outlined in step 2. But, be realistic in regards to where you are starting from. And, be reasonable in how quickly you can complete each task without being overwhelmed.

After assessing my expenses and budget (from step 2) here’s how I set a deadline for my $12,000 student debt:

• • I cut my eating out down from $240 monthly to $80. Which freed up $160 a month to put towards my debt.

• • And my salary increase provided the additional $340 a month.

• • So I was able to set a realistic and reasonable plan of $500 month.

• • That’s how I determined my deadline was 24 months.

Keep in mind, this did require great discipline on my part.  But I stuck to my plan and didn’t give up.

Bottom line, be careful not to choose a deadline that you can not realistically meet. Because you are setting yourself up for failure. So don’t set deadlines based on wishful thinking, do your research and use your attack plan.

Also, deadlines should be firm but not necessarily fixed. Because sometimes — crap happens! And it’s unavoidable. So reassess when necessary and create new deadlines that are not too far off from the original.

But don’t make this a habit. Otherwise, you’ll keep finding excuses to delay, and delay, and delay.

Now, to determine if your plan is working you must…

4. Track Your Progress

To stay motivated, you need tangible evidence that you’re plan is working.

You can measure your progress by identifying what you expect to see, hear or feel once your goal is complete.

For my loan pay off tracking was easy:

• • Since I was making specific payment amounts, I could see the balance steadily going down. Check!

• • And I could feel my excitement building each month. Check!

Also if I had missed a payment or paid less than $500, I immediately knew I was falling behind in my progress. Then I could either cut expenses somewhere else or work a little overtime to make up the difference.

But if it seems like your goal is too large and intimidating, then focus on the mini goals.

These are individual steps in your action plan (from step 2). For me, each time I made the next $500 payment that was a mini goal achieved.

Additionally, completing mini goals build confidence and renew your motivation to keep going.

So remember, each step you complete is leading you closer to your larger, ultimate goal.

Now that the deadlines are set, if you need an extra boost to keep you focused, then…

5. Find A Partner In Crime

Being accountable can be the difference between sticking to your plan or giving up. Because your success is only as good as your effort.

If no one else knows about your goals, then you can continue to procrastinate without any outside consequences.

But if you want to double your chances for success, then get an accountability partner. This could be a parent, a significant other, your best friend, a co-worker, church member, and so on.

But don’t pick just anyone because they are your friend or family. The person you choose should meet some criteria.

For example, they should be someone:

• • You respect

• • Whose opinion you trust

• • That can be objective

• • That understands what you want to accomplish

• • That is committed to helping

Also, someone you can count on to hold your feet to the fire and keep you on track if you begin to slip.

Here are 5 reasons why an accountability partner is essential. Because they can:

1. Accelerate your performance by helping you work out kinks in your strategy.
2. Validate your ideas by acting as a sounding board and offering a constructive critique.
3. Provide encouragement and motivation to calm your doubts.
4. Reinforce your sense of responsibility to complete your tasks.
5. Deter you from backing out because you have someone to answer to

For me, it was my husband. Because he’s good for looking over my shoulder and breathing down my neck to finish something!

Also, I despise having to admit to him that I’ve fallen behind. So that strongly motivates me to stay on task.

The truth is, no matter how much we plan it’s easy to become frustrated or get distracted from our goals.

That’s why an accountability partner can provide just the kick in the pants you need to keep you on track.

One of the most important things you can do to reach your goals is to…

6. Stick With It

Achieving goals is an ongoing process. And often we start our goal setting journey full of enthusiasm and ready to take on the world.

But then somewhere along the line, we fizzle out, lose focus, and push our dreams to the back burner.

That’s why it’s necessary to prioritize (from step 1) and set goals that you are excited about.

So here are a few quick tips to keep engaged:

• • Make your goals a priority.  Because if you don’t, who will? After all, it’s your life, and you deserve to live your dreams. My goals checklist helped me to prioritize and take action.

• • Take your goals one step at a time. Getting ahead of yourself may lead to frustration. Don’t skip any steps in this process. This could delay your progress or negatively impact your results. Which in turn, makes you more susceptible to quitting. STICK TO THE PLAN!

• • Set reminders to keep yourself on track. Take time to review your plan frequently and update as needed. I routinely set alerts on my smartphone. And reviewed my plan every two weeks.

• • Finally, take a bribe if you need to. For every goal you check off your list, build little rewards into your plan. For example, every time I paid $1,000 towards my student debt, I would buy myself something under $50.

Often it was a new pair of shoes or a new blouse. But be warned, only do this if it will not delay your progress!

And last but not least, the bonus…

7. Time To Celebrate

Hooray! I followed the process twice, and I met my goal, twice! And guess what? So can you!

There’s nothing more satisfying than achieving something that you have put your time and effort into.

Once you’re done, give yourself a pat on the back, do something you love, and enjoy your victory.

A Final Note

And if you never start, then you will never finish!

It’s important to remember that having goals bring purpose and fulfillment to our lives.

And having a clear direction with a solid plan is a battle half won. But life is fluid and often unpredictable! So don’t expect this to be a cake walk.

Keep in mind, that for any plan to succeed it takes hard work, determination, and a lot of stick-to-itiveness.

So making the commitment, along with following this 6 steps process will definitely improve your chances for success. And put you that much closer to achieving your dreams.

Now, what is it going to take to get you to make that first step?

Don’t put off your dreams for another moment.

NEXT ACTION:

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what your big goal is. Have you started working on it? Do you struggle with finding time to finish? Is there something holding you back?

Remember, your dreams are waiting!

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