Welcome to another Weekly Spark! This week, we're talking about:  

If you do a quick Google search for how to achieve your most ambitious goals, you're bound to find articles stacked on articles about how to stay focused, how to set a plan, writing SMART goals & how you can go ALL IN on your dreams. Notice that all of these tips are very action focused, which is not a bad thing, per se. 

However, if we follow solely these tips, it's a recipe for burnout. It's a recipe for stress, because nowhere in those tips is there any discussion of balance or sustainability, which means maybe it will work for you to achieve one goal or maybe two - but in the long run, we need to foster a balance between both action & intention. This is how you achieve your most ambitious goals, because your most ambitious goals will likely take longer than just a few days or just a few weeks of intense focus to give you a taste of what's possible. 

Scroll to the bottom of this page to watch the video, or simply read the transcript below (edited slightly for clarity).

Quoting one of my experience members, Angie, who shared “I have been putting my dream on the back burner.” After just a few weeks, Angie is celebrating: “I took out my nutrition & fitness books, & I'm starting to look at them again. It's generating an energy that I can do this.” & you can do this too - achieve your most ambitious goals & dreams in 5 steps.

Let's dive in. 

#1 Get Intentional

At the introduction, I talked about how a lot of the tips are very action focused & action, again, is not bad or wrong. If you are action oriented (which you can find out by taking my quiz) you're also more prone to take action regardless of your strength. However, we need to purposefully incorporate intention into our goal setting at the very beginning. 

Without intention, without a why for achieving your most ambitious goals, you simply won't maintain the motivation to maintain sustainable momentum & sustainable goal attainment. So, this first step is to really clarify why you want the goal in front of you. Let your mind & imagination exp& to what's possible with this goal, to what your life looks like with this goal in it (which may include other goals as well).

#2 Get Specific

Now this is very similar to the SMART goal tip. However, I want to take this even a step further for you to get specific holistically. This means not only like SMART goals, are you saying it's measurable, it's exact, it's time bound. That's very important as well, & to write all of that out.

But also, I want you to dive into that specific goal & say, “What will this feel like? How will this impact my life?” & once you've done so (because it is proven that when you write down your goals, you are far more likely to attain them) comment below this video, that goal that you envision & add some detail so that you really lock in what exactly this goal is for you. 

#3 Connect the Dots 

Take steps one & two & link them together. This exact goal you've gotten so specific on -what it feels like & exactly what it is…how does that take you to the first why? How does that help your gr& vision, the big vision of why you're going after this in the first place. This again, helps with motivation. As you pursue these ambitious goals, you're bound to come upon roadblocks, you are bound to see that this may take way longer than you think. & so, if you not only have the exact goal to refer to, the feeling & experience of it, but you also have that link to say “By attaining that it will help me get to this even gr&er vision I have for my life.”

#4 Be Unapologetic About Your Non-negotiables 

The first step, of course, is to define what are your non-negotiables? What are the things in life  (maybe it even comes from that gr& vision of your life) that no matter what, will help maintain balance as you pursue this goal in the long run. This also ensures that once you get to your goal, you don't have that pit in your stomach that says this wasn't worth it. This wasn't worth the sacrifices or this wasn't what you actually wanted. It's bringing in the holistic side of you so that, yes, you can go toward your ambitious goal with all your might, but also you maintain that little seed or that perspective of your wholeness, wellness & your holistic happiness along the way. 

So, spell out what you will not compromise, even if it got you closer to your goal, because if you were to compromise that non-negotiable, it would negate the importance or the fulfillment that you expect from this goal in the first place. 

#5 Know Your Strength

Half of us are action oriented & half of us are intention oriented. To be action oriented, is the doer, the rule follower, the implementer. The intention oriented is the dreamer & the planner. Knowing what your strength is will help you to trust your strength, to trust that you have that part of your puzzle covered. 

Then it's also to purposefully incorporate the other half, to create this balance again, not only so that you can maintain your motivation & your clarity, & your direction & your action to attain these ambitious goals, but also so that you feel good all along the way. So, learn your strength, potentially by taking my free quiz at yesandbymarin.com/quiz & discover whether you are intention oriented or action oriented. 

How about an example for these steps, & I'll use one from my personal life. One of my most ambitious goals is to fill my membership program to at least 500 people in the year of 2021. Another tip is I actually have a good, better, & best goal. So, my most ambitious is 500 members inside The Experience by the end of 2021. However, good 100, better 300 & best is 500. I'll save that tip for another video. 

So, let's start with getting intentional. Why do I want 100/300/500 individuals inside The Yes& Experience? Because of the 30 individuals who are in there right now, I am seeing the most incredible transformations & a true experience of fulfillment. I'm receiving feedback, the individuals are so grateful to have found this community & to experience the transformation that they've been looking for. One that helps them achieve their goals, that helps them step into their full potential but doesn't compromise the well-being of themselves in the process. & there's 30 individuals, which is fantastic & I love all of them.  

However, it's only 30 individuals & I know there are more people who need this information & who need this perspective & support. Furthermore, I absolutely love running this membership program for my members, I thrive. I light up & get even more expansive. So, the more I can do it, & the more people I can share it with everyone, the happier & more fulfilled I am as well. 

It's a win, win, WIN.

Getting specific, what does this feel like & really spell it out. I already shared good, better, best - 100, 300, 500 by the end of 2021, members inside The Experience. That's how specific I've gotten (numbers wise) from that SMART goal perspective. But then adding in the feeling & the experience. I picture myself on the live group coaching calls, looking at many individuals who have joined, who highlight it as their favorite part of their week, I think about the trainings that I will share, I think about the conversations that will be had, the emails I received from members who are so grateful, & the emails I send to members because I am so grateful. 

That feeling of gratitude & expansion & mutual thriving as a whole community. That is the feeling that I'm going toward for my example. Number two is that specific goal, the feeling of 100/300/500 members. Number one is why - the reason for it, the expansiveness, the benefit for other individuals, the benefit for myself & for Yes&, the joy that's shared all around. 

I could even take this into step four, to be unapologetic about my non-negotiables. If I feel like I'm not able to show up at my best for whatever reason in support of this amount of individuals, or if I'm not receiving positive feedback anymore from the individuals sharing - that's saying to me that this is no longer a goal to pursue. Some other non-negotiables I have are my own well-being & health - that's why I create the schedule that I do. That's why I reserve time for my physical health, my mental health, my relationship health. So, if at any time that is compromised in the pursuit of this goal, I'm no longer either going to pursue that goal or pursue it in the way that I have been. 

Lastly, step five, know my strength. I've taken the quiz, I also created it, & my strength is action for sure. I am more action based & because of this, I purposefully incorporate intention into my days. If I don't incorporate that intention into my day, I am at risk for just doing, doing, doing -  implementing without coming back to the why, without coming back to my purpose, without coming back to the big picture. So, some ways that I incorporate intention with purpose is I journal pretty much every morning, meditate pretty much every day & conclude my week at the end of each week in my business to review my goals, my lessons & my celebrations. 

So, there's an example of applying these five steps. You got a taste of why it is so important to complete each of these steps & how this will help you attain your most ambitious goal without stress or burnout. To see these steps in written form, download your free PDF that lays them out for you, above. Take the quiz to find your strength & keep yourself accountable to step five at yesandbymarin.com/quiz.

Next week, we're going to cover how to get unstuck when you're feeling uninspired, & potentially you'll encounter that on your pursuit to your most ambitious goal. See you then!