Mini-Goals to Heal Pain and Move Forward with Life

PHYSICAL
What are your physical goals? Do you want to lose weight, exercise more, eat less, get stronger, increase endurance, feel less pain? To lay them all out like that may seem like you are setting a goal -- but if you just leave it like that will you honestly get there just by wishing it so? The more you break it down the better chance you have of obtaining the goal.

I want to lose "that last 5 pounds" and feel more fit and strong. My mini steps are to

1. Walk a minimum of 45 minutes 3 times a week. (or cross country ski soon)
2. Do 1-2 Exercise on Demand Workouts a week
3. Drink water regularly -- at least 6-8 glasses a day
4. Become conscious on everything I eat and to eat slowly. Thanks Alex Shalman for the reminder in your article Three Little Things to Make Your Life Better Today! With 2 kids it's easy to inhale! : )

Suddenly my final goal seems more obtainable. If I concentrate on one of these at a time I can do it and it will not seem overwhelming. They will become habits as I change my behavior and I can move onto the next.... I have gotten the walking down and the water drinking now I have the other 2 to work on.... Soon my goal will be met and I experienced tons of joy and feelings of accomplishment as I crossed off the other 2.

I make sure I stop and feel grateful for every mini goal met. When a big goal is met I am overjoyed, take the time to be grateful and appreciate and then after a while set up a new major goal in that area. Just as healing was my first physical goal and I just outlined the one I'm currently working on.

EMOTIONAL
Relational
Emotional encompasses your own emotions as well as the emotions you experience in relationships. How do you want your relationships to be with your spouse, kids, parents, friends? What mini-steps could you use to get there? Do you need more time with them? Better communication? More time doing a different activities?

• My husband and I use 2 steps that I think are wonderful and have helped to keep us so close. We have "date night"whenever we can. Whether it be a long walk or a night out on the town the time away from the house, kids and the "to-dos" do wonders and help us to reconnect.

• The other is on the 26th (our anniversary is July 26) of every month we look into each other's eyes, assess the last month, talk and say 'I love you". It might not have been the easiest month or it may have been a wonderful month. But to know that on the 26th we give gratitude to our love and relationship can heal whatever we have been through and helps us to know we always have each other.

• If I am feeling upset it helps to make a list of all the wonderful traits of the person I am upset with.

• I set mini goals in these areas consistently and they seem to change with whatever relationships I feel "need work" and extra attention at that time.

Your emotions
How do you want to feel? We know with the Law of Attraction in order to receive more good you need to feel good! I am not saying to walk in a happy fog and not notice when things aren't going your way... But better not to dwell in the negatives and to use them to contrast what you do want.

• A gratitude list is a great way to feel good. Going through in your mind who and what you are grateful for upon waking and before bed are excellent ways to do this.

• I have been known to use the rubber band and snap myself out of those lingering negative thoughts.

• What makes you feel good? Do more of it.

• Who makes you feel good? See more of them! Set mini goals to ensure you do so.

MENTAL
I feel I have to constantly educate myself or I become very bored and disconnected. Do you have a passion? Set some goals to learn more about it. There are so many free resources on the internet and at the library. I receive so many newsletters and e-books on the law of attraction, personal development, health, internet and computer games and I LOVE learning and becoming more knowledgeable.

• Crosswords, Sudoku, Chess all have been proven to sharpen your mental abilities. If you exercise your brain consistently just like you would your body you will find you take in information and process it easier than before.

• Learn more about something you love or something you have been curious about for a while. Setting goals for educating yourself and expanding your mind will leave you open for inspiration and increase your self confidence.

FINANCIAL
Ok -- so I want to be "financially free" -- but WHAT does that mean for me and HOW in the world do I get there? The best way to approach this is to look at your strengths, set some goals and break them down as far as you can.

I believe in the multiple streams of income approach so that if one thing doesn't work out you have some other kind of support system in place. I have a few passions and have combined them into my goals. A successful blog, successful internet ventures and getting my invention manufactured. All of these needed mini goals for me to take any steps.

• What are your strengths? What do you want to do? Maybe you need to take Steve Pavlina's How to Discover Your Life's Purpose in 20 Minutes Exercise to move onto the next step.... The important thing is a break down of how much you need to live, how much you can realistically expect to make at each of the ventures, education in the areas you want to excel in and mini goals to make it all take shape.

• Everyone who has excelled has taken several steps to get there and had the determination to do so.... you can do it... you need to Ask Believe Receive as the Law of Attraction and 'The Secret" say or you can use the other approach. I just read a post on Raymond's Attracting Your Goals blog that puts it in a different way. What BDH has to do with the Law of Attraction. It's a great post and I was happy to find it because it gives another way of looking at things. BDH stands for Be Do Have and I believe that in order for you to succeed ACTION is key. You have to Be the person you want to be and Do the actions necessary to Have what you desire. Thanks for the insight Raymond!

SPIRITUALITY
I used to think Spirituality was JUST about religion but now I know differently. My beliefs don't fit into any one category "Catholicism, Buddhism, Judaism". I believe religion/spirituality is a personal choice that has to resonate within you. If you can find that within one religion that is wonderful for you and churches and religious communities certainly have a lot to offer. I was fortunate enough to be exposed to many religions and through yoga, meditation and reading discovered spirituality. I think it is very important to feel spiritually connected and I have gained a lot in my last years' exploration. I have become more aware, I have become even more interested in pursuing religious and philosophical readings and I know how important it is to feel like you are connected and not alone. My goals keep changing in this area and I adjust my mini-goals accordingly.

• Readings, meditations, gratitude -- taking time for each are all part of my mini-goals to achieving the state of spirituality that I want to be in.

I didn't set goals in all these areas at once nor do I expect myself to excel in all of them at the same time. My health was the most important when I was ill and I focused on that and spirituality to help me heal. Now my focus has changed to financial and continued health as I progress in my other areas. These goals will change a bit as life takes me in unexpected directions as life seems to do. It's OK -- I will adjust my mini-goals accordingly and know my road has changed for a reason.

If you don't have goals -- how will you know if you've gotten to where you want to be? Use goal setting to help heal whatever physical and emotional hurdles you want to tackle. If you get exhausted just thinking about your goals -- mini goals may be just the baby steps you need to help you reach your maximum potential in ALL areas of your life.