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Goal /ɡōl/ noun: the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.

What is a goal? Below the surface definition, goals are meant to be S.M.A.R.T. — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timed. But if goals are supposed to be broken down in their entirety, why are they so difficult to achieve?

Goals are like time — they wait for no man and if we are not careful, we miss every second of them. However, just like time, a goal can be well spent with the right preparation and management. Without substantial systems and accountability, our goals can get way ahead of us and we can find ourselves readjusting them ever so often.

Every year I try to start each quarter or season off with one attainable goal that I plan to achieve in three months. Of course there are goals bigger than just a quarterly span, but starting and remaining committed helps in the long run when it comes to long-term goals.

Recently, I dedicated time and effort into creating my first vision board with four goals; each goal will be achieved within three months, six months, nine months and within a year. But I didn’t stop there. I made sure to include detailed goals as well as the steps I will take to hold myself accountable for these goals. Think of one goal as a sandwich. Your first slice of bread is the first step you take in achieving your goal when you say it out loud or write it down on paper. You start to stack your sandwich with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato — these are all considered the juicy part of your sandwich and the more you add, the better it will be. Without these contents, a sandwich is meaningless, just as a goal is meaningless without healthy habits and commitments.

After you’ve stacked your sandwich, you top it off with the last piece of bread. This completes your sandwich and all that hard work pays off once you get to eat it. That last slice of bread is the final piece needed to complete your goal, which is repeating the very first step and staying on course for your final reward.

The best part about making a sandwich, is that the more you do it, the better you become at it. The more goals we make and follow up with commitments, the better we become at achieving our goals.

One of my newly set goals is to finish reading eight to nine physical books in nine months, roughly a book a month. Now, this might seem doable on the surface, but without specific systems set in place such as reading every day for at least a half hour, I can easily fall off course on days I feel too tired or I have “no time.” Here’s a little secret you may not know: we always have enough time, it all depends on how we manage it and how strategically we use it. Also know that it’s OK to start small; Subway footlongs were not thought of overnight.

Remember — everything we hope and dream of are all on the table, we just have to start putting the right ingredients together.

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