There is one way to really hold yourself back when it comes to your goals, and that is to set one target for a specific goal, and be done with it. I want so much more for you, I want you to really challenge yourself to achieve so much more. That is why I want you to set three different levels of achievement with your goals.

Let’s take the example of debt pay-off, because that is a goal that many of my clients are working towards. If you only have one goal, let’s say it is to pay off $5,000 of debt in 2021, it could actually hold you back!! We tend to be either really reserved and cautious when setting goals, or we shoot for the stars. I want you to have goals that will be at both ends of the spectrum.

Sherry, you’ve lost it, what the hell are you talking about? Let’s go back for my example of debt pay-off. I want you to have at least three levels of goal achievement that you are shooting for. This could look like:

Level 1: $5,000

Level 2: $7,000

Level 3: $10,000

Level 4: $15,000

The lower the level, the more achievable the goal. This is not to say that I want the first level to be something that you can achieve in your sleep. I still want it to be a little bit of a challenge. As we move up in the levels the goal requires more effort and focus. The highest level should feel pretty much impossible. When you look at the goal you should have thoughts of, ‘how the hell am I going to do that’!! Yes, it feels almost impossible now, but think of how you will feel if you achieve it!! Such a huge sense of accomplishment!

Why is setting different levels of goals important?

DIfferent levels of goals have two huge reasons.

1- It will help to keep your eye on the prize if life throws you some curveballs (like 2020 did). If you were only to select one goal, let’s say you selected to pay off $7,000 of debt, but half way through the year you had only paid off $2,000. You could get discouraged, throw your hands up and give up on your goal because it seems impossible. But look at it with the different levels. You are half way through the year and have paid off $2,000, that means if you pay off another $3,000 in the second half of the year you will hit your level one goal!! That will help you to stay focused and push through to hit your target!

2- Let’s flip the script on option 1 above. It is half way through the year and you have paid off $6,000 of your $7,000 goal. You could end up on cruise control for the rest of the year and likely still hit your goal. But, what’s that you say? It seems possible to pay off $15,000 now because you have already been paying off $1,000/month! Hell yes, let’s go for level 4!! It is time to smash the shit out of your goal!

See the possibilities to achieve so much more by having different levels of goal achievement? It seems way more exciting to set some goals now doesn’t it?

When setting different levels of goal achievement, it doesn’t have to be all about dollars or inches, it could also be about timelines. Think it will take 12 months to pay off $5,000, the different levels could be shorter timelines as the challenge. Get creative and think outside the box when setting goals, because you are unique and your goals should be too!

Want to reach more blog posts on goal setting?

Click HERE to read about how goal setting will change your life!

Click HERE to read about. 5 steps to help you stay focused on your goals!

Now go smash the shit out of your 2021 financial goals!!!

-Sherry