Category Archives: Thoughts On Change

What brings YOU joy and what fills YOUR days?

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I recently heard Mel Robbins talk about how to find the happiness you once had. 

Mel suggests you make two lists.

  • The first list is what brings you joy or what were you doing at a happier time in your life?
  • The second list is how do you currently spend your days?

You then compare the lists to see if your days are filled with what makes you happy and joyful or not!

If these lists align then great – you already have happy & joyful days.

If these lists don’t align you need to align them to bring more happiness & joy into your life.

Sounds simple right?

I followed Mel’s advice and made 2 lists.

What makes me happy & joyful or what was I doing at a happier time in my life?

That’s an easy list to make – time with loved ones, time alone, reading, writing, creating, learning, travelling, photography, exercise & relaxing.

Are my days filled with these activities?

The honest answer is not as much as I would like.

If I could spend my time doing all of the above my life would not just be joyful, it would be blissful! 

This tells me it’s time to make changes.

Ironically what used to bring me immense joy and made up most of my time before was work.

Work no longer brings me the joy it used to which highlights where we find joy can change as we grow and evolve.

I do want to work again in the future but it will be very different to how I worked before. 

  • What brings you happiness & joy or what were you doing at a happier time in your life?
  • How do you currently spend your days?
  • Are your lists aligned?

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Thanks for reading, 

Siobhain

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You Are ENOUGH!

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There are a few concepts that I keep coming back to year after year, ENOUGH is one of those concepts.

WE HAVE ENOUGH

WE DO ENOUGH

WE ARE ENOUGH!

Movie star Jim Carrey is most widely known for his comedic genius. More recently he is known for sharing his spiritual path which is light years away from the glitzy movie star life he used to lead. In a recent video Jim was talking about retiring from movies, three sentences he said really hit a chord with me and have become a mantra that I carry with me every day.

​I HAVE ENOUGH

​I’VE DONE ENOUGH

I AM ENOUGH​

Imagine having such a sense of fulfilment and contentment within yourself that all you currently have is ENOUGH, all you have done to this date is ENOUGH and all that you currently are is ENOUGH. You can view Jim’s video here, 

No matter where we are in our lives, starting from this baseline of having ENOUGH, having done ENOUGH and being ENOUGH is incredibly liberating.

Starting and finishing EVERY DAY with this realisation means that everything we get, everything we do and everything we become is then a BONUS!​

WE HAVE ENOUGH

WE DO ENOUGH

WE ARE ENOUGH!

ENOUGH doesn’t stop us from wanting to have more, do more and be more. It does however, allow us to be content with what we have, what we have done and what we are while we pursue all we want.

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TODAY?

​HAVE YOU DONE ENOUGH TODAY?

​ARE YOU ENOUGH TODAY?

Over the past few years my life has changed a huge amount and I’ve experienced more loss in the past 3 years than I have in my entire life. I lost my Dad, my job (I left my job), my sense of self, elements of my health and a ton of money (not exactly lost money but spent it as I haven’t had a salary for 3+ years).

Even with all this loss, I absolutely know I have enough, I have done enough and I am enough.

Knowing this is hugely comforting, empowering & liberating.

Remember whatever you have, do and are – YOU ARE ENOUGH.

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Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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Less is More

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​I have always believed in a philosophy of LESS IS MORE. 

The underlying message in LESS IS MORE is that we don’t need more to be happy, we can be happier and more content with LESS. For the past few years all my goals have centred around LESS IS MORE principles which have brought me so much peace, joy, contentment and happiness.

Here are some of the LESS IS MORE principles I use,

DO LESS, BE MORE

Sometimes I find life is just one big long to do list – this doesn’t bring me joy it brings me anxiety! Having less on my ‘to do list’ and more on my ‘to be list’ brings me peace, joy, contentment and happiness. I want to continue to DO LESS and enjoy BEING more!

WORK LESS, HAVE MORE TIME

For 25 years I worked in the corporate world which brought me much joy, many beautiful friendships and a certain amount of wealth. I left the corporate world 3+ years ago and my work was replaced with the gift of time. I want to continue to work less and spend my precious time in other areas of my life that are important to me and that bring me immense joy.

LESS EARNING, MORE LEARNING

This will be my 4th year in a row earning less money. This reduction in earnings has given me the gift of time which brings me more joy than any amount of money ever could. Over the past 3+ years I have used this time to learn more – learn more about myself, the world around me, what interests me, what work I want to do in the future, how to create passive income and how to earn more.

I’ll never return to the hours I used to work nor will I ever return to how I used to earn money. Less earning and more learning has taught me a different way that suits me better. In 2025 I am excited to get back to the work I love and the inevitable side effect of earning money again!

ACHIEVE LESS, ENJOY MORE

I’m not a big achievement chaser, enjoyment is way more important to me than achievement. Achievements aren’t hugely important to me yet I do have ambition – ambition to work towards and fulfil my dreams. On this journey towards my dreams, enjoyment of every step is much more important to me than achievements.

If I’m enjoying life, that’s achievement enough for me.

LESS SPEED, MORE PROGRESS

In my 20s, 30s and early 40s I lived life at a fast pace – always going, always doing, always striving, moving at the speed of light. A few years ago this all changed and I started to slow down. This slower lifestyle brings me more peace, tranquility and bliss than any fast paced life ever could!

Ironically I seem to be getting more done. Dr Wayne Dyer sums up this concept with his quote ‘Doing nothing yet getting it all done’.

LESS RESISTANCE, MORE ACCEPTANCE

Eckhart Tolle says ‘It may look like as if the situations in our life are creating the suffering but ultimately this is not so – it is our resistance to the situations that causes the suffering’.

I find this quote has deep wisdom to it, practicing less resistance and more acceptance is not easy yet it brings much peace. During the challenging times of the past few years I have found that some days the only thing I can do is practice acceptance. Acceptance doesn’t mean I like what has happened but it does mean I stop resisting it.

  • Resistance brings a never ending cycle of pain.
  • Acceptance has a way of easing that pain, the more acceptance the less pain.

Another quote from Eckhart helps us cultivate less resistance and more acceptance,

‘What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to something that already is’.

LESS RUSHING, MORE RELAXING

  • Rushing makes me feel under pressure and stressed which is not enjoyable for me.
  • Relaxing makes me feel happy and peaceful which is immensely enjoyable for me.

I choose relaxing over rushing every single day.

LESS CONSUMING, MORE CREATING

For many years I spent much time consuming a huge amount of content – physical books, audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube videos and scrolling social media etc. That was until I experienced burnout and stopped all content consumption.

I still love consuming content in these ways, I just don’t love or do so much of it! These days I consume less and create more. I write more, learn more about writing, share more of my writing and I am developing more depth, meaning, openness and transparency in my writing.

BUY LESS, USE MORE

In terms of material things I have plenty and enough of everything. I used to love shopping for all sorts of things – clothes, make up, fancy toiletries, stuff for our home, books, stationary, the list goes on and on. The problem with this constant shopping was that I ended up with many things that I just didn’t use and eventually things that I no longer liked.

The irony is now that I have less, I use (and like) what I have more.

That’s it, my LESS IS MORE principles for 2025.

Ironically, with so much LESS comes so much MORE peace, joy, contentment and happiness.

​What would your LESS IS MORE PRINCIPLES be?

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Siobhain

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Setting Dream Driven Goals

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In my blog post ‘Goal Setting Templates’ I mention SMART goals and Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals.

I use the best of both of these templates to create my own goal setting template.

It’s high level but is detailed enough to give me sufficient direction to set goals,

  1. What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?
  2. WHY are these goals important to me?
  3. HOW will I achieve these goals?
  4. What METRICS will I use to measure progress towards these goals?

I answer the above questions in detail for each category of my life. As outlined in my Wheel of Life below, the categories of my life are Sense of Self, Relationships, Health, Work, Finance, Social Life, Environment & Contribution. 

You can use this Wheel of Life or create your own version.

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  1. What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS

Remembering Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals​

What are your DREAMS for each area of your life?

What would be a DREAM come true?

This is where we DREAM BIG about what we want for our lives.

There are no limits or obstacles in DREAM DRIVEN GOALS – just DREAMS!

HOW BIG WILL YOU DREAM?

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  1. WHY are these DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to me?

Simon Sinek in his highly viewed Ted Talk and bestselling book says to START WITH WHY and that is where I start with goal setting.

Understanding my WHY not only supports the goal setting process but it also keeps me going when times get tough, which they inevitably will.

​What is your WHY?

WHY do you want to FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS in each area of your life?

WHY are your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to you?

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  1. HOW will I achieve these goals?

The HOW is the actions required to move closer to your goals.

What ACTION do you need to take to get closer to your goals.

What do you need to STOP DOING to move you closer to your goals?

What do you need to LEARN to move you closer to your goals?

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  1. What METRICS will I use to measure progress towards these goals?

Metrics are incredibly important as without them we don’t know how much progress we are making and whether we are moving towards or away from our goals.

What metrics will you use to measure your progress?

‘WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS IMPROVED’ is a quote by Peter Drucker that is as true today as when he said it 40+ years ago.
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Whatever your goals are, I wish you success, love, health and happiness as you live your best life every day 😊

Do you want to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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Goal Setting Templates

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SMART is used universally across the globe and is well known in the world of strategy as a popular goal setting template. I have used SMART but I never fully aligned with it, I always felt it was limiting and wasn’t creative enough.​

I highly recommend you create your own goal setting template depending on what aligns with you and what doesn’t.

Here’s what I like and don’t like about SMART goal setting,

S = Specific – be specific about what you want to accomplish

I like this part as if you’re not specific, you are vague and vague isn’t going tp get you anywhere!

M = Measurable – use metrics to measure progress towards your goal

I’m a big fan of metrics, without metrics you don’t know if you are moving towards or away from your goals.

A = Achievable/Attainable – is your goal achievable & attainable?

This is one of the parts of SMART that I don’t align with. I prefer to set goals that aren’t achievable. I prefer to set big, audacious, almost unrealistic goals – anything else feels limiting to me. You may not be able to achieve your big, audacious, unrealistic goals with the current resources you have but who knows what the future will bring.

DREAM BIG and don’t worry about whether it’s achievable or not, the process will get you further than you can imagine!

R = Relevant – is your goal relevant?

This is another part of SMART that I don’t align with. Goals may be relevant today and irrelevant tomorrow and so only setting relevant goals also feels limiting to me.

T = Timely – does your goal have a timeline?

I half align and half misalign with this. I agree goals should have timelines but I don’t think they should be set in stone. I prefer timelines to be flexible and changeable with an awareness that everything mostly unfolds in its own time, if we have the patience to allow this.

 

The goal setting template that I absolutely love and really align with is Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals! I love Brendon’s energy, excitement and enthusiasm when explaining what DUMB goals are.

This is what is needed when goal setting – POSITIVE AND INFECTIOUS ENERGY, EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM

If you watch one video this week, let it be this one!

​Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals ​

D = Dream Driven 

These goals are influenced and powered by your dreams, your destiny and your passions. What will make you feel meaningful and alive?

U = Uplifting 

These goals are compelling, attractive, fun, exciting and driven by gain. We are way more likely to achieve goals that are compelling, attractive, fun, exciting and driven by gain than the opposite. 

M = Method Friendly 

What practices or methods do you have that make your goals easy to achieve? If you don’t have the methods to achieve your goals, you will need to create these methods.

B = Behaviour Driven 

Your behaviours become habits and your habits move you closer to your goals. Your habitual behaviour then becomes the driving force behind your dreams.

 

No matter what goal setting template you use or how you set goals I echo what Brendon says at the end of his video

‘I don’t want you to be realistic anymore. I want you to advance with reckless abandon towards your dreams by just being DUMB – setting up those very simple Dream Driven, Uplifting, Method Friendly, Behaviour Driven goals that fire you up and get you up every single day’ Brendon Burchard

I wish you joy, happiness, health and contentment on your goal setting journey 😊

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If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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The Real Magic of Goal Setting

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The REAL MAGIC OF GOAL SETTING is not found in achieving your goals but in the process of working towards your goals and what that process brings you.

The process of working towards your goals brings much learning, growth, enjoyment, understanding and fulfilment. Even if you never reach your goals, focusing on the process and what that brings means you are super successful before you even start!

The REAL GOAL of goal setting is THE PERSON YOU BECOME through the process of goal setting and working towards your goal.

THE PERSON YOU BECOME DURING THE PROCESS – THAT’S THE REAL MAGIC!

Not only is this a magical way to think but it totally removes any pressure that might be attached to goals. Reaching your goals then becomes an added bonus to the REAL GOAL.

If the REAL MAGIC is the process and the PERSON YOU BECOME then every step forwards and even every step backwards is a WIN!

If the REAL MAGIC is the process in terms of what you learn, how much you grow, how much you enjoy, understand and are fulfilled along the way then every day is a WIN!

‘Once you realise that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy it’s beauty and wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, it itself an ecstasy’ Nisargadatta Maharaj

One of my favourite quotes explains this so well,

​‘The Journey is the Reward’ Chinese Proverb

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If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

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Siobhain

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The Power of Procrastination

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In my blog posts ‘The 9R’s to Eliminate Overwhelm’ and ‘Il Dolce Far Niente’ I wrote about ways to eliminate overwhelm, another way of dealing with overwhelm is through procrastination.

Procrastination is defined as ‘the habit of voluntarily delaying an important task usually by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable and easier tasks instead’.

The internet has many videos & articles on how to overcome procrastination, how to stop procrastination, and how to deal with and how to cope with procrastination. All of these videos and articles have one central theme – that procrastination is a bad thing.

I think procrastination is a good thing and we can learn much from it.

I procrastinate all the time – show me something that’s boring, tedious, takes ages, or that I don’t like doing and I can literally delay it forever.

This teaches me a lot about what I like to do and what I don’t like to do.

What I delay is always, without exception things I don’t like doing. 

What I don’t delay is always, without exception things I like to do

This makes procrastination a great teacher.

Procrastination teaches us what we don’t like to do.

Procrastination also teaches us what we do like to do.

 

In terms of overwhelm there are a few ways to utilise procrastination and treat it as a friend not a foe,

 

1.Delay what you don’t like doing –  move what you don’t like doing to tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. The simple act of delaying what you don’t like to do can reduce overwhelm significantly.

 

2. Delay what you do like doing –  just because you like doing something doesn’t mean it needs to get done today! Move what you do like doing to tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. The simple act of delaying what you do like to do can also reduce overwhelm significantly.

 

3. Outsource what you can. I’m a firm believer in outsourcing everything that others can do for you. This frees you up to focus solely on what only you can do in your life and business.

Note: It’s more enjoyable to outsource what you don’t like to do but you can also outsource what you do like to do. The most important thing is that you free up your time to focus solely on what only you can do in your life and business. 

This reduces overwhelm dramatically as your ‘to do list’ become someone else’s ‘to do list’!

My blog post ‘How to Free Up Your Time Using Online Outsourcing’ can support you with online outsourcing.

 

4. Prioritise what you absolutely have to get done – My blog post The Priority Matrix can support you with this. The simple act of prioritising can reduce overwhelm significantly as you realise everything doesn’t have to be done straight away!

 

How can you leverage the power of procrastination?

What can procrastination teach you?

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Il Dolce Far Niente

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Following on from my blog post ‘The 9Rs to Eliminate Overwhelm’  another concept that helps to eliminate overwhelm is Il Dolce Far Niente.

​The Italian concept of ‘Il Dolce Far Niente’ translates to

‘THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING’.​

​When I got injured skiing in Italy in early 2023 I had loads of time on my hands.

​I spent this time watching Italians practise ‘THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING’.

  • The Italians seem to take their time and savour enjoyment of the simple things in life
  • The Italians spend hours eating many courses of food and enjoying the best of coffee, wine and other aperitifs
  • The Italians walk as if time is their best friend and as if they have plenty of it
  • The Italians don’t seem to be in any rush to get to or to do anything
  • The Italians are intent on the enjoyment of time as just that – time

​When in Italy do as the Italians do and so I used this precious time to practise ‘THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING’.

I had long lazy breakfasts & lunches, I had midday naps, I sat in cafes sipping coffee and eating cake, I walked around the area we were staying in with no real direction just aimlessly wandering yet enjoying the journey.

​I sat and listened to Italians in conversation, their language is like music. The words I didn’t understand, the changing tone of their voices, their uplifting laughs, their hand gestures. You can hear their expressions of affection even without understanding the words.

​I did lots of nothing, lots of just nothing – enjoying THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING.

​While my body was sore and in pain from my injury, my mind was slowing down and becoming immensely peaceful.

​THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING made me feel good during a very challenging time and I brought this little piece of Italy home with me to savour and enjoy when I need it.

Do you practice THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING?

Do you think THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING would support you to slow down and eliminate overwhelm?

​Eat, Pray, Love was made into a film and this clip is where Il Dolce Far Niente is explained to Julia Roberts, Il Dolce Far Niente .

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Siobhain

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My 2023 Annual Goals

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Annual reflection is much easier than annual goal setting.

Annual reflection is a one time event that is carried out by reflecting on the previous 12 months. 

Annual goal setting is a different story – annual goal setting isn’t a one time event.

Annual goal setting is a continuous process of learning, sharing, reflection & change that is worked on EVERY DAY FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

This is what makes annual goal setting COMPLEX AND TIME CONSUMING, it is also what makes it INTERESTING AND WORTHWHILE. 

Before we set goals, it’s good to highlight how important Annual Goal Setting is.

Annual goal setting gives us DIRECTION for the year ahead. 

Where we end up as a result of goal setting is UNKNOWN but wouldn’t you rather be going in the DIRECTION YOU SET instead of anywhere else?

Annual goal setting gives us PURPOSE & MEANING and the more we work on our goals, the more PURPOSE & MEANING we bring into our lives. 

Who wouldn’t like more DIRECTION, PURPOSE & MEANING?

I’ve been sharing my Annual Review online for 10 years yet this is the first time I have shared my Annual Goals. I divide my Annual Goal Setting process into 3 parts, detailed below

A. Categorise my life using The Wheel of Life

B. Create a framework for Annual Goal Setting

C. Document my Annual Goals

 

A. Categorise my life using The Wheel of Life

The change tool I use to categorise my life is the Wheel of Life. The Wheel of Life has been widely used since the 1960s and so it has been around a very long time. The tool itself has not changed but how we use it evolves as our lives evolve. My Wheel of Life consists of the following categories,

1.Sense of Self

This is a category that I created recently as much of my time is spent here at the moment. 

This category combines my personal development, personal strategy and my relationship with myself.

This category is all about who I am, who I want to be, who I need to be to achieve my dreams and how I feel about myself and the world around me.

This is also where I work on the concepts of Self Love, Self Worth, Self Esteem, Self Belief, Self Trust, Self Confidence, Self Assurance, Self Understanding, Self Regard/Self Respect, Self Awareness and Self Observation

The success of this category determines the success in all other categories of my life and so it is the most important category in my Wheel of Life. 

It is well known in the world of personal development and business that if we don’t work towards our potential as a person we’ll never reach our potential in any of the other areas of our life. 

2. Relationships – This category is about my relationship with others in my life

3. Health is Wealth – This category is about my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health

4. Work – This category is about the work I do

5. Finance – This category is about personal finance

6. Social Life/Fun – This category is about my social life, having fun and recreation

7. Environment – This category is about our home on a personal level and our planet on a global level

8. Contribution – This category is about how I give back to a world that gives me so much

That’s it, my Wheel of Life.

What are the categories of your life?

Would you use some of the above categories?

 

B. Create a framework for Annual Goal Setting 

My annual goal setting format is short, simple and pretty high level yet it is detailed enough to give me enough direction to create plans. I use the below format for each area of my Wheel of Life, asking the questions

I. What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

II. WHY are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to me?

III. HOW will I achieve my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

IV. What METRICS will measure progress towards my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

Below is an outline of these questions in detail,

 

I. What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

This is not an annual goal but more of a LIFETIME DREAM that annual goals work towards!

Remembering Brendon Burchard’s DUMB goals​

What are your DREAMS for every area of your life?

What would be a DREAM come true?

This is where we DREAM BIG about what we want for our lives.

There are no limits or obstacles in DREAM DRIVEN GOALS – just DREAMS!

HOW BIG WILL YOU DREAM?

 

II. WHY are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to me?

Simon Sinek in his highly viewed Ted Talk and bestselling book says to START WITH WHY and that is where I start with goal setting.

I outline WHY DREAM DRIVEN GOALS are important to me.

Understanding my WHY not only supports the goal setting process but it also keeps me going when times get tough, which they inevitably will.

What is your WHY?

WHY do you want to FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS in each area of your life?

WHY are your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS important to you?

 

III. HOW will I achieve my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

The HOW is the actions taken to move closer to DREAM DRIVEN GOALS.

What ACTION do you need to take to get closer to your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS.

What do you need to START OR STOP DOING to move you closer to your DREAM DRIVEN GOALs?

What do you need to LEARN to move you closer to your DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

 

​IV. What METRICS will measure progress towards my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?

Metrics are incredibly important as without them we don’t know how much progress we are making and whether we are moving towards or away from our DREAM DRIVEN GOALS.

What metrics will you use to measure your progress?

​‘WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS IMPROVED’ is a quote by Peter Drucker that is as true today as when he said it 40+ years ago.

 

That’s it, that’s my simple, short and high level format for Annual Goal Setting.

Could you use this format for your own goal setting? 

You’ll notice I don’t include timelines in my Annual Goal Setting format – this is on purpose.

How could I possible know when I will get to a year’s worth of goals?

I create TIMELINES when I create my PLANS and these change on a DAILY BASIS.

 

C. Document my Annual Goals 

I document my Annual Goals in Google Docs & Google Sheets and for the first time I have shared them online here in this blog post. 

Below are my 2023 Annual Goals for each area of my Wheel of Life:

1. SENSE OF SELF:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To prioritise, work on, know, understand, accept grow, learn about and love myself to bring the best version of my truest, most authentic self to my life, my relationships & the world. 

To utilise, learn more about and improve my personal strategy. 

Reminder:

This category combines my personal development, my personal strategy and my relationship with myself.

This category is all about who I am, who I want to be, who I need to be to achieve my dreams and how I feel about myself and the world around me.

This is also where I work on the concepts of Self Love, Self Worth, Self Esteem, Self Belief, Self Trust, Self Confidence, Self Assurance, Self Understanding, Self Regard/Self Respect, Self Awareness and Self Observation.

The success of this category determines the success in all other categories of my life and so it is the most important category in the Wheel of Life.

If we don’t work towards our potential as a person we’ll never reach our potential in any of the other areas of our life. 

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Our only source of real happiness and joy is within ourselves and so however we feel about ourselves is what we will bring to the world. In order to get the best out of and bring the best to the world I want to be the best version of myself. 

As mentioned above, if I don’t work towards my potential as a person I’ll never reach my potential in any of the other areas of my life and reaching my full potential is really important to me. 

My personal strategy keeps me on top of everything & ensures I get everything done with no stress, strain or pressure! The more visibility & understanding I have in my life, the more I can see what areas I want to improve and change. 

When I don’t utilise my personal strategy I feel disorganised, overwhelmed, under pressure, less grounded, less happy & less fulfilled. 

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023? 

  1. Create my Personal Strategy for 2023 
  2. Carry out daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly & annual plans and reviews 
  3. Journal daily and weekly (daily journaling is a game changer in terms of self awareness)
  4. Spend sufficient time in solitude – I’m an introvert and so solitude is as important to me as oxygen is! 
  5. Read physical books and give away books I no longer need 
  6. Learn more about sprituality, psychology and concepts of self (basically learn more about myself!)

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Progress in terms of ‘Sense of Self’ is difficult to measure, it’s almost intangible. It is however closely linked to my happiness, contentment and fulfillment of which all of the above add to immensely

  1. *Process confirmation that all elements of personal strategy is being carried out (plans, reviews, journaling etc) 

*Process confirmation is a tool we use in the Lean world which tells us whether a task has been carried out or not

  1. Progress on all Sense of Self concepts & learning
  2. Number of books read & given away 

 

2. MY RELATIONSHIPS

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To continuously nurture my relationships & spend quality time with Mike, my family & friends ❤️ This part of my life is really just about enjoying the company of those I love and who love me ❤️

There is no greater gift! ❤️  

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

My relationships with those I love are my greatest source of happiness and I want to ensure my relationships are given the time and space they deserve ❤️

I am at my happiest when in the company of those I love and who love me ❤️

The work I do in the ‘Sense of Self’ category will also support this category to ensure I bring the best version of truest, most authentic self to my relationships ❤️

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Spend precious time with Mike, my family and friends – a simple goal yet one that brings the most joy in my entire life! ❤️

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

There are no metrics in this category although I do ensure I capture the precious time I spend with those I love in photos and journalled memories ❤️ 

 

3. HEALTH IS WEALTH:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

These Dream Driven Goals are short and simple yet much work is required to work towards them. 

Mental & Emotional Health: To continuously protect & nurture my mental & emotional health 

Physical Health: To continuously work towards being the healthiest, fittest and strongest I can be

Spiritual Health: To grow and stay grounded spiritually

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

My health is the foundation on which everything else is built. Without health, nothing else can thrive. 

In 2022, my entire perspective on health changed. It is no longer about being healthy because I enjoy eating well, exercising and fitting into my clothes. 

Health is now about longevity and having health, fitness, strength & mobility to enjoy that longevity.

Dr Lisa Misconi says ‘Your health in mid life is the biggest determining factor of your health in later life’. This is why it is so important to become the healthiest, fittest and strongest than I have ever been!

I feel more grounded, happy, less anxious, less overwhelmed and more at peace with myself, life & everything when I feel fit and healthy.

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

I make the same health goals every year and have learned that progress is not linear. 

Some years I am at my healthiest, fittest and strongest and some years I am not. What matters here is not so much progress, but what I learn about my health and the continuous work I put in to improving it. 

 

1.Mental & Emotional Health: 

To allow, accept, understand and prioritise what supports my mental health. For me, mental health is the most important element of overall health as without optimum mental health, nothing else will function optimally. 

To allow, accept, understand and prioritise what supports my emotional life. I’m an Enneagram 4 and so pretty much live on my emotions! Managing my emotions needs to be a daily practise to stay sane!  

2. Physical Health: 

Continuously work on my physical health to be the healthiest, fittest and strongest I can be. I do this through embedding healthy habits for nutrition, exercise, sleep, relaxing etc. Here I schedule and monitor results of health check ups – optician, dentist, bloods etc. 

3. Spiritual Health: 

To learn, grow and stay grounded spiritually. This category is very much tied to the work I do in the ‘Sense of Self’ category and will ensure I bring the best version of my truest, most authentic self to my health and all aspects of my life ❤️

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

  1. Where I am on the Stress Performance Curve & the Emotional Scale 
  2. Health metrics of BMI, Weight, Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, Bloods, 
  3. Health checks completed and progress on same 

 

4. FINANCE: 

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To achieve and enjoy Financial Freedom. 

Financial freedom is defined as ‘having sufficient income, savings or investments to live comfortably for life and meet all one’s obligations without relying on a salary/paycheck’. 

I have learned a huge amount about Financial Freedom from Tony Robbin’s excellent book ‘Money – Master the Game’. Tony says Financial Freedom is ‘a long-term plan to build the life of your dreams. Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want, that’s also financial freedom’.

Both of these definitions sit well with me and sum up my Dream Driven Goals for Financial Freedom! 

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

I want the freedom to do whatever I want with my precious time. 

I want the freedom to work for joy and not for the necessity of money. 

I want the freedom to give as much time as I want to other areas of my life

For me, financial freedom isn’t about having a certain amount of money, it’s more about using my financial situation to have the freedcom to enjoy all other areas of life as much as possible. 

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

I use the word ‘abundantly’ throughout my 2023 financial goals as I believe that reaching financial goals has as much to do with mindset as it has to do with money. 

If you haven’t read Carol Dwecke’s book ‘Mindset’ I highly recommend that you do. This book teaches the difference between having a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset and the consequences of both. 

I truly believe that having a Growth Mindset in terms of finances is the first step to reaching financial goals. 

 

  • To abundantly spend and enjoy spending 

To enjoy spending money and monitor my spending.

  • To abundantly increase my financial value 

To increase my financial value through savings and investments. 

My financial value is my total savings, investments and pensions. Financial value is a better metric than salary as while you could be staying on the same salary, your financial value could be increasing depending on your savings, investments and pensions. 

In stark contrast your salary could be increasing but if you’re not saving and investing, your financial value will decrease. 

I have 2 very large projects planned in this category this year which involves selling/buying property. I also have many smaller projects that will all move me a few steps closer to financial freedom. 

  • To abundantly earn more

I am currently on a break from earning money even though everything I do is geared towards becoming financially free! I have thoughts of returning to earning money but I don’t have a timeline yet! 😊

  • To abundantly stay out of consumer debt 

This is no longer a goal but something that needs to be sustained. I keep this documented as a reminder that consumer debt is something I never want to go back to. Whilst all my reasons/excuses for getting into consumer debt were justified (living my best life, building an investment portfolio, becoming a travel photographer), it took me years to dig my way out of it and it’s a place I never want to visit again. 

  • To abundantly learn more about finance 

To learn more about personal finance and continue to embed a Growth Mindset in terms of finance. 

I haven’t read many books on finance as it’s not my favourite subject but the books I have read made a huge impact on me. Below are books I highly recommend to learn more about personal finance. 

Money – Master the Game by Tony Robbins – I highly recommend this excellent book’. It’s a huge book and I didn’t understand much of it but it’s worth reading for chapter 8 which is all about Financial Freedom and how it’s not as difficult to achieve as you may think. 

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – this bestselling book was on my bookshelf for years before I finally read it last year and I look forward to reading it again this year. It’s the type of book that you can read over and over again as you go deeper and deeper into it’s wisdom. A must read for anyone serious about financial freedom! 😊

Mindset by Carol Dwecke – this book teaches the difference between having a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset and the consequences of both. I believe having a Growth Mindset is the first step to improving personal finance. 

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

  1. Progress in large and mini projects 
  2. Monitor & document total spend which is Detailed spend, Capital spend, Business spend
  3. Monitor & document total financial value which is Profit, Property & Pensions 
  4. Monitor & document total Earnings & Debt
  5. Document financial learnings 

 

5. WORK:

I currently spend the least time in this category which is ironic as for 25 years it is where I spent the most time! Even though I now spend the least time here, it is the life category that is changing the most. 

Having left my day job in October 2021, I am currently in between working for others and working for myself.

My focus at the moment is on my writing and building the foundation of my business through my Lean Business Strategy. 

 

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To be a writer. 

To build my own business.

To practice and teach Lean philosophy.

To continuously learn and improve my skills. 

To enjoy every minute of this process.

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

My favourite thing to do is write 

My second favourite thing to do is read which helps me be a better writer.

I have always wanted to work for myself and my business is my channel to achieving financial freedom. 

I want to have total freedom over my work, my time, my finances and my creativity. 

I want to learn more about myself, other people, Lean and business. 

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

Lean Business Strategy

  1. Create more time to write, read and create content 
  2. Start building my Lean Business Strategy 

Writing 

  1. Send weekly mail to my community – you can sign up for my weekly email here
  2. Carry out a Digital 5S Project – I’m so excited to get back to practicingLean after a break of almost 18 months! 😊

Income

  1. Return to Travel Photography work in some capacity. I have missed Travel Photography immensely as I haven’t dedicated much time to it in the past few years. 

Learning 

  1. I have bought loads of courses that I want to finish but these are on hold for the moment. 

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

  1. Progress in creating more time to write, read and create content 
  2. Progress in my Lean Business Strategy 
  3. Mailing list metrics & engagement 
  4. Progress in Digital 5S Project 
  5. Progress in Travel Photography work 
  6. Learnings and improvement in my skills 

 

6. SOCIAL LIFE/FUN/RECREATION:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To have fun, smile, laugh out loud more & don’t take life too seriously!

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Because it makes me feel good! 😊

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

  1. Spend time with loved ones who make me smile & laugh and bring me so much joy
  2. Be more aware of everyday activities that bring me joy and do more of them
  3. Be more aware of everyday activities that don’t bring me joy and do less of them

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

There are no metrics in this category although I do ensure I capture fun times in photos and journalled memories ❤️ 

 

7. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To improve and enjoy my environment which is our home on a personal level and our planet on a global scale. Remove everything that doesn’t serve me and only keep what brings me joy. 

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Because it makes me feel good and I enjoy looking after & improving our living space – both on a personal and global level 😊

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

  1. Carry out Marie Kondo’s decluttering in our home. 

Marie Kondo’s overarching teaching is to remove anything from our homes that doesn’t SPARK JOY! Marie’s book ‘The Magic Art of Tidying Up’ is a must for anyone who wants more space in their home and life! 

2. Decorate our home with the support of an interior designer

3. Reduce my plastic usage and find ways to support the longevity of our planet

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

  1. Progress in Marie Kondo’s decluttering on our home. 
  2. Progress in decorating our home with the support of an interior designer
  3. Progress in supporting the longevity of our beautiful planet

 

8. CONTRIBUTION

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To have sufficient financial stability to give to those in need.

To contribute to the world with my time & skills.

 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

I want to give back and support those less fortunate because the world has given and continues to give me so much 😊

 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? What actionable steps will I take in 2023?

  1. I have been supporting 4 main charities that mean a lot to me for many years. All of these charity direct debits are currently on hold as I’m not working but I contribute financially to charities with once off payments. 
  2. Contribute to the world with my time & my skills – this means different things at different times.

 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

Monitor what I give and the impact on others and on me

 

That’s it, my 2023 ANNUAL GOALS that support my long term DREAM DRIVEN GOALS ❤️

Remember goal setting is just an activity and reaching goals is just a destination. 

What is really important is that you enjoy the journey between these 2 points in time. 

How you live, love through and enjoy each and every day is really what matters. 

To be content, happy and full of joy & vitality every day, that’s the real goal – everything else is just decoration! 

Whatever your goals are for 2023, I wish you love, laughter, success, happiness and enjoyment every single day as you work towards them. 

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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Full or Fulfilled?

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Recently I had a conversation with a friend of mine around how fulfilled I am.

I left work last year (without another job) and so I have more time and thanks to this, my life is less full but more fulfilled.

I am less focused on the things that fill my life and more focused on the things that fulfill my life. 

There is a huge difference between what fills our lives and what fulfills our lives.

The definition of full is ‘Full (of something) containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space’ while the definition of fulfilled is ‘Fulfilled – feeling happy and satisfied that you are doing something useful with your life, satisfied or happy because of fully developing one’s abilities or character.

What definition do you prefer ‘full or fulfilled’?

Let’s go deeper into fulfillment, 

Fulfilling is defined as ‘causing somebody to feel satisfied and useful, making someone satisfied or happy through allowing their character or abilities to develop fully.

Unfulfilled is defined as  ‘(of a need, wish, etc.) that has not been satisfied or achieved. if a person feels unfulfilled, they feel that they could achieve more in their life or work, ​not causing somebody to feel satisfied and useful’

What definition do you prefer ‘fullfilling or unfulfilled’?

As a writer, I’m obsessed with words and there’s no better way to understand words than through synonyms. Synonyms are a word, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word. Sometimes we may not relate to a word but when we read the synonyms we can relate more easily to the meaning behind them.

How do the below synonyms for full/unfulfilled/unfulfilling make you feel? 

Would you like this to be a description of your life? 

Full: adequate, big, chock-full, complete, crowded, entire, intact, packed, stocked, sufficient, burdened, bursting, crammed, gorged, imbued, jammed, laden, lavish, loaded, overflowing, padded, replete, sated, satiated, satisfied, saturated, stuffed, choc a block, jam packed, plentiful, running over.  

Unfulfilled: Discontented, annoyed, begrudging, bothered, complaining, disaffected, disappointed, disgruntled, displeased, fretting, frustrated, grudging, grumbling, oended, unhappy, vexed, critical, envious, faultfinding, fed up, grumpy, insatiable, jealous, not happy, not satisfied,  

Unfulfilling: Depressing, disconcerting, discouraging, disheartening, distasteful, frustrating, mediocre, unpleasant, unsatisfying, bitter, displeasing, failing, lame, disagreeable, falling short, inadequate, ineffective, inferior, insufficient, unhappy

How do the below synonyms for fulfilling/fulfilled make you feel? 

Would you like this to be a description of your life? 

Fulfilling: Effective, accomplishing, achieving, adequate, binding, capable, conclusive, decisive, determinate, effecting, efficient, lawful, powerful, productive, qualified, sound, strong, successful, telling , useful

Fulfilled: Realised, satisfied, accomplished, achieved, actualised, attained, compassed, concluded, delighted, finished, gratified, matured, obtained, perfected, performed, pleased, reached, brought about.

How full is your life? 

How full do you want your life to be?

How fulfilled is your life?

How fulfilled do you want your life to be?

Do you want to read more about Positive Change?

Download your free e-book ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below.

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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