Quarterly Goals
At the start of every quarter, I set goals based on three aspect of life:
1) financial (business and personal)
2) personal (relationships, happiness, lifestyle etc.)
3) health (fitness, diet, sleep etc.)
State of mind when setting goals
I began to notice that the state of mind I was in at the time of goal setting had a significant impact on what I deemed to be achievable or unachievable.
So over the last year, I’ve contemplated what the conditions are that allow my state of mind to be as expansive as possible when goal setting.
Two conditions that most significantly influence my state of mind
After much thought, reflection and (a little) research – I concluded that the two most significant conditions which impact my state of mind when goal setting are:
1. Confidence Level
When in a confident mood, the world seems conquerable.
On the contrary, when you’re doubting yourself – you’re more likely to simply want to survive the day / month / year.
Whenever I’ve really doubted myself – I have often thought about my own personal “Plan D”. “Plan D” involves moving to Albania and living there for €200/month to stretch savings.
So naturally, I try to ensure that I am only setting goals when in an expansive and confident, Plan A state of mind.
This became apparent to me when listening to Richard Koch on the Tim Ferriss podcast speaking about how he sets goals:
“And occasionally, I go and sit on my fish pond with a notebook, and say, “It’s time to think about some reflections.” I make a point of only doing that when I’m in a good mood. I never do it when I’m actually feeling slightly down. I’m usually in a good mood. But it’s something to do when you’re being expansive rather than you’re doubting yourself. “
2. Energy Level
There is a huge difference between what I deem to be achievable whether it is a Tuesday morning or a Friday afternoon.
On a Friday afternoon, I’m usually too exhausted to want to make sizeable changes to how I live my life or run my business.
Whereas on a Tuesday morning, I feel most expansive. There is plenty of time left in the week to make things happen and clients are also often in their planning and strategic mindsets too. This is a fun and optimal time for my goal setting.
Conclusion
Setting quarterly goals requires time and careful thought but it creates clarity for your decision-making over the following three months.
I would be interested to know if confidence level and energy level are also the biggest conditions that influence your goal setting? Feel free to let me know.
As always, thank you for reading 🙂
One little shout out is that I really like the Nathan Challenges Life blog which keeps a record of Nathan’s own self-experimentation and goal-setting.
