Have a Fantastically Fulfilling 2010 and Goal Set!

Goal setting is fundamental to success in any aspect of your life – be it in personal pursuits, health, work or financially. Now that we have arrived at the foothills of a new decade, in the midst of widespread social and economic change, it is the perfect time to reflect on your own situation in life and consider your ambitions and dreams. Now is the time to decide how you WILL make these a reality, and become a more confident, happy and successful individual.

Constructive goal setting using Mind Mapping can help you get back in control of your life in a time when many are having to re-evaluate and adapt in order to stay afloat. It can create the clarity you need to find new direction for the future. By allowing you to explore yourself innermost wishes, Mind Mapping can help you resolve any internal conflicts and establish clearly defined priorities for all areas of your life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you can focus your time, energy and resources accordingly.

iMindMap is the perfect tool for goal setting. Not only can you create an organic, visual representation of your goals, that stimulates your mind, but you can also enjoy the flexibility of the software – editing, adjusting, and expanding on ideas with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Let’s find out how you can do this!

(1) Brainstorm Your Main Goals
Spend as much time as you need brainstorming your key goals. Use the iMindMap Goal Setting template and base your goals around these main themes:

' Career/Business ' What aspirations do you have for your career? What could you do to improve your performance? Do you want to change careers? If you are running your own business, how do you want it to progress?

' People ' How do you want your relationship with your partner to develop? Do you have any aims in relation to being a parent or improving your parenting skills? If single, do you want to find a relationship? Do you want to improve relations with your extended family and friends?

' Wealth/Finances ' What are your goals regarding your personal finances? How much do you want to earn by a particular stage? Is there anything in particular you want to save for? Do you have any debts to pay off?

' Physical/Health ' Do you have any goals in regards to your health or fitness? Do you have any aims in terms of weight loss, or a specific physical training programme or sport?

' Growth/Personal Development ' Are you interested in pursuing any further education or training? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals? For instance, you may want to learn a language or develop your abilities at public speaking.

(2) Make goals SMART
Once you have outlined your goals for 2010, you need to get a little more specific. Ensure that each of your goals follow the SMART guidelines (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based).

It is important to be precise and include dates, times, targets and amounts so that your achievements are measurable. To do this, add the following branches to each goal:

' Now ' Your current situation in regards to the goal

' Target ' What exactly do you want to accomplish?

' When ' Establish a time frame.

(3) Actions
Now you can outline the steps and actions that you will take to achieve your goals. Add a new branch entitled 'How'.

Break down the tasks that you need to carry out to achieve each goal. If you want to go into further detail, you can set time-frames or milestones for your tasks, allowing you to measure your progress.

(4) 'To-Do' Mind Maps
You can also create a daily/weekly ‘To Do’ Mind Map outlining the tasks that need to be done within that timeframe for each goal. This will improve the practicality of your goal setting as you can quickly identify any changing priorities, as well as progress. You can then adjust your main ‘Goals’ Mind Map to reflect these changes, boosting your motivation along the way. What’s more, as Mind Mapping encourages a free flow of ideas and associations, you could end up discovering new, innovative ways to reach your goals.

REMEMBER
Every time you reach a goal, update your Mind Map to show your achievement. You should also review your Mind Map and adjust it to match any changes in your perspective. For instance, if you reached the goal too easily, make your next goal in that area more challenging. However, if the goal took a disheartening amount of time and effort, make the next one a little more attainable.

If you fail to meet any of your goals, do not be discouraged. You can learn from your experience, and feed this knowledge back into your Mind Map. Likewise, if particular goals no longer hold any attraction, then simply remove them from your Mind Map and focus your attention on goals that you are eager to achieve. Your Mind Map should work with you and for you, making the goal setting process more enjoyable and rewarding.

GOOD LUCK!