Today, I am continuing with this month’s theme on Goals by looking at setting goals for different areas of life as a way of improving life as a whole rather than ignoring certain areas in pursuit of a singular goal. You can view all of this month’s posts on goals here.
My one word for this year is “Move.’ In Sunday’s post, I explained that I have felt stagnant in life in light of all that’s gone on in the last year with moving and trying to address my stepson’s PTSD. This year, I want to move on, to make progress in life despite what’s going on. I am doing this by defining goals in 12 different areas of my life.
Accomplishing these goals requires a daily practice of reviewing these goals and choosing smaller steps I can take each day to keep moving in the right direction. I am essentially creating daily habits to progress towards my goals. One of the primary reasons most people fail to create and sustain new habits is because they don’t have a winning strategy.
Creating a Level 10 Life
In The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod explains that everyone wants a Level 10 Life. No one would say, I’m good with just a level 5, but it’s so easy to stick with what is comfortable and not challenge ourselves. I love following Boho Berry because she creates such beautiful designs in her bullet journal, and her Youtube videos are what led me to start bullet-journaling last year. I absolutely love her Level 10 Life spread. She evaluated 10 different areas of her life and set goals necessary for her to improve, ultimately working towards level 10 in each area. It is beautifully drawn out and emphasizes creating goals in each area of your life.
Setting goals by area is something I’ve mentioned here on the blog before, but I’m bringing it up again because the focus this month is “Goals,” and setting goals by different areas of my life has proven very beneficial for me. I am being much more intentional this year with working towards these goals and taking time to review them daily.
Areas for Setting Goals:
- Business/Career
- Community/Giving
- Faith
- Finances
- Health/Fitness
- Home
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Recreation/Fun
- Personal Development
- Self-Care
- Social (Family/Friends)
Setting goals in each of these areas allows me to evaluate where I am and where I need to be. At the beginning of each week, I set smaller goals for myself by looking over the goals I’ve set for each area of my life and choosing smaller steps to reach the larger goals, and then adding these steps to my calendar. I plan how and when I will work on these steps.
We often underestimate what we can accomplish. I believe God created me for a purpose and for a life that is more than just mediocre. My Level 10 Life would be fully living the life God has called me to. God cares about our whole lives, every area. I want to consistently work to improve in each area of my life with intentional planning. This doesn’t guarantee life will be easy, but there is a sense of purpose that comes from knowing I am daily striving to be better, more intentional, than the day before.
Improving Every Area of Our Lives through Goal Setting
It might seem overwhelming to have so many different goals, but it has never felt that way to me. I wouldn’t accomplish nearly as much if I was only focusing on one goal at a time, therefore I wouldn’t be working towards an all-around improved life. I like knowing I am working to improve every area of my life.
Focusing on goals in every area of my life has helped improve my overall attitudes and behaviors. Getting enough sleep and taking care of my health means I am better prepared to deal with challenges that arise throughout the day, and I am more likely to complete the tasks I have planned. This in turn leads to less stress and frustration, which allows me to react positively to those around me.
While it may seem this method is compartmentalizing my life, every area of our lives is interconnected. How we feel about our work, how we react to those around us, the strength of our faith…it all spills over into every other area. Therefore, focusing on goals by areas is a holistic approach to how we live our lives.
Here is a printable to help you brainstorm goals for each area of your life: Setting Goals by Area
I encourage you to spend time thinking about each area of your life. What can you do to work toward level 10 in each area? Are there areas I didn’t include that you would consider important? I’m open to more categories and would love to hear your thoughts.
Don’t forget, the online Bible study of Galatians through Colossians begins on Monday. I can’t wait!
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