GID Goal Planning

Get It Done 

Welcome to the last part of Goal Setting 101 - aka the forgotten chapter since I apparently forgot to add this to my goal setting 101 series even though I made a reference to it. 

Once you have your goals set and sorted into primary or secondary & have created an ideal timeline for when you want to achieve these goals, it comes time for the Post GOAL setting planning stage. 

Basically once you have the goals laid out, it's time to prioritize them & GET IT DONE - It's GI(ddy) up time ya'll. So go forth and set some goals my young pad-wan learners and find your inner yoda and achieve the goals. There is not try only do or do not ;) 

ALSO keep your eyes peeled for GOAL Setting for the more advanced which should be coming at yo faces later today :D 

Chelsea's Year of Change and her strange 2014 reflective ramblings

Chelsea's Reflective ramblings from 2014

AND HOW a HOUSE FIRE created CHANGE 

So 2014 for the most part was just not my year. I suffered the tragic loss of 3 people in my life (Will probably post more about the in a different post) the 3rd person passed away yesterday New Years Eve 2014. She was my cousin, she died of cancer and she left behind 3 children & her loving husband and family. The 2nd person to pass away was a man I visited every day in hospital for a month & visited him several times in Hospice including the eve before he passed, he too died of cancer. The first person I lost was my friend Austin. He was only 20 and he passed away in a  car crash when he was heading to work early one morning in May during a freak snow storm.

The other incredibly frusterating thing that happened was I had a "Small" House fire. Frankly the fire was the easiest part. One evening after a bubble bath - a candle I thought was blown out was stored in a metal cupboard where it reignited and set the cupboard on fire (Which naturally was the fire part) and it scored the wall.

The fire was not scary - not really. When the smoke detector first went off I assumed it was the stove as I had the kettle on for a cup of tea. So I was smart enough to carry around a boiling kettle and quickly came across the bathroom blaze. I quickly tossed the boiling hot water at the flames and jumped into the full tub (luckily I don't drain the tub right away) and was able to put it out fairly quickly.

I remember my parents were freaking out (natural of course) like OMG call 911 - fire - smoke AHHHH. AND  I am like NO ONE CALL 911 I GOT this. And I sort of did (PLEASE NOTE I DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU FOLLOW MY COURSE of ACTION. PERIOD! This was a small, very, small, contained fire that was mere inches from a vast water supply. Frankly if those were not the circumstances I'm sure it would've been different...

So not only did I go face to face with the wall of flames but I chased the smoke out my house (again CALL 911 air cleaning is part of the whole fire fighting tool that I stubbornly recjected.) I also assisted with removing the wreckage of the once was metal cabinet from the wall. This thing literally would break off (in still smoldering) pieces as  I pried/unscrewed/ yanked and tugged it off the wall and deposited it outside on my porch where there are still scorch marks from it.

 I also was totally determined that with total will power I COULD MAGICALLY clean the scorched/ash covered and smoke damaged bathroom. SO away I went playing a literal cinderella scrubbing and wiping and moping and just spraying and just doing pointless things...
ASH cleaning 101 kids NO WATER/No liquids...

So I spent 15 hours roughly in that little bathroom (Smallest room in house) trying to undo the massive mistake I had made. I literally spent so many hours in that stupid bathroom my skin was permanent shade of gray (2 baths, 1 total body scrub shower, one rinse shower...) My nails were stained black for a week and grossly I was coughing up black ash for awhile afterwards (AGAIN DO NOT DO WHAT I DID...)

Eventually when it came to me trying to clean the smoke stains from the ceiling I admitted my defeat in a fit of tears and allowed my mom to call insurance.

WHICH IS where the real hellish nightmare began. You know in school they always teach you about Fire precaution, fire safety plans, what to do if you catch on fire, how to put on stove fires, evacuation plans, you know how this BEFORE FIRE and During Fire but they fail to teach you about the practicality of POST FIRE 101 How to deal and what to do.
I was never taught about how to make a total/thorough Home inventory (Even pointless not so valueable crap) because oddly enough a bathroom is sort of one of those places where you put a huge assortment of things. It's the room of so many things with so many purposes. First aid, personal care items like soap/shampoo/brushes & ORAL care stuff like mouth wash/retainers/dental floss, then you have cleaning supplies, first aid kits, medications, and Beauty things like MAKEUP (including your entire collection of nail polish & EXPENSIVE perfume, stuff like body lotions. And then you have decor stuff & permanent fixtures (like towel racks.)
A persons bathroom is like a giant Narnia like vortex where every inch is consumed with a VARIETY of things.

Now you're suddenly juggling phone calls from Insurance, inspectors, restoration, restoration crew. And suddenly a rag tag crew have arrived with boxes and you have to hear them tossing/throwing or grimace as they sort out, pack up, toss out, and haul away your stuff. AND YOUR MIND is still reeling going WOAH my house still smells of smoke. OMG wait where did my beloved OPI James Bond Sand collection bottle of Pussy galore go. Where was my first childhood tooth kept (in my bathroom or the bedroom) and your stuck trying to make an inventory of your things from memory, guessing by deduction or from the pictures you took of the Kitchen posing as your new bathroom area...

See with restoration part comes confusion - misplaced items that are now neither here nor there, and were never added to official lists yet from your own inventory & Photos & even video proof you can 100% say that yes that item was in that bathroom, no the item that was in my makeup dresser was in no way fire damaged warranting decimating due to contamination & I SWear UP AND DOWN It's no where else in my house, and the last time I saw it was in that dang bathroom pre fire...

Also without an Official Inventory with no videos/photos of proof of existence nor receipt type info, date purchased, and value worth there comes DISPUTE and red tape... Mostly red tape and a bit of dispute and crap like Depreciation of value...

Like The $100 bottle of missing Juicy Couture is listed as questionable even though I had pictures of the soot covered bottle because the restoration company somehow lost it or didn't properly document all of our contents. Thus it cannot be replaced. My mom's cacti that sat on the window sill below her handmade as a child irreplaceable Window clings were also listed as non existent... Though I actually remember listening to the workers smash the hand painted cactus pots into boxes as they cleared out the bathroom.. Kinda hard to forget the sound of breaking plant pots...

Another big issue was our toilet not just the fact my Main living floor upstairs went without FOR THREE MONTHS (yes it took that long to go from a smoke ruined room, to a gutted out shell, to back to full restored status with working plumbing (literally toilet/bathtub is last things to be done...) Our toilet had literally been replaced within a 1 year period of the fire... We had receipts/plumber too, and pictures of make and model. It was a specialty higher up model for my dad to easily use... NOW did we get our toilet restored with same make & model - NO we got the really tiny in comparison apparently crap model downgrade (literally has flooded & clogged to the point where we've called a PLUMBER twice & had 2 minor floods SINCE JULY) And yet we're told well Ma'am sorry we were only designated a certain amount to spend on the toilet... Budget...cough.red.tape.cough... UM what about the contents insurance? "that doesn't always cover permanent plumbing fixtures..." OH cool so the like you know several hundred we invested in that toilet were basically just for short term kicks and you you gave us the 200 dollar Sale item? SWEET.

So this my friends is where I am putting into effect one small portion of  my over all plan of what I am calling Chelsea's YEAR of CHANGE. MAKE a freaking DETAILED & thorough PERSONAL HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY with word documents/photos/videos/and including info like date purchased/where/receipt/warranty.)  
SO next time the horribly unexpected and nightmarish situations should EVER occur (or you know something like a flood or w.e) and you have no choice but deal with INSURANCE/REstoration you can have proof and lists to back everything you claim up!!!!

SO KIDS lesson of the sad story that was Chelsea's 2014 Never ending nightmare - Don't use candles in the bathroom or SNUFF them out and stare for a few minutes... OR follow me on my journey of creating a PERSONAL HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY  WHICH IS just one tiny part of CHELSEA'S YEAR OF CHANGE!

SAFE GOALS

SAFE GOALS 

These are my favorite goals to do because I love creative writing and just using my imagination! These goals are all about using visualization and affirmations to help you succeed in achieving the goal! 

See End Result - Picture the end result in your head. See yourself taking and following through with all of your plans and finally visualize yourself successfully completing this goal. 

Accept End Result - Open yourself to believing that you will achieve this goal with absolute conviction and true faith within yourself and your capabilities. You are going to make this happen - You WILL achieve this goal! Use positive affirmations to deepen your belief in yourself & your success! 

Feel End Result - As you visualize yourself going through the steps and successfully achieving your goal allow yourself to truly feel any emotions you believe you would feel upon completing this goal! The stronger the attraction to the goal the more real it can become. 

Express End result - Taking action in your firm belief is the final step. Meditate and visualize yourself going through the entire process and successfully achieving your goal. Verbally and vividly describe it to yourself being sure to include all of the senses in your visualization. Make this come to life in your head and that will help deepen your beliefs in yourself. 

SMART goal setting

SMART Goal Setting 

Specific - What is your specific goal? Cover the details of How/when/who/why/what/where. Break down the big picture into small chunks. Identify the first steps to achieving your goal! 

Measurable - How will you measure your success? Be creative, detailed, honest and specific. What is it you really want - why do you want it now - and what will happen if you don't achieve it? 

Actions - Write out every single tiny little ACTION step you will need to take to achieve your goal. Go crazy specific and over board with tiny details! 

Achievable - After writing down the actions you will need to take to succeed do you really truly believe that you can successfully achieve this goal? 

Is it time to readjust your previous steps in order to best succeed? 

Reasonable: What do you reasonably need to successfully achieve this goal (time/money/support etc) Keeping this in mind is your goal still doable? 

Realistic - Is your goal realistic for you to achieve? Do any of the previous steps need to be revised with reality in mind? 

Timeline - When do you want to or need to achieve this goal by? If you don't need to will you still give yourself a deadline? 

So that my friend is how to do some smart goal planning - only 2 more acronyms left! 

Goal Planning Phase 2

Goal Planning - Phase 2

First Acronym = SMART

Specific 

Measurable 

Actions/achievable

Reasonable/Realistic 

Time Line 

second Acronym = SAFE 

SEE end result 

Affirm/Accept end result 

Feel End Result 

Express End results 

Third Acronym (top corner) = GID

Get 

It 

Done 

ESPER Goals

ESPER 

So welcome to the last set of goal methods in Part 1 of goal planning and the next of many more Acronyms! Everybody meet Esper - she's pretty crisp and to the point in execution of method application. When you say ESPER out loud it kind of makes me imagine she's a no nonsense kind of person. 

Establish - Set the vision and the goal in place

Strategy - Devise strategies to succeed in achieving goal

Planning - Identify plan elements based on strategies 

Execution Bring the plan and goal to Life. Answer 5W's 

Review -  Assess the different possible outcomes and figure out your next steps based on that (Risk of failure/Success Rates etc) 

Goal Timeline

When ...What time...How old... 

Frankly these questions freak me out more than BHAGS do. When do you want to accomplish things, how old do you want to be... Ugh the big adult topics. 

So how about we break it down a bit. I know with the BHAG's I asked you about the future and what goals you want to set. Now it's time to back it up a bit & think more near foggy future. 

What is one goal you absolutely want to accomplish this year? What is one thing you want to do to improve your life (or the lives of others) that would fill your heart with total pride at the end of the year when your thinking back over everything you did and you get to say "yeah that's right, I did that." 

What are some goals that you think would be swell to achieve this upcoming year but wouldn't be heart broken next new year's eve when they didn't get done? 

The goals that you absolutely feel you must achieve those are your Primary & concrete goals. That means that they are going to be stuck to you like glue this year and most of your attention & time will be spent working towards achieving them. 

The second goals I asked you to name - the ones that wouldn't tear you apart inside if they got left on the 2015 to do list come 2016. They are what I like to call your Floating secondary goals. They just laze around - chilling - waiting for you to either go after them or for you to shove them further out to sea and just let them go. 

Now what you can do here is either move on to plan monthly goals or take a few minutes and think about some goals you want to achieve both primary & secondary six month from now or how about a goal set for each season? 

Now the fun part! Each month what I do is  I pretty much do all of these steps in order every single month at the start of the month! Even the big life question type ones (purpose in life/primary goal/motivators) because I feel that the longer you remain on this kind of path (goal setting; following through; being disciplined and determined to get things down followed by eventual goal achievement) you truly go on this incredible life journey that slowly changes you (In a good way!) 

So each month set 1 concrete goal for yourself (Doesn't have to be huge - it could be very small/doable such as organizing things to donate to charity versus Big ones like say Buy a Puppy.) 

Now think about several small floating goals you think it would be swell to get done or ones that tie in with that primary goal. 

Now what I would recommend you do and only because this method worked really well for me - is grab a blank calender and just fill in those dates with goals at random (don't pay attention to time frame) just CIRCLE those dates & Saw I CHOOSE you... use bright colored pens go circle/line crazy, make it so you can't read it. 

Now once you've done that rapid fire style. Look at how the weeks divide up (how many full weeks are there this month.) 

In your head divide the weeks up however you want. 

On the back of that practice calender flip it over and start writing out weekly goals. Now I tend to put the most emphasis on my floating goals & when possible try to make my floating goals the stepping stones to achieving my big Primary hundred ton weigh me down concrete goal. 

I also tend to prefer to set the concrete goal so that it can take as long as possible to achieve it. That way I'm getting a boost from having successfully ticked off however many floating goals I was able to. 

Now feel free to make these daily specific - I choose to not make set daily goals but add goals to white board that I use for my daily  calender and my to do list - that's where I add daily goals (like today I'd like to read etc.) Difference between goals & to do list is of course to do is things you have to do (Like work) versus things you would like to do (hobbies.) I started using a this white board last year and I use it more as a vision board & way to stay grounded and allow each day to be it's own (Wipe it clean daily - metaphor) 

ALRIGHT Y my goal setting champs let's continue on. 

Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGing it can be fun!)

BHAG

Big

Hairy

Audacious 

Goals 

What does that mean to you? When I first came across the term Audacious I didn't know what it meant but I got the vibe that these are your intimidating goals! 

Now before I straight up ask you what you want your BHAGs take a minute to reflect upon the past. Was there ever a time that you hit a wall. Did you ever get set to a task/project/assignment/challenge that filled you with dread & caused you to have an anxiety attack? 

• Now did you accomplish that goal? 
• Did you at least put up a valiant attempt at finishing it? 
• Or did you give up right away? 
• What led you to choose whatever option you did? 
• Do you regret that choice or does it make you proud? 

Now I want you to think back to one time you did succeed in completing a BHAG (even if it was never your intention to make it an "official goal." So an example could be learning to walk or talk etc. Mastering a foreign language (even if it was grade 9 and your school forced you to take it.) 

Now think about a Big Hairy Audacious Goal you would like to achieve soon (Within the next say 5 years) 

Owning your own home? 

Building a retirement savings account? 

Paying off debt? 

Having that job you've always wanted but never thought you could (even if it means quitting your current career/

Think about the future now (no time limits of sorts) think about one BHAG you want to achieve before you die! What is it and why? How much value would completing it bring to your life? 

Now the last one is also a future thinking one. Think about your Future child/grandchild/great grandchild. What would one BHAG be that you would want to fulfill before you died that you want them to know about one day! I know its' kind of tricky but it goes back to what do you want your legacy to be? 

When your future relative looks back at your huge achomplishment how do you want them to feel about it. Proud? Inspired? Jealous? Inquisitive? 

So enough with the bhags let's keep moving down the goal setting plan of attack! 

*Side note I like acronyms so be prepared for lots of them*  

ABC Planning for goal Setting

ABC PLANNING 

Acquire Knowledge 

About yourself - perform an Honest evaluation 

1. What are your Strengths and weaknesses? 
2. What are your skills? 
3. What would you have to build upon to improve yourself? (Confidence/determination/focus) 

Build a Plan 

1. What you are working towards. 
2. is this a project you are creating? 
3. Is this just for you or is this part of your career/schooling? 
4. Are you working individually/with a group of people/as a member of an organization/business? (tell me about any of the applicable - i.e have you gleaned a variety of knowledge about the task at hand?  

Create a Team 

1. Who supports you unconditionally and is always in your corner no matter what the situation? 
2. Who supports you but on a slightly lower level (perhaps when it's convenient for them.) 
3. Who is willing to be honest with you - no matter what? 
4. Who is willing to show you some tough love in order to push you to succeed? 
5. Who is always there for you whether you need a shoulder to cry on, a warm hug, a hand to hold or just an ear to listen? 
6. Who gives you rock solid, well thought out advice when you need it? 
7. Who do you really look up to? Who inspires you? 
8. Does anyone support you financially or do you need someone to do so in order to achieve these goals? 

These are the type of people who should be on your team. A combination that can support you, empower you, inspire you, challenge you and  uplift you? 

Goal Setting 101

Goal Setting 101

Now just so everyone knows I use all of these methods to create goal plans for myself monthly (and eventually divide them up into weekly & daily goals.) I spend upwards of 6 hours setting goals once a month. However since I started doing this I have noticed huge improvements in my mental attitude; my ability to focus; and I can now keep the determination alive within myself long enough to actually follow through and achieve my goals! 

So the PLAN - Part A 

1. ABC Planning 

2. What is your Life purpose, your life goal, and what motivates you? 

3. Big Hairy Audacious Goals - BHAG 

4. What are your Yearly/Seasonal/Monthly/Weekly/and daily goals? 

Which of these goals are concrete - which ones must You absolutely  achieve?  (PRIMARY GOALS) 

Which goals do you want to achieve but are willing to or would be fine with giving up on or swapping around time wise? (FLOATING GOALS) 

5. Establish - Strategies - Planning - Execution - Review  = ESPER 

Achieving the impossible

This past year has been full of changes in my life. In the Summer I came eye to eye with what I thought would be my own personal mount Everest, it was this huge daunting project that set me into a a whirl wind of anxiety.
To be fair this story starts with the passing of my friend back in May. That single event caused me to rethink my entire life in particular my attitude. Not that I had a horrible attitude - my problem was my slight lack of confidence which usually always planted seeds of doubt within my brain and that more or often or not allowed my passion for something to disappear.

So it was because of Austin and my choice to live life to the fullest, to grab every opportunity and try my best to always strive towards success (albeit allowing my self to fall forward at the same time) I decided  I wanted to always find ways to challenge myself. Regardless if this was simply changing my mental attitude and forcing myself to glean from every experience no matter whether it was a negative or highly positive experience.

So I started scoping the internet for how to set goals successfully and found a few very good methods which I combine with several I learnt at leadership conferences and summer camps I attended!
So ladies and gentlemen GOAL Setting with Chelsea,

Before I continue on I will explain that I now dedicate at least 5 hours to planning out my goals once per month. When I was working on setting goals for the musical  I was in (my mount Everest) I was spending upwards of 12 hours applying over 9 goal setting strategies more or less twice over since I always made two sets of Goals - my acting goals & my personal life goals!

So I'm just going to show you the methods I find work for me and what order I do them in. Feel free to pick and choose what you find easiest to do - this post isn't about me but about you!  I just want to add that the past several months I spent working towards better myself, my life, and my skills as an actress have been some of the most benefical to me as a person. I grew immensely as a person & I truly feel it was because of the goal setting I did.

I hope that you decide to read on and become inspired too!