[amazon_image id=”1400206464″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life[/amazon_image]

Read about the first chapter here.

Read about the second chapter here.

Her third chapter is called;

If You Aim at Nothing, You’ll Hit It Every Time

This chapter is about setting realistic goals and how to accomplish them using her SMART format.  I always had dreams that I wanted to accomplish, but have never really been a good goal setter.  It wasn’t until I had been following Crystal’s blog, Money Saving Mom, that I started to set goals.  I have a bad habit of thinking I can cram more things into my allotted time than is actually humanly possible and sometimes I even struggle with the fact that I can’t be in two places at once (I was really bad about this as a teenager!)  😉  So I’d usually set some pretty audacious goals, fail, and then feel like a failure.

In 2011 and 2012, I used Crystals formula and set goals for myself in the following categories: Spiritual, Marriage, Self, Parenting, House and Blog.  I really didn’t set too many goals in 2013 because the beginning of the year was so hard with me being so sick and being pregnant, not to mention the fact that we had moved, but the kids were still going to school by our old house.

I can tell a big difference in my confidence and feeling of self-worth when I actually make goals, write them down, and break them up into bite sized pieces.  However, I also understand that different seasons of life bring special challenges and we have to take that into consideration.  So I am planning on setting goals this year and I hope to share them with you at the end of this month, however, I do still need to leave allowances because life with a baby (especially a nursing baby) can be so unpredictable.

My plan for this year is to make goals, but also set priorities.  The priorities will come first and if I have time for the other goals, I will gladly try to accomplish them, but if it doesn’t happen, then I will extend myself some grace and reevaluate at the end of the year to see if I need to just forget the unaccomplished goals or push them into next year.  Only time will tell, but for my own sake, I need to set some goals this year!  🙂  One little tid-bit to share; I’ve learned that I am so much more successful at accomplishing my goals, if I read books in the same subjects as my goals.  This keeps them at the forefront of my mind and gives me inspiration, go give it a try!

 Quotes

My favorite quotes from this chapter were:

• “Two things that I’ve found to be imperative to goal setting success are writing down your goals and breaking them down into bite-sized pieces.”
• “Take care of minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.” Lord Chesterfield
• “You are only guaranteed success if you have the discipline, perseverance, and commitment to follow through with your goals.”

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