A goal is simply to have a certain purpose in mind. It would be nice if it was life the one who always surprised us with all the beautiful things that give us happiness and stability, but unfortunately many times it is challenging times the ones that make us get out of our comfort zone and we have to take the difficult path to achieve that certain end.

How about if we do it differently? What if we think about life in reverse? For example, where do I see myself in a year? I would like to weigh 10 pounds less; or I would like to have a garden in my house; or I would like to have money saved in the bank; or I would like to be a more present mother for my children.

Our goals have to be aligned with our dreams. This is very important since to achieve them it is always necessary to make changes. If the goal we have makes sense for our life, it will be easier to continue every time we start to feel some kind of resistance. To make the process simpler it is important to divide the goal into small steps, that way every small progress will encourages us to move forward with the next step.

For example, to lose the 10 pounds I could start by adding more vegetables to my diet and not go to sleep without having done at least 10 minutes of some physical activity that can be as simple as walking inside the house, doing squats, or dancing two to three songs.

If I want to have a garden in my house, I could start by looking for the best space, prepare the land, look for the best selection of flowers or vegetables for the season, and then plant them and take care of them.

If I want to save money, the first thing I need to do is to be clear about how much money I earn, how much money I need for my expenses, see if there are some expenses that I can eliminate, and decide on the amount I can save  every week or every paycheck. 

And if I want to be a more present mother for my children, I can start by spending an extra 10 minutes at the table during dinner. I can also read two books with them instead of one before going to sleep.

Once we have started working on these small steps, it is important to evaluate the results from time to time to know if we need to make any changes to the process or if we are moving forward to the specific end that we have set out to achieve.