Goals – Go Big or Go Home: Q&A WCA@Night Speaker Janet McCullar

Written by Noemi Ortiz.

On January 18th, attendees of WCA@Night had the opportunity to hear speaker, lawyer, and goal-setter extraordinaire, Janet McCullar, discuss the creation of goals and how to achieve them. A self-proclaimed sailing enthusiast, Janet compares the act of goal setting to chartering one’s journey prior to setting sail. Considering the various elements out of one’s control on the ocean (such as weather, tide, etc.), having a plan in place is the best guarantee of a successful journey.

The same can be said of life.

Prior to her talk, WCA had the opportunity to sit down with Janet and learn more about her approach. Read on to learn why you should Go Big with your goal setting this year!

 

WCA: Why is it important to set goals

Janet: I’ve been a goal setter for so long I had to really think about this.  For me, goals are a road map that lead me to the life I envision for myself.

I like to sail.  Before you set out on a sail you have to chart your course.  Without setting a course, you can end up adrift.  You might happen upon an interesting island, but I like to think about where I’m going, and how I’m going to get there.

When setting goals, it’s important to me to think about the “why.”  Why is this goal important to me?.  Then no matter the reason, I write it down, even if it feels or sounds trivial.

For example, one of my goals for 2017 is to read 30 books.  Why is this important to me?  I enjoy reading.  It’s important that I set aside time to pursue something I enjoy.  Reading provides me with pleasure, keeps my mind sharp, it connects me to others who enjoy reading, and I enjoy being well read.  I wanted to expand reading beyond something I did just at night before I go to sleep.

So far this year I’ve read 3 books: Fates and Furies, Buddha on a Date, and another dating book.  Can you guess what one of my other goals for 2017 is?

 

WCA: How can we set ourselves up for success to achieve goals?

Janet: So I addressed this a little bit in the first question.  Typically, when setting goals people recommend SPAM: specific, positive, achievable and measurable.  Michael Hyatt, a NY Times best selling author created a program called Best Year Ever.  In it, he suggests making your goals SMARTER: specific, measurable, actionable, risky, time keyed, exciting and relevant.

My goal above meets all the elements for both.

My goals can also always be broken down into little tasks and recorded on a calendar.  To reach my goal of 30 books this year, I have to read more than two books a month.  When I started Fates and Furies, I broke my goal down into weekly number of pages, but I could have broken it down even further.  By putting it on a calendar, I can monitor myself and check my progress.  I also review my goals frequently, and the “why” of my goals at least daily.  On Sundays, I look at my calendar and plan out for the week what I can do that week to make progress on my goals.

The other thing that is critical to me is that my goals are written.  Some people say studies show that this improves chances of meeting goals.  For me, it is making my idea concrete and storing it in my brain.  Writing my goals down gives them  a reality and sets my brain to work to accomplish the goals.

I like to find a balance in the number of goals I set, too.  I try to break goals into different areas of my life: work, spiritual, intellectual, social, financial etc.  This year I made a specific list of 10 goals, but I have others along the way, including to do lists and other things that are important to me (making calls to friends, memorizing music for my woman’s chorus, etc.).

 

WCA: How can we keep motivated?

Janet: If your goals are written, including why they are important to you then you can review them often; you can see whether you are on track.  For me, this helps me stick to priorities I have set for myself.  Also, I can review them and see where I’m doing well, or where I might need help.  I can also consider the importance and readjust my priorities.  If my actions don’t line up with my goal, I can rethink its importance or whether I need to make some adjustment or set a different goal.

Some people like having an accountability partner.  I have been less reliant on that once I started really exploring why my goals were important to me.  I became my own accountability partner.

The other thing that is important to me is to reward myself, not only for achieving the goal, but for the steps I make along the way.  That can be a pat on my back or new pair of shoes, but acknowledging that I am making progress keeps me motivated.

 

WCA: What is one goal you set for yourself & attained?

Janet: Some friends of mine who share a philosophy toward work challenged me to take 30 consecutive days off, with no communication with my office.  This was a really big goal and merited a lot of planning to implement.  I had to think about why it was important to me.  The time off was its own reward, but learning that I could step away from my business for a significant amount of time and my business would still flourish was an important life lesson.  I don’t always take a month off in a row, but I take significant amounts of time off.  It’s good for me.  It’s good for my business.

 

WCA: What is some advice you’d give to women who want to accomplish their own goals?

Janet: Set some goals!  Start big or small!  Write them down! Celebrate your wins!!!