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    string(4791) "You guys already know how passionate I am about taking aim at my dreams -- it's the entire inspiration for this blog! Since I just had a birthday a few days ago, I've been thinking about that topic a lot and trying to write down some of my goals for this next year. Ironically, one of my goals is to start sharing more about my personal blogging journey and my tips for helping you accomplish your goals.

I actually attended an entire day conference on goal setting a few months ago, and followed up by reading the book, Business Boutique, by Christy Wright. As soon as I started thinking of writing a blog post on goal setting, the book came to mind right away. It's full of so many amazing strategies for goal setting and entrepreneurship, so I thought I would share a few things I learned from my first read.

[cursive]Good goals should be:[/cursive]



    
 	
  1. 

    SPECIFIC
    
Avoid goals like "I want to get better at blogging," and instead start with "I want to make content that is more engaging for my audience."
    2. 
 	
  2. 

    MEASURABLE
    
Instead of leaving it there, think of a way to measure audience engagement. "I want to increase clicks, comments and shares on my blog posts."
    3. 
 	
  3. 

    TIME SENSITIVE
    
Then add in a time limit: "I want to increase the average number of comments on my blog posts by 25 by the end of the year." Once you have a time limit, you can also add in micro goals by breaking down "increase by 25 comments in one year" to "increase by 2 comments per month" so that you can easily track your progress along the way.
    4. 
 	
  4. 

    PERSONAL
    
Make sure to choose a goal that makes sense for you and your lifestyle. For example, many people have a goal to grow their followers on Instagram, but if your dream doesn't require having a lot of followers, then that goal might be irrelevant and won't actually get you the results you ultimately want. Choose something that truly means a lot to you!
    5. 
 	
  5. 

    WRITTEN DOWN

    
It's been proven that your goals are more likely to happen if you write them down! Maybe hang them somewhere around your house to help you keep them in mind day to day.
    6. 
 	
  6. 

    REALISTIC

    
Don't stress yourself out trying to meet a goal that isn't realistic. Don't be afraid to set goals that keep in mind the other things you have going on in life. Sometimes a good goal even takes several years to see through.
    7. 
 	
  7. 

    REWARDED

    

    It can be a good idea to know what the reward is when you accomplish the goal, whether its treating yourself to a vacation or just the intrinsic reward of having the lifestyle you want.
    

    8. 


 

The other thing Christy Wright mentioned in her book that really stayed with me is how important it is to figure out your "why." Having a deep, meaningful purpose behind your goals that genuinely means a lot to you will be the motivation you need when times get tough! Good goals are never easy to accomplish (otherwise you wouldn't need to set these goals!) so it's important to have something written down that you can look back to when you're feeling discouraged or unmotivated.

Even though this post was kind of a longer one, I feel like I barely touched the surface of everything there is to talk about on this topic! I know a lot of you are starting your own blogs or businesses and one of my passions is to really walk with you through that journey and help in any way I can. Please (seriously!) e-mail me if you have any questions on any of this or want to hear more, and I definitely recommend that book -- Business Boutique -- as well. You can email hello@takeaim.nu, and I'll read and respond personally!

I'm excited to post more topics like this. Are there any specific things you want to read about when it comes to taking aim? Comment anything below and I'll add them to my list <3

ps these photos are from an evening at the cutest (and most delicious) ice cream shop in downtown LA called Little Damage. They have soft serve ice cream in all different flavors that change seasonally... I tried the charcoal flavor and it was SO. good.

How To Set Good Goals, Charcoal Ice Cream"
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take aim with me

Join me in taking aim at your own dreams with these tips, tricks and challenges.