Setting Goals After a Life Transition - Designing Your Future
Life transitions offer a unique opportunity to set new goals. You have the opportunity to shift into something more aligned with who you are and what you want in your life. Not that what you had wasn’t aligned or desired, just that it has served its purpose and you’re ready for something even better.
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine what life could look like after a major shift. Building a new identity without whatever or whomever was in your life before can be scary…but it can also be very exciting!
Reclaiming Your Identity After a Life Shift
Start by being very intentional. Don’t allow yourself to be taken by the initial options. This is your moment to design your life personally.
Take a moment to list out your values. Really look at them to see if anything has shifted. Maybe you’ve learned something during this transition that has caused new beliefs to come forward. Maybe you’re now free to express beliefs that had been previously suppressed.
When you know where you are and what you value, you can start to look forward. From this place of core values, what is it that sparks excitement within you?
It could be something you think of and immediately say, “Oh, I can’t/shouldn’t do that!” (If that happens, I suggest you put it on your list. 😜) Or it could be something that has been with you for a long time, but it’s never been the right time.
Setting Goals After a Life Transition with Purpose
Now is your time to explore. Find out more about the “thing.” Take a class, go where others are doing the “thing.”
What is it about that “thing” that interests you…follow the rabbit hole until you find what truly lights you up or you realize that it’s not for you and you try again.
The beauty is that YOU get to decide!
Give yourself some grace when exploring. You don’t have to decide on something right away. But when you’ve found THE thing, it’s time to make a plan.
When setting goals, it’s important to be methodical while allowing for life to have other ideas. 😜 A great way to do this is to by setting SCAMP goals. SCAMP goals are similar to SMART goals, but way more connected to you and what you want in life.
Creating a Clear Path with SCAMP Goals
When you have a vision in place, start to think about and set the milestones you need to achieve in order to get there. This ensures that your goals are Solid & Strategic (S), that what you’re thinking and doing is conducive to what you want in your life.
Tie each milestone back to one of your Core Values (C). This ensures that you are never doing something that goes against who you are. You’ll know when to say NO!
Think of the small steps that you need to take to achieve those milestones. These become your Actionable (A) goals and will keep you from becoming overwhelmed because you have a clear roadmap to follow.
Define what each small goal will look like when it’s completed. This will help you measure your success. Measurable (M) goals allow you to see just how far you’ve come, giving you the motivation and evidence to stay committed to your vision.
Put this all together in a Plan (P) so that your efforts are organized, and you can create a timeline to make things happen.
When you do this, you create certainty and confidence. You see how things can and will come together to make your vision come to life. You will have your North Start to navigate towards no matter what obstacles come your way or side quests you may have to go on…You will always have your guiding light and roadmap to make it happen.
Wherever you are, rebuilding after a major transition or simply ready for a fresh start, this method walks you through how to set goals that are meaningful, strategic, and totally achievable … but mostly connected to you, your values, and who you want to be in life.
Download the free SCAMP Goal-Setting Guide to help as you start mapping your new path forward. Your next adventure begins with one aligned step. Let’s make it count.