Why you must set a Vividly Real Goal so Real you can Taste it

July 29, 2018

Vividly Real Goal Broke To Beach Start A Blog

On a daily basis I can taste the salt-water and freshly speared lobster. I can see the clear, turquoise waters for miles. I can feel the soft sand in my toes and warm sun on my face. I can hear the gentle surf crashing to shore. I can smell the fresh ocean-air and…. You may have guessed it – this is part of my Vividly Real Goal.

I could go on and on about what our beach lot, house, and life will look like, after all, we’ve visited the lot and started to tinker with shipping container home designs. Ok in all honesty we have fell in love with a beachfront lot in the Caribbean and have designed a shipping container home, printed it out, and hung it on the refrigerator.

One thing is very clear and that is the depth of our goal and how well defined it is. This is a Vividly Real Goal that my husband and I both agree upon, have written down, and talk about frequently. We’ve also shared parts of this goal with family, friends, and equally as important – now you. We’ve got daily goal reminders throughout our home, on our computers and our phones.

So why does all this matter? It matters because nothing motivates me quite like this goal. I could set a specific money amount (which I have) or a timeline (which I also have) or a somewhat vague idea of what I want my future life to look like. However, none of those individually make me want to save money, make money, delay gratification, invest, or work my tail off like my Vividly Real Goal.

In fact, there are tons of stats to show that those who set goals are way more successful than those who don’t. In a Harvard Business study, it was found that those who have goals are 10 times more successful than those without. And those with written goals are 3 times more successful than those with goals simply in their head.

Working in the corporate marketing world for over 15 years, you quickly learn that nothing is more important in life than the “why” and having a clear plan to achieve that “why”. You have to be so excited and so clear about where you are going that it directs your present life decisions on a daily basis. A Vividly Real Goal combines the what’s with the why’s, the logic with the passion, and the steps with the story – helping you achieve your goals faster because they mean so much more to you.

Here’s how to create a Vividly Real Goal to help you achieve your dreams:

Forget about everything

Don’t look at your current job, financial situation, savings account, wage, skill set, etc. Seriously, wipe your mind clean. This will only limit your goal setting and also your future.

When I started this blog, I was working full-time, raising two children, and helping my husband run two businesses. Guess what – I still am doing all of these! This is the beauty of forgetting where you currently are in life. It doesn’t matter what you have going on, because once you have your Vividly Real Goal set, you can figure out ways to work things into your life that matter, that have value and that have the purpose of helping you achieve the life you want while helping others do the same.

Imagine a limitless future

This is where the magic happens. DREAM!! Figure out what you are passionate about. Where you want to live or travel. What do you enjoy doing? What skills are you interested in learning? How can you help others along the way?

In my future I can live in my beachfront house AND generate an income – through this blog. Plus, I’m passionate about using my skills (old and new) to help others. I enjoy sharing my dreams, goals, story, tips, knowledge, expertise, and information to help you make your dreams come true. My husband and I are also passionate about doing good for others who live vastly different lives in countries where it’s hard to find clean water to drink or a safe house to live in. While we are still working out this part of our goal, it will happen.

Put your future together in a real-life story

What do you see, hear, taste, smell, feel. Envision your environment and those around you. What are you doing on a daily basis? What are the “whys” of your future? Who will you be helping and how?

Turn your dreams and story into a Vividly Real Goal

Using all of your dreaming and story-telling skills you just used, sprinkle in doses of reality. Break your Vividly Real Goal down into smaller pieces that you need to achieve in order. Determine the dollar amount you will need to make it happen. Give yourself a timeline for each piece. First might be to get out of debt. Next might be to build up emergency savings. Last might be saving and investing for your Vividly Real Goal to happen.

My Vividly Real Goal started in 2006. We were $225K in debt. Our first piece was to be debt-free by December 31, 2016. We worked our tails off to change our thinking, our habits, and our lives to pay off my student loans, our auto loans, my husband’s equipment loans, and our mortgage. Our second piece was to build-up our emergency savings account to cover 3-month’s worth of expenses by December 31, 2017. We are currently on our third piece to make, invest and save enough money to buy our beachfront lot with cash by December 31, 2023.

With each piece of our goal, we have a dollar amount, timeline, and specific achievement that all works to support our amazing and exciting Vividly Real Goal! Completing each piece of your Vividly Real Goal builds momentum and excitement. It helps you think and live differently. Through all of this both my husband and I have transformed our habits and skills. We actively look for opportunities to cut costs and make more money. We know the “whys” and see a clear future.