The ONE Thing You Must Do BEFORE Setting Your Goals
Introduction
Are you chasing goals that don’t truly serve you? The key to lasting success starts with an honest and comprehensive audit. Before setting goals, it’s essential to pause and assess where you stand in all areas of your life. Without this step, you risk pursuing goals that lead to imbalance, burnout, or unfulfillment.
Most people dive into goal-setting without understanding the bigger picture of their lives. The Focus Wheel exercise, as featured in the Becoming Self-Made Goal Planner, provides a powerful framework to evaluate all aspects of your life before committing to new objectives.
The Problem with Blind Goal-Setting
When you set goals without first auditing your life, you may unintentionally focus too much on one area while neglecting others. This can create:
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Imbalance: Overworking to achieve career goals while ignoring relationships or health.
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Burnout: Setting ambitious goals without acknowledging the need for rest or joy.
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Misalignment: Pursuing goals that don’t reflect your true values or priorities.
By taking the time to assess where you are, you can avoid these pitfalls and set goals that truly align with your purpose.
The 8 Areas of Life: A Holistic Approach
The Focus Wheel helps you take a holistic view of your satisfaction across eight key areas. By scoring yourself in each area, you can identify imbalances and opportunities for growth. Here’s an overview of each segment:
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Finances: How secure and confident are you in your financial situation? Do your spending habits align with your goals?
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Relationships: Are your connections with loved ones, friends, and social circles fulfilling and supportive?
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Contribution/Giving: Are you making a meaningful impact in the lives of others or your community?
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Physical Environment: Does your living and working space promote comfort, functionality, and inspiration?
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Fun/Recreation: Are you engaging in activities that bring you joy, relaxation, and a sense of playfulness?
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Personal Growth: Are you learning, expanding your skills, and growing as a person?
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Health/Wellness: How satisfied are you with your physical, mental, and emotional well-being?
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Career/Work: Do you find fulfillment and balance in your work, and is it aligned with your long-term goals?
How to Conduct Your Life Audit
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Rank Each Area: Start by scoring each segment on a scale of 1-10 based on your current satisfaction level.
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Reflect Using Questions: For each area, answer specific questions to dive deeper into your score. For example:
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Finances: *"How confident am I in my ability to handle unexpected expenses?"
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Relationships: "Do I feel valued and supported by my inner circle?"
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Look for Imbalances: Identify areas with lower scores and consider how they might be affecting other aspects of your life.
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Recognize Patterns: Reflect on where your focus has been and where it’s been lacking. Are there recurring themes?
Why This Step Matters Before Goal-Setting
Conducting a life audit ensures that your goals:
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Align with Your Values: You’re focusing on what truly matters to you.
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Promote Balance: You’re addressing areas that need attention rather than over-investing in one segment.
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Create Ripple Effects: Improving one area can positively impact others (e.g., better health can enhance productivity).
Tips for Effective Goal-Setting After Your Audit
Once your life audit is complete, use it as a foundation to set meaningful and achievable goals:
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Start with Low-Scoring Areas: Focus on segments where you feel the least satisfaction. For example, if your health score is low, set a goal to establish a consistent exercise routine.
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Use the SELF Framework: Leverage the SELF (Start with a decision, Eliminate self-sabotage, Leverage prodigy brain strengths, Finish with a decision) strategy to create actionable steps.
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Track Progress Quarterly: Revisit the Focus Wheel every three months to reassess and adjust your goals as needed.
Success Story: A Holistic Transformation
Imagine someone overly focused on career success. After conducting a life audit, they realize their health and relationships have been neglected. By setting balanced goals—like regular workouts and quality time with loved ones—they create a more fulfilling life. Their career thrives too, as better health and relationships improve their overall well-being and focus.
Closing: The Power of the Audit
Auditing your life isn’t just a tool—it’s the foundation for setting meaningful, achievable goals. By taking the time to reflect on where you are, you’ll set yourself up for sustainable success and fulfillment.
Ready to get started? Join our upcoming, free, workshop on how to set your 2025 goals below.
WELCOME!
Tracy Pleschourt, the Founder of Self-Made U and the co-host of the Tracy & Gracie Becoming Podcast is a certified life coach who helps men and women learn HOW TO THINK to achieve their goals and overcome the obstacles in their life. Most people have spent their life learning WHAT TO THINK only to be tested on their ability to memorize. After spending so much time, energy and money searching for silver bullets and dead end solutions Tracy realized she was trying to solve the wrong problem. Learning to think of yourSELF as the solution is the secret to life. When you stop thinking of yourself as the problem and start thinking of yourSELF as the solution: You put your time and effort into solving the real problem - not circumstances, but solving the problem of how you are FEELING. Tracy has mastered and now teaches a simple framework necessary to manage your mind and eliminate any obstacle in life, including overeating, overdrinking, time management, career & relationship changes and professional development. Tracy dedicates her work to ambitious, life-long learners yearning for solutions and seeking a better way to create the results they desire and deserve. She instills confidence and a call to action that leads to maximum achievement and happiness.
