Have you had trouble setting clear goals? Or set them and kind of meandered around trying to fulfill them?
One practice that has helped me is to set CIMA goals. CIMA is a Spanish word which means, “the summit” or “top”. So think of it this way: If you want to reach the top of your game, use the acrostic CIMA to set better goals.
- C oncrete. Michael Hyatt in his blog lists five reasons why it helps to have written goals. Your goal needs to be concrete or specific. If it is vague, like “being a more loving person”, it is highly probable that you will not reach your goal.
- I nspiring. Does the goal inspire you? Are you passionate about reaching it? Set goals that you feel good about reaching.
- M easurable. Making a goal measurable helps you know whether you’ve reached it or not. A measurable goal has a specific action or number as well as a specific target date.
- A chievable. Setting an initial goal of running a marathon next month, might not be achievable for most people. But you could enter a 5K in three months from now and begin training now. If you get inspired to get in shape and set a goal of working out 2 hours every day, it is likely you might not achieve that. Set a lower goal. That might be more inspiring like 30 minutes, 3 times a week. When you meet that, you gain strength and encouragement to increase your next exercise goals.
Setting CIMA goals will work in any area of life: spiritual, fitness, family or marriage, finances, work, friends, recreation.
What things have helped you set and achieve your goals?
Related posts you might enjoy:
- Writing STUPID Goals
- 5 Things That Will Shape Your Destiny
- Reset Your Life
- Actions That Require VALOR
Steve Morgan
stevermorgan.com 
Great advice! I used to struggle with really nebulous goals until I started using a similar approach. I love the CIMA acrostic because it really captures the feeling you get when you reach a goal. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for visiting Aaron. Loved your last post…obviously 🙂 I have a couple more thoughts. I wished I had set smaller or singular goals when I was younger. Imagine if you had one change area or character area per year. When I got to 50 yrs old, I would have had 25 areas cemented or anchored into my life. Hmmmm. The other thought is for undisciplined dudes like me…Get a coach. I once had an awesome Personal Development Plan based off of a 360 review. Man, I was really excited about it, but made little progress over the next 6 months. THEN, I asked a local businessman/pastor to coach me. That is when change started to take place in my life. Hmmm, gotta do that again now that I am in a new place. Keep pressing on!