GOAL setting

Hello everybody, this is your girl Slick Thick. Welcome to Peace, Toast, and Jam. So y'all, I apologize for the lack of podcasts over the last few weeks. Spotify took over Anchor, is what I used to have, and they switched over some things. So now, as far as I'm concerned, and I could be wrong, but it's completely changed where you cannot directly just record your audio for a podcast the way that I used to do it. And so I have been racking my brain trying to find other platforms, apps, etc. And I was told that Audacity is a really good—actually, a few people told me about Audacity. Doc Justy told me about Audacity, I believe, a long time ago. And then my friend Mike, who has his own podcast, which I was on, caught on the mic. I reached out to him this week, and he told me that he uses Audacity as well. So I'm doing this for now to see if it works. I'm going to try to figure this out. And I'm hoping that I'm able to take this file and still link it to this podcast. But I know that I'm limited with the free subscriptions and not the paid ones, so I might have to figure out a different way. And I'm still totally looking into doing more of a vlog format, and then extracting the audio from the vlog and just putting it onto the episode in that way as well. Because I do want to do one where you see me, and that could be on YouTube. But for today, I figured I'd try this out. So if you're listening to this, it's because it worked. In this moment, I'm just recording on Audacity, and I have no idea. So to go for the subject, I thought about so many different things to talk about, and I feel like we're hitting – well, I believe we're past the middle mark of the year. And we're going into, very shortly, the fall, which is just wild when you think about it. So I kind of wanted to go back, reflect a little bit about the year, and also talk about how do we actually set goals and reach those goals. Because when you think about the beginning of the year, it's a new year. New me, new life, new you, blah, blah, blah. You like the New Year's resolutions, and then we have all these goals, and we set out to try our best to be successful in all those different goals. And sometimes we hit it. We hit it very soon. Sometimes it's like we're dragging it along. And other times we look back at the end of the year, and we're like, holy crap, I tried really hard, but I just didn't get to that main goal or whatever it is that we were trying to achieve or reach during the year. So I thought this would be a good way to kind of do that middle mark refresher and to talk about goals and to figure out, okay, you know, what are like some really good, solid ways to try to reach my goals, and how can I kind of stay in line with that? So I actually was just Googling it. And I don't know if you know, well, I'm sure if you've been Googling lately, you know there's like the AI tool that just pops up now, and it'll just give you an AI overview of whatever it is that you're asking questions about. So I'm going to base it off of that, and we'll kind of just let it unravel. So the first one it says as far as, you know, what is a great way to set goals and to reach them? It says get smart with your goals. And SMART, S-M-A-R-T goals are structured to help you focus on what you want to do, why you want to do it, and by when. So I think that's a really good way to start out because when you have a goal in mind, you know, if it's, you know, a big one is always lose weight or to make more money, you know, or just get happier or whatever. You kind of break that down and you say like, well, what do you want to do? So we just, we said what we wanted to do. And then why do you want to do it? The why I think is probably one of the most important things because if you haven't figured out your why and you really haven't solidified that, everything else is, I believe, will just kind of fall apart. And then giving yourself either a very strict date, if you're someone who believes that that is the way that you get things done, like, okay, October, you know, Halloween, October 31st. Just randomly saying that. October 31st, this is like when I need to get it done. Or you say, okay, by the end of the year or by fall or by midsummer or you give yourself a couple, like, breakdowns, you know, like spring, you know, like May something or you get my drift. You know, you've got to give some sort of timeline for yourself so that you actually reach that goal. You have that, like, motivation incentive to do it. The next one is to categorize your goals. So it says organize your goals into categories like career, health, financial, or leisure. This can help you break down your goals into smaller, more achievable steps. So, again, even with the goals that I had mentioned, you know, whether it be, like, weight loss or just to get happier or to make more money, yep, you can categorize it and then you can kind of break it down even more. You know what I mean? You can break down, okay, so, like, I want to lose weight, but, like, what areas do I want to lose weight? Like, how do I want to lose weight? Really get specific. I think the specific is really good as well. I'm someone who likes to be more specific when it comes to things I really, really, really want to achieve because I think it really, like, fine-tunes it for me and makes me be able to have all my senses a part of it. The next one is create an action plan. An action plan can help you stay on track by providing clear steps or tasks to complete. So, yes, I think, as we know, if you can think it, you can do it, and I believe in that. But I believe if you don't have the action behind it, then you will think yourself so far. And I know the spiritual side of me wants to almost, like, nudge myself and be like, but you can still think things into reality, which is so true, but I believe with that it creates the momentum of some sort of physical movement. And so that's where I think the action plan that is just created in this breakdown is so important. Like, I believe that you should be action-oriented. I think you should put some sort of effort into these goals or else it will just stay in your mind and it won't go anywhere else. The next one is set realistic and specific goals. Having specific targets can give you a sense of purpose and motivation. This goes right into what I was talking about with the details, you know, being specific and being realistic. That's another thing. So, talking about weight loss, if someone's like, I want to lose, like, 150 pounds by the summer, and even if you are someone who possibly could lose more excess weight than others, be realistic with yourself because I think at the end of the day, when you have those small, attainable goals, they build momentum. They stack up. And then, okay, I want to lose 10 pounds by February. It's January. Okay, cool. Give yourself that. You know what I mean? Ten pounds. Solid. Don't go crazy-crazy and then you feel let down or you feel like you let down you and then it just kind of stunts your growth because you're like, oh, I'm doing horrible. I'm not even succeeding. I'll have, like, the whole cheesecake tonight. I'm not going to reach my goals. And that's where we can kind of go backwards. So, when we have those realistic goals, when we break it down and we get specific, then I believe we can stay on track. So, I agree with that. The next one is write down your goals. Of course. Studies have shown that writing down your goals can increase your chances of success. You can also put your goals somewhere you can see them. So, I'm a big advocate for writing down things. I love, like, journaling, post-it notes, having planners and calendars galore. I like visually seeing things. So, I do believe in this. I feel like that the writing down of the goals, and here it's saying that studies have shown that it's, you know, it is proven, that it will increase your chances of success because you are visually seeing it. Us humans, we're so boggled down and distracted by so many different things all the time. So, our focus is going to fluctuate no matter what we're doing. Life is going to happen to us. But when we have those reminders around us, those symbols, those little notes of encouragement or just your goals, whether it be in the bathroom, the bedroom, in the kitchen, before you leave, it's right where you put your keys, et cetera, yes, you may begin to overlook it because it becomes kind of like a part of your walls, if you will, like an accessory in your home. But it will be a reminder. And you could even put into your calendar, like every month, get a new color for the post-it note of your goal or add a new sticker to the piece of paper that you wrote your goals on or whatever it is that can kind of keep you on track. I think that's just a random thought that I had right now, but that can really help you stay on track with reaching your goals. The next one is set relevant goals. Set relevant goals. Make sure your goals are meaningful to you and help you move closer to where you want to be. You can ask yourself how achieving the goal will help you or if it contributes to your larger long-term goals. So, yes, set relevant goals, making sure that they're meaningful to you. I think that goes back to the first one, which we talked about, like what is your why? Like why are you wanting to do this? Because if you're just doing it because someone told you you should or you feel like you should but you really don't have any attachment to it, you will not have attachment to it. It will not stick. And you'll find resentment in it. You'll find lack of motivation more so than the days that you're just like feeling a little, you know, like just low, if you will, or you feel like you're dragging your feet with it. It'll be ten times worse if it's not relevant to you. So definitely make sure it's relevant. And we're down to the last two. The next one is adjust your goals. Oh, for sure. Be willing to adjust your goals as needed. Oh, yes. So I said life is going to happen. Life is going to throw curveballs at us. Things are just going to go left, right, up, down, you know. Adjust them accordingly. Maybe your goal was to lose 50 pounds by the summer and you already lost 50. Woo! All right. So let's, okay, maybe the goal of losing weight is going to change a little bit. Like I still want to be healthy but maybe I want to gain some muscle mass now more so than just losing weight, you know. Maybe now that I'm in a healthier state and I've lost some weight, I want to take on a new hobby that's an athletic hobby. Maybe if you're reading a bunch of books and you've read all the books, oh, darn it, well, got to find a new, like, series of books. I mean, whatever it may be, you know, just I think the adjustment part is really good. And having that open mind with once you've reached your goals or if you find that you're changing along with your goals and they're just not meaningful enough to you, then, yeah, they have to, you have to have a relationship with it for sure. And the last one is recognize and reward yourself. Ooh, yeah. When you reach a goal, take the time to recognize and reward yourself. So this kind of thing goes back to writing down things and having that planner, having that piece of paper, giving yourself stars, stickers, or little treats, if you will, and the treats don't have to be sugary treats. It could be like I'm going to take myself out, you know, and get a new outfit or buy a new book or, you know, go to the movies or, you know, whatever it may be that that treat is for you. And, yes, it could be ice cream because that's, like, my treat. But doing those little things will keep you inspired, excited, yes, motivated, and still on that, ooh, I want to keep succeeding because I love having that feeling of success and then I also love that little bit of reward. And maybe that reward is just a little pat on your own back, maybe just checking off that you did it and you did that one part of the goal and you got it, which I think also is important to break down that goal and to have those little mini award systems set up already so that you're not just going to be like, well, I have by the end of the year, so I'm going to take my time. But you could do that. I'm not saying that you couldn't. But when you have it, like, month by month or biweekly or whatever it may be, it's going to keep you on track and it keeps you accountable during the seasons of you reaching your goals. So, anyways, that is what – that's what a good old Google gave me and the AI overview gave me. And I would say I have to agree with every one of those statements. I think they definitely complement one another and they overlap into each other a lot, which, I mean, of course – and I think this is a good refresher. For a lot of people that are hitting, like, that halfway mark of the year, again, I think we're, like – we might be more than halfway, is it? Let's see. January, February, March, April, May, June, July. Actually, yeah, we already hit – and we're almost in August, so we're definitely over the halfway mark. But it doesn't matter. I mean, we're – we've still got plenty of time, but at the same time, ooh, it's a good time to refresh. So, anyways, I hope this helped you. If it did, please, please, please feel free to share this with someone that you believe could also benefit from. Please share it on your own page, whether it be, you know, your social media pages or send it through emails, et cetera, text message. This is me trying to get out there. If you're looking for a community that likes to talk about this kind of stuff and is all about being positive and reaching goals and just a big old, you know, slurry mix of all this stuff all the time, I do have a Patreon, and it's the SlickBit community. I actually just made a free Facebook group for the community. It's mostly for my Patreon members, but I'm asking them and you as well to join in. I will be doing, you know, weekly, sometimes daily little bits of positivity and just check-ins and talking about all kinds of stuff that is just beautiful in this world. So if you'd like to be a part of that, I do have different tiers available where you can support me, even if you just want to support me, and that is your way of being in the community. That's great as well. Of course, you can find me on all my socials, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X, all that, through Slick Vic BA, B as in boy, A as in apple, and I do have a YouTube channel as well. So please check into that at Slick Vic. I will be uploading, hopefully, like I was saying, some video formats of this podcast so that those who like to watch and listen at the same time can have that as an option, which I think is super cool, and I just need to get on it and figure out what's the best way to do that. So, again, if you're listening to this, I figured it out, at least for now, until I can find out a really good formula for doing this whole podcast thing now that Spotify is different. And if you have any kind of input on free apps out there or platforms that I can do this all in one and it gives me a lot of time to record, please let me know, because that's also an issue. I already know through the format that I'm using today, because I think I'm uploading it on Buzzsprout, that I only have so much time that I can upload my podcast for. So meaning, like, maybe only three hours every month of content can I upload on there. So I've got to be quick with what I say now, which is not always, like, a problem, because there's times where I'm like, okay, I've got, like, five minutes. I'm just going to, like, tell you guys about something really cool. But I would like to have the option to have more time just in case I do longer episodes. So anyways, with all that, I'm going to go. But I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Again, please share, share, share, share, share. And with that, I hope you have a lovely morning, a beautiful afternoon, and an incredible evening whenever you listen to this. I'll talk to you all soon. Bye.