September Goal Setting

‘Reset, Refocus, Restart’

September is a very popular time to set goals for yourself. It’s the time for reinvention and renewed motivation. Very much like January, September has that “fresh start” effect which, sometimes, is much needed.

If you have school aged children, you might be skipping for joy the minute you wave them off on their first day back or you may be trying to fight back the tears when you arrive home to an empty nest after the school run. Whichever type of Mum you are, September is the time to re-focus on your goals because you’ve finally got some time back or you just need to distract yourself with some tasks to stop you missing the kids!

The name ‘September’ comes from the Latin language. “Septem” meaning Seven was the Roman name for September. It was originally the seventh month of their tenth month calendar. So, channelling the Roman Gods and their belief in the lucky 7, let’s take that energy and turn this September into a lucky month for you.

So, how can you achieve the goals that you are setting for yourself this Autumn? Whether this be trying to eat more healthily, exercise more, drink more water, stay in touch more with friends and family…are there some general rules to help you achieve your goals? You may have heard of the ‘SMART’ method for goal setting, which life coaches rave about. If not, let me explain.

S – Specific – be specific with your goal. Define the goal with no ambiguous language. WHAT do you want to achieve? WHERE will it be done? WHY are you doing this? WHO will be involved? WHEN will you be working towards your goal? WHICH constraints might you come across?

M – Measurable – make your goal measurable. This is your ‘from and to’ – are you able to track the progress and measure the outcome of your goal? When and how will you know when your goal is accomplished?

A – Achievable – make your goal achievable. Is your goal realistic? Is it reasonable? Do make sure that your goal is challenging but not too challenging. Your goal needs to be within reach. Setting goals that are just completely unobtainable only leaves you feeling deflated.

R – Relevant – make your goal relevant. Is this goal worthwhile and will it meet your needs? Is this goal consistent with other goals you have achieved in life and will it fit in with your immediate and long-term plans?

T – Timely – make your goal timely. Any goal should include a rough time-limit. Write down when you want to achieve certain steps of your goal by – for example, “I will complete this step by….”. By doing this, your goal will possess a sense of urgency and you will have better time management by giving yourself a finite amount of time to achieve something. By giving yourself an end-date, you remain accountable and focused.

So – go on, get out that notebook and write down your goals for September. We will be doing just that here at Naturally Sheepskins UK’s Headquarters. After a busy summer, it’s really quite therapeutic to jot down those autumn goals so you can re-focus. It’s the first step.

Happy September – new month, new season, new goals – new you!