What are your life goals? If you’re considering becoming self-employed, what life goals do you think self-employment will help you achieve? Or if you’re already your own boss, what made you take the leap? I’m willing to bet it just about making money.

If you’re anything like me, you’re considering taking the path less travelled because your life goals include wanting your independence, to choose your own schedule and to be there for your kids. The kind of life a nine-to-five job simply doesn’t allow.

Here’s the thing – when you first start out it’s really easy to lose sight of why you began. You can easily get caught up in what I call the ‘online entrepreneur frenzy’ and before you know it you’re chasing an impossible dream. You’ve lost sign of what YOU really want.

That’s exactly what happened to me. Watch the video to find out more:

my goals & boundaries

Here are a few of my own goals, and the corresponding boundaries that help make them happen.

My life goal = to be able to do the school run and spend time with my daughter.

So my boundary = I only work school hours Monday to Friday

My life goal = to take time off in the school holidays

So my boundary = I don’t take on any extra projects over Christmas, Easter & summer.

My life goal = feeling financially secure so we can enjoy life.

So my boundary = not touching the money I put into separate accounts to save for emergencies and for holidays.

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First, set your goals

Of course, first you need to be clear about you want out of life. That’s not always that easy, and involved some self-reflection. Last year I read a book that helped me set goals stretched far beyond the professional to my whole life – even how I want the people that matter most to remember me when I’m gone.

Living Forward by Michael Hyatt – I used the guidance in the book to write a ‘life-plan’ and get clear about what my priorities are. And that certainly wasn’t staring at a screen all day and night!

I’m going to use the same system to revisit those goals and update them for this year.

To help embed his goal-setting system Michael Hyatt has also created the Full Focus Planner. And I was one of the first people to their hands on one. It really helped me work towards my goals by staying laser focussed on what’s most important.

But if all that sounds far too complicated for you – I like structure! – then just grab a journal or a notepad and start writing about what’s most important to you and how you want you life to be.

Then, set your boundaries

Once you’ve figured out what life goals are most important to you download my worksheet to make sure you put the boundaries in place that will help make them happen. Because they won’t happen on their own.

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Determined to work flexibly around school hours? Then don’t accept a job where you’re expected to commute to the office every day to work nine-to-five.

Want to have time off in school holidays to go on holiday adventures with your kids? Then say no that giant freelance contract that lands in your lap in July!

Once you’re determined what your boundaries are you next task is to protect them. Fiercely.

Because if YOU don’t protect what’s most important to you, WHO WILL? And the only one who will pay for your lack of commitment to your goals, is you.

Got questions? Leave a comments, let’s chat!