1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: tip is that if you are working toward a goal, 4 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: you should consider forming a club with other people pursuing 5 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: their goals. Even if they're pursuing different goals, you can 6 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: all support each other as you try to succeed. So 7 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: it's no secret that many of us fall by the 8 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: wayside with our goals. You meant to train for that 9 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: half marathon, or eat five servings of fruit and vegetables, 10 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: or apply to go back to school, but you know, 11 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: life gets busy. We tend to prioritize the things that 12 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: we know other people care about or expect. A goal 13 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: club helps create that accountability. Think of something like weight watchers. Yes, 14 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,559 Speaker 1: the organization has provided education and such, but the group 15 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: meetings are a big reasons some people find it effective. 16 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 1: You're not trying to lose weight on your own, You're 17 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 1: doing it with a group of people who share your 18 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: goals and who are cheering you on. So if you 19 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: have a goal that you are perhaps struggling with, consider 20 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: forming a goal club of people who can help you 21 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: in your pursuit. This could look different for different situations, 22 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: but one possibility is to recruit a group of friends 23 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: or colleagues who share the same goal as you. Maybe 24 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: you and two of your colleagues are all trying to 25 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: save up for down payments for your first homes. You 26 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: can check in with each other weekly to make sure 27 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: you are keeping spending reined in and that you have 28 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: moved the proper chunk of each paycheck into a savings account. 29 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: Or maybe you and two friends are all trying to 30 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: write books. That's the goal club I am familiar with. 31 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: For fiction or memoir, you can check in weekly on 32 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: how many pages you have written, or perhaps for nonfiction, 33 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: the steps you have taken toward producing a proposal, finding 34 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: an agent, and so forth. You could also have a 35 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: goal club composed of people working toward different goals. Your 36 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: goal might be to save up for a down payment 37 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: on a house within three years. One friend might be 38 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: looking for another job, another might be trying to declutter 39 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: her house. But all of you are setting a goal, 40 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: identifying action steps, and tracking your efforts and progress, so 41 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: you are well positioned to encourage and support each other. 42 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: You can meet up for coffee once a week or so, 43 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: and discuss what you've done, or else text or email 44 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: your encouragement. For busy people, goal pursuit can fall to 45 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: the bottom of the to do list, But if you 46 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: know you're getting together with a goal club, you won't 47 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: want to go to the gathering unprepared, so you are 48 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: more likely to take the goal related actions you intended 49 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: to do. When you encounter obstacles or get discouraged, a 50 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: team of people is there to help you keep from 51 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: giving up. To make this work, it might help to 52 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: have a recurring agenda to keep your gatherings focused. First, 53 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: every one reports on the intentions they set at the 54 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: last meeting and what they've done since. Then, next, people 55 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: take turns reporting on any obstacles they've encountered, as well 56 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,679 Speaker 1: as any questions or challenges they want feedback on. For 57 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: a smaller group, people could troubleshoot right after each person reports. 58 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: For a larger group, you could rotate which person you 59 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: troubleshoot for as a group during the session. Then every 60 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: one can set their intentions for what they'll do before 61 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: the next meeting. You may be wondering how a goal 62 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: club is different from the organic support you'd get from 63 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: your friends as you pursued a goal. But I think 64 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: the main way to think about this is to consider 65 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: a book club. You could just get together with friends 66 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,839 Speaker 1: and maybe discuss books or maybe not, but people join 67 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: book clubs in order to know that everyone is expecting 68 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: to read the same thing and that they will be 69 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: getting together to discuss what they have read. In a 70 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: goal club, you meet regularly and with an agenda to 71 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 1: focus on your goals. You are not catching up on 72 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: life in general and maybe discussing your goal pursuits and 73 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: maybe not. Everyone is aligned on why you are getting 74 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: together and how you'll spend your time, and that makes 75 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: it more likely that you will achieve your goals. If 76 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 1: you create a goal club, I'd love to hear about it. 77 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: You can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 78 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 79 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for 80 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 81 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 82 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 83 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio, app, Apple podcasts, or 84 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.