OK, so you’ve set your goal – what you will achieve, why you want to achieve it, how you will achieve it, and when it will be achieved by. The next step is to bridge the gap between where you are now are where you want to be (end results).
Bridging Your Education Gap
The first step is to assess where your knowledge gaps are. Start by mapping out the following three areas of your current education:
- Where you do have the type of knowledge, skills and expertise, and at the level required to assist you in achieving your goal.
- Where you have some knowledge, skills and expertise but at a lower level than is required to achieve your goals.
- Where you don’t have the knowledge, skills and expertise that you require to achieve your goals.
Mapping out these three areas enables you to recognise and acknowledge the resources you already have within. They are the foundations that you can continue to utilise and implement successfully to advance your goals.
Mapping these out also enables you to recognise where you need to seek out and educate yourself further including additional knowledge, skills and expertise in order to progress your goals.
Make Some Strategic Decisions
Once you identify your educational needs, make some strategic decisions to streamline your activities (working smarter, not harder). Make some decisions around the following:
- Preferred style of learning. Reflect styles you learn best from eg visual (watching), auditory (listening), kinesthetic (doing), auditory digital (logical step by step), or a combination. You can then utilise products and services which match your preferences eg videos, audios, books, experiential workshops and instructional manuals etc.
- Individual or group based learning . Think about whether it’s better to learn individually or as part of a group. Each of these options have advantages and disadvantages, some of which include level of individual attention, budget and time availability.
- Location of learning. Consider where you’d like to learn. For example do you want to educate yourself online, offline? In person or remotely?
- Who you will learn from. Most likely there are numerous people, colleges and businesses who have the knowledge and experience to teach you what you want to learn. Consider what’s available and what you think will be a good match for you.
Create A Strategic Plan
In order to achieve your goals, you need to learn what you don’t already know. This educate process will take time, energy, resources and money. So be strategic and intentional – focus on education which is aligned with your goals, and supports your ability to be successful.
Once you’ve decided the above, create develop a strategic plan which includes gaining the required knowledge at the level of competency required for success achievement of your goals.
- Main goals: what are the specific educational outcomes you will achieve.
- Key targets: what are the key benchmarks, objectives and deadlines along the way.
- Action steps: what specific habits and action steps do you need to take and what order to meet these key targets.
- Timelines: when do you need to start and finish implementing action steps to achieve goals and targets.
Adapt Your Plan To Changing Needs
Over time circumstances change. Some things will take less time that you thought, some things will take longer; some things won’t happen and some things will pop up out of the blue that have to be addressed. Accordingly your plan will need to be tweaked and adapted to any changes. You will need to be clear about your key outcomes, to determine where you need to be more flexible and where you need to be less flexible in order to bridge the knowledge gaps required to achieve your goals.
Empower yourself today by taking at least one action which supports you in progressing your goals!
If you’d like some assistance in setting goals, assessing gaps or strengthening your capacity to achieve more of your goals, then I’d love to hear from you to see if we’re a match. Take action today by booking a time to chat, or check out our services at the Health Pursuit website.
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