This is the second post in the Planning Your Adventure series.

Before proceeding to the next step, you have to make sure that your goal is well defined and measurable. In the last post in this series (What do you want to do?) you chose one or two goals to focus on reaching.

As before, I will provide my own example in this color to illustrate what we are discussing. My goals are:
• take a trip to Ireland/Europe
• paint a picture

This step helps you know when you have reached your goal. If you don’t define your goal, in measurable terms, you could continue chasing it all of your life. For example, if your goal is to “travel around the world” does this mean that you are going to take a plane and physically circle the globe, or visit every continent, or visit every country or… See what I mean? You could continue chasing that goal for many lifetimes. However, if your goal is to “visit one country in every continent” you will know when you have completed that goal.

Define your goal. When you picture your goal, what image do you have? Write that down beside each goal. Be specific. Include details such as time frame, people around you, exact location, scenery, what you are wearing, etc.

• take a trip to Ireland/Europe – Live in Ireland for at least three months, taking at least a week to visit Europe (including, but not limited to, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower & Big Ben). Travel with my wife. End of January thru the beginning of June.
• paint a picture – using acrylic paint, create 8×11 painting of trees silhouetted by sunset

If you cannot say “this is what I have to do to complete my goal” go back and add more details. We are turning the X on the map from a fuzzy blur to a sharply defined location. We know exactly where we are going. Armed with that knowledge, we can begin our Baby Steps…