Learn how to investigate your goals and take the overwhelm out of navigating the crossroads you are currently at, whether that’s in your career, your life, your relationships, or even how you manage your money. This video will step you through getting a look at your life now. Idea Playground of your paths you are exploring. Then you will set up your first short-term goal.
Get a snapshot of your life now
So that you know where you want to go, you will first need to know where you are right now. So in your journal, or if you are part of the HGD Crossroads Program, use the Life Assessment and Reflection Worksheet.
How satisfied are you with your Wealth Life Area: that is your career/job/occupation or business, what you do with your money, any debt that you have, and any savings or investments that you may have.
You will use a scale from 1 (most satisfied) to 5 (least satisfied) [on-screen text: the Satisfaction scale]. And next, how important is your Wealth Life Area to you? 1 being the most important and 5 being the least important.
How satisfied are you with your Relationship life area: this is all of your relationships – family, friends, partner, workmates. Using the same scale, rate how satisfied you are. Now, how important are your relationships to you?
Finally, you will look at your wellbeing life area: this encompasses your health and fitness, your overall wellbeing, your living conditions, what you do in your free time, how relaxed you are, and your feeling of being in control of your life.
Once you have this snapshot, take a few moments to journal a reflection. How do you feel about where your holistic life is right now? What do you want to change? What area of your life are you happy with right now? What area of your life needs attention right now?
Idea Playground
Now that you know where you are, we can start brainstorming where you want to go, or the crossroads that you are at. This will help you with the next step, where you will plan your first short-term goal or trial Crossroads path.
On a fresh page in your journal or in the Idea Playground worksheet, either create a mind map or free-write your thoughts. From your life snapshot, what do you want to explore more? Do you have an idea of what your short-term goal will be? Just dump all of your thoughts out of your brain and onto the page. This will help to free up your brain and help you to gather your thoughts about what you want to achieve.
Your short-term goal roadmap
Now that you know where you are in life, and you have dumped your thoughts, let’s get the goal details fleshed out.
Give your goal a title
Describe your goal
When do you want to achieve your goal? The goal deadline.
What does goal success look like? How will you know you have achieved your goal?
What do you need for your goal?
What do you already have for your goal?
What do you have to do to achieve your goal? Your action steps.
Out of what you have to do, what is the first action step?
Remember to record your achievements and to celebrate them
If you would like to go deeper with your Crossroads Journey, head over to my website and enrol in Module 1: Basics or book in for a 1:1 Video Call Goal Investigation Session. https://hgdnz.online/
Hey there, Goal Investigator! If you’re waiting for a sign, a push, or a nudge to start working on your goals and dreams, consider this it. You’ve got this! Sometimes, the idea of taking that first step can be scary, like a terrier. But remember what Mel Robbins says: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch. In this case, it’s 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, take action.
Today is a good day to take action
Hey there, Goal Investigator! If you’re waiting for a sign, a push, or a nudge to start working on your goals and dreams, consider this your push. You’ve got this! Sometimes, the idea of taking that first step can be scary and terrifying. But remember what Mel Robbins says: be like a rocket going into space 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch. In this case, it’s 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, take action.
Often, we get caught up in our heads on what we should do and get stuck in analysis paralysis. We get so stuck in the research stage that we forget to actually take action and get started. Because at the end of the day, we aren’t going to achieve our goals and dreams if we don’t start taking action. It doesn’t have to be a big, scary action; it can be baby steps. It’s just the first thing you can think of to get started. Often, the hardest part is getting started.
Is there a daily activity you can incorporate to build a habit and make progress? For instance, if your goal is fitness, consider a thirty- to sixty-minute walk before work with your dogs. The initial attempts might be challenging, but if you persist, it will soon become a part of your routine.
Another example is if you are writing a book, is there a time of the day that you can write for thirty to sixty minutes, OR are you more motivated with a number of words? How many words each day can you write at a minimum? My minimum number of words daily is 300. It is a doable amount, and often, I will write more than this.
What I am saying is to set a minimum goal to get you started, and often, once you are started, you will do the full amount or more.
Let’s build a community of support and motivation. Share your tips and tricks for getting started and staying on track. Together, we can overcome procrastination and achieve our goals.
Like many of you, I often feel overwhelmed by a large goal or an extensive Task Tracker list. The sheer magnitude can lead to procrastination, self-sabotage, or a belief that the task is too daunting to tackle. However, I’ve discovered a powerful strategy that brings relief: breaking it down into manageable baby steps.
First, I gain an overview of what I want to achieve by brainstorming the goal and listing all the tasks I need to complete. I also take time to define what success looks like for me. Then, I work backward from the desired outcome, identifying the steps needed to reach it. Once I have a clear destination in mind, the next step is to plan my first move. This simple act of planning helps me feel more in control of my journey.
What is the very first thing I need to do? Is there anything else I can tackle in the meantime? Sometimes, I find myself waiting for someone else to respond. During those moments, it’s essential to practice patience and tolerance. Can I do something else while I wait?
Personally, I start with the big picture and then determine the next step. After completing that step, I move on to the following one. At times, I need to plan several steps in advance, especially if they build on each other or if there are time-sensitive tasks involved.
Can you believe we are already into the second quarter of the year? That means three months have already gone by. Have you done your quarter plan? Or are you winging it? We all know how I feel about this. Have a loose plan so that you know where you are going.
What you will need for the weekly planning session:
Your diary/planner (and any writing instruments you use for a physical planner )
April monthly planner (Planning for April 2025)
Your quarterly planner (Preparing for Q2 and Q2 2025 Quarterly Plan)
The monthly Task Tracker
The steps to planning your week:
I first transfer any appointments from the monthly planner to the appointment section on the relevant days.
Then, in my quarterly plan, I review the plan for April so that I have it clear in my head.
Next, I consult the Task Tracker for April to identify the tasks I can tackle this week. I then allocate them to their respective days, giving me a flexible yet structured plan.I also record anything that I achieved last week in The Quarterly Plan. This could be a project milestone, a personal goal, or a significant event that impacted my plans.Then, I go down to the Goal Tracker section and record up to seven Goal Tasks I want to track this week. For me, that can be
the minimum sales goal with space to write the actual amount
The number of days I walked 6,000 steps
The amount of sales directly from HGD LTD, not other avenues
And I have space for four more items
Remember, the beauty of this planning process is its adaptability. Most of the time, I review the daily tasks on the actual day, allowing for any unexpected changes or additions.
Since we are at the start of Quarter 2 for 2025 a lot of the recent posts have been about planning for this coming Q2. I have also given you a look into my life with my personal Life Assessment Reflection for Q2 20225.
Planning for the month ahead helps you stay on track with your quarterly focus. It allows you to break it up into smaller, manageable chunks. It also allows you to evaluate what is important to you. By pre-planning, you will be more prepared for the action steps you need to take, and you won’t be surprised by events.
Manifesting a loving partner involves a combination of self-awareness, positive thinking, and taking actionable steps. Here are some strategies to help you on your journey to attract the right person into your life.
I was in a car accident on 1 November 2024. This has affected all areas of my life, and I have had to not take on any new clients in my backup job as a domestic cleaner. I am not sad about not being able to take on new cleaning clients, but I am sad that it has finally set me back about two years.
Embark on the Life Assessment, a crucial step in the Create Your Dream Plan Action Life. This assessment, which I’ve shared my own version of, serves as the cornerstone for understanding your current life situation and setting your future goals.
Embark on the Life Assessment, a crucial step in the Create Your Dream Plan Action Life. This assessment, which I’ve shared my own version of, serves as the cornerstone for understanding your current life situation and setting your future goals.
A clear understanding of your current situation is the key to unlocking your future goals. It’s like a puzzle, where each piece represents a different aspect of your life. For instance, my accident led me to rely on government financial assistance. But I’ve set a goal to replace this with my own earnings, not just to improve my life, but to gain independence and self-sufficiency.
Having this figure allows me to set smaller goals (milestones), the first of which was to have a Gross wage of $160, and the next milestone will be $200, and then $250, and so on until I reach the magic number of $700. This also allows me to set business financial goals with the target of $850 (The wage is about 82% of sales). But this is just a starting point. Once the business has reached this sales goal, it can switch to the next financial goal.
I want to add that once I have raised my wage to $700, I need to stay there for at least 13 weeks. Another way to look at it is for an entire quarter, plus the partial quarter if the target isn’t reached at changeover. This is to allow me to get comfortable in my new situation before levelling up again. This can also be referred to as reaching an upper limit. You can find more on this by reading or listening to Gay Hendricks’ “The Big Leap.”
You need to ask yourself, where are you now? And where do you want to go?
Want a planner to help you plan and track your quarterly goals? The Quarterly Planner is for you.
I was in a car accident on 1 November 2024. This has affected all areas of my life, and I have had to not take on any new clients in my backup job as a domestic cleaner. I am not sad about not being able to take on new cleaning clients, but I am sad that it has finally set me back about two years.
In the early stages of recovery, I was inspired to start with my Crafty Monkey Creations product range of candles and reed diffusers. You can check them out at cmchgd.com; you can buy them if you live in NZ. This has made me realise that I must change how I do things. I need to sell only the products I already have in stock, not those I INTEND to sell. I do better if I pre-make the product and then sell it. There is too much pressure for me to pre-sell something and meet the demand.
Part of this is that I have a short attention span. I am creative and like to make something once or twice but then get bored or another project catches my eye.
I cycle through projects, which means making products in bulk to sell via the website or creating products that are set and forgotten. I also need to batch-write blog posts so you get one new post from me daily.
Finances: My finances have taken a hit due to the accident. I have not been able to work at all for a couple of weeks and have been working reduced hours since December. All of my savings have been used, and I have unfortunately had to go back full-time on the benefit.
Solution for finances: I need to bring home a Gross wage of $700, which will give me an in-hand amount of $547.49. This doesn’t improve my financial situation, but it gives me independence.
Job or occupation: As mentioned above, I am returning to Domestic Support part-time. I have started a home and body product range via Crafty Monkey Creations, but this is a slow build.
For my passion project, Holistic Goal Detectives LTD, I have started to write a book, Create Your Dream Plan Action Life – Take Your Dreams and Make Them a Reality. I realised I was forcing myself to make a course, and it just wasn’t feeling right for me at this time. Thus, I have gone back to basics and focusing on my writing. And I am committed to writing one blog post a day. Once I get back in the habit of writing daily, I will turn some of my posts into an audio podcast. I just (last night) found out that my web host has a section for setting up a podcast, so look out for that very soon. At this stage, my planners are the final part of Holistic Goal Detectives LTD. I started with The Quarterly Planner, which I updated for personal use. Next will be The Future Plan, which is still in development. I will also make the individual components available for purchase so that you can pick and choose the inserts you want to make the perfect planner for your needs.
The first financial goal for the Holistic Goal Detectives LTD group is $850 per week or $3700 per month.
Friends: I am happy with my interaction with my friend group. It would be nice to have a business friend to bounce ideas off, but that would require me to go to a networking event, so I am not interested in doing it at this stage.
Leisure: While recovering, I have had plenty of downtime. I am happy with the books I am reading and the streaming services I have. OHHHHH and I have started gardening. Rather than failing again at in-ground gardening, I have been trying container gardening and have had some success. It is very addicting, though, but in the long run, it will help with my health because I will eat more fresh fruit and vegetables than snacking on junk food.
Once I have some extra money
I would like to start going to the beach more often to walk the girls (dogs). The cost of extra petrol means I can only occasionally go to the beach at the moment, which is about a thirty-minute drive from home. It is a good way for me to de-stress and find peace.
I want to get a day back and hiking boots and start going on day hikes again. Furthermore, I would like to get a multi-day pack and relevant tools and equipment for several days of hiking. I would like to do more of the Te Aroha track and other Great Walks of New Zealand. It is an amazing way to see the country I live in.
To accompany the multi-day hikes, I would like to get a food dehydrator and dehydrate some of the fruit and vegetables that I grow on the land. I would also like to dehydrate my own meals for when I am hiking.
Once my fitness is better than what it is now, I would like to get a kayak.
Partner or relationship: I am still single; I have been working on myself. As much as I would like a partner, I need to get my financial situation sorted first. By that, I mean I need to get to my minimum wage first. That way, I can feel like I am an equal partner, not a lesser partner in the relationship. I don’t know; this is just how I feel. I miss having a best friend who is a companion, but he needs to be the right person. And if I see a red flag, I need to learn that means stop, not jump in anyway.
Health: Alright, let’s get into it; having to write this section out has held me up writing this post. But here goes. On 1 November 2024, I was driving to Auckland from Whangarei (about 2.5 to 3 hours to get to my aunt’s place from my home). I was driving at the speed limit of just under a few days before I had been given a speeding ticket. I was going straight on the highway, and as I came to the intersection at the Ruakaka turnoff, a car pulled out in front of me. I tried breaking, to no avail. After impact, I tried to get as far off the road as possible.
The impact was on the passenger side bonnet and door. Thankfully, Fluffy, my small white dog, was in her car seat, and I think that cushioned her impact, and she was unhurt. The airbag punched me in the face, but thankfully, I didn’t get bruises on my face. I also suffered from a whiplash from the seat belt and the impact. My injuries were cracked ribs and bent bone in my neck, and I injured my back in new places. I am so very thankful that my injuries were not any more serious. Oh, I did have an MRI after I was ambulance to the hospital. I think it is an MRI, the one where you have to remove all of your jewellery, and you are put horizontally into the machine that takes images of your insides.
Today as I write this, it is Friday, 4 April 2025; my ongoing injuries are my ribs still hurt from time to time, only a mild niggle. My back is excruciating; sometimes, walking is very painful.
I have this week made an appointment with the doctor to see if I can get a pain management plan in place. Because I need some help.
Also, I went from 73kgs to 82kgs.
Exercise: Yeah, exercise. Hmm. My chosen form of exercise is walking. But for a while there, I couldn’t even do that. It was a struggle to walk maybe 50 steps of where my driveway meets the shared driveway. Since “getting better”, I have done a few walks but haven’t done as much as I should. For free exercise, I can walk along the road. There are two problems: I hate walking along the rural road, and my shared driveway is long and narrow. Okay, three points; the third is if my land was shaven, I mean weedeated, then I could do laps on my property. Sadly, it is overgrown with brambles, and I cannot use my weedeater.
Living conditions: Around the time of my accident, I was getting some work done on the lifestyle property:
I got my tiny house turned around, and wastewater/septic sinkhole holes were dug
a flushing toilet was installed and upgraded from a camp toilet
10,000-liter water upgraded from 1,000 litres
To help with all of this, I got some groundwork done.
What’sWhat’s next:
A proper house water pump
A vegetable garden that provides 80% of my vegetables from now on
I need a shed for my laundry to get a proper automatic washing machine with enough space to dry the laundry in winter. And space to operate Crafty Monkey Creations until I can get a building made for my office/crafts/Crafty Monke Creations
Then, a bedroom pod for when my youngest visits on the weekend.
Feeling relaxed: I am a little tense right now because of everything that is going on. I will feel better once I reach my minimum financial goal.
Feeling in control: For the most part, I am in control of my life. I can’t control when people buy from me, but I can do some marketing and advertising to increase awareness, which will organically increase sales.
Are you ready to take control of your time and achieve your goals? Introducing The Quarterly Planner, your ultimate tool for effective planning and personal transformation. This planner, designed with practicality at its core, empowers you to take action today and make meaningful progress over the next three months, giving you a sense of control and confidence in your journey.
Structured Reflection: Begin your journey with a Life Assessment, a comprehensive tool to evaluate your current situation in various aspects of life such as career, health, and relationships. This reflection section helps you understand your current state and set a meaningful focus for the next three months.
Goal-Oriented Approach: Break your priorities into manageable monthly goals. No more overwhelm—feel equipped and focused as you confidently tackle each milestone.
Flexible and Undated: Our planner is an undated downloadable document, allowing you to start whenever you want. You can print it out each quarter and customise it to fit your needs, making it a truly personalised tool for your planning journey!
What’s Inside?
1. The Quarterly Planner: Start with a comprehensive guide to plan your quarter effectively, including space for notes and reflections. This planner is designed to meet all your planning needs in one place.
2. 2025 Monthly Planner: Featuring each month across two pages, with dedicated note sections to jot down important ideas and reminders. The 2025 Monthly Planner is dated.
3. 2025 Weekly Planner: Stay organised with daily spaces for appointments, to-do lists, and sections for tracking weekly goals and additional notes. This insert has two pages per week and is dated.
4. Task Tracker: With 15 dedicated pages, you’ll have plenty of room to keep track of your tasks, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Need more? Print as many as you need!
5. Notes Pages: A total of 15 pages devoted to your thoughts, ideas, and inspirations.
Ready to Transform Your Planning?
Don’t let another quarter slip by without making meaningful progress. With The Quarterly Planner, you can embrace a practical approach to your goals, ensuring you feel ready to take action daily.
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Planning for the month ahead helps you stay on track with your quarterly focus. It allows you to break it up into smaller, manageable chunks. It also allows you to evaluate what is important to you. By pre-planning, you will be more prepared for the action steps you need to take, and you won’t be surprised by events.
(c) 2025 Goal Detective Cindy and Holistic Goal Detectives LTD
What you will need?
Your Create Your Dream Plan Action Life notebook or planner (Printed or digital copy)
Monthly Task Tracker
Your planner or the full Quarterly Planner with the weekly planner included
Up to an hour for the planning session
Using a notebook or printed-out planner, you will need your writing instruments.
What is the focus for the month?
Is the monthly focus the same as the overall quarterly focus, or are you focusing on one part of the overall focus?
Monthly Action Steps
It is helpful to have a task tracker for the month. This may seem like double handling of the tasks from planning the quarter, but if you get overwhelmed, this step will help.
From your Quarterly Task Tracker, transfer the items you will be taking action on this coming month.
What other action steps do you need to video this month?
In your weekly planner, note any appointments and events that have been pre-booked. Do any tasks need to be completed before the appointment? If so, add the task to the monthly tracker.
Can you think of anything else you need to do this month?
Recording your achievements
We as humans tend not to celebrate our achievements or brush them off as no big deal. I challenge you to record your achievements and go a step further, reward yourself. That is why the Quarterly Planner has space for you to record your monthly achievements. Did you write that blog post? Awesome, record it AND reward yourself. This could simply be doing a little happy jiggle in your seat, making yourself that cup of coffee or tea you have been dying for but didn’t allow yourself until you finished writing the post. Or go for that walk? Or make that hard phone call?
The point is to record what you did and reward yourself.
Another reason to record what you have completed is so that:
You have a list to prove to yourself that you do actually finish things.
For those days you are being mean to yourself, you can see what you have achieved
For the end-of-quarter review
For the end-of-year review
To help you track the progress of more significant projects while achieving smaller milestones
It is time again to check in with your Life Assessment. These quarterly assessments are important to help you see how your life is and if anything has changed. They also allow you to form your plan for the next three months, as you may discover that a particular life area needs attention or that a life area you have been working on is now at a satisfactory level.
When you have your big planning session at the end of the year or the start of the new year, you will do the full Holistic Life Assessment, which involves delving deep into each life area.
First, you will do a quick quiz to determine which life areas you are satisfied with right now and which are important to you. Over three months these can change in value to you. Or you may have done the work required to improve the life area. Another point to think about here is that life can change drastically in 90 days.
In your notebook (or you can use the Quarterly Planner), head up the page “Life Assessment”. Then, you will need three columns, the two on the right to be smaller than the one on the left. Just big enough to write a two-digit number. The image below will show you an example of The Life Assessment.
The column on the left is for the life area, the middle is for Satisfaction, and the one on the right is for Importance. The life areas are:
Job or occupation
Finances
Family Relationships
Leisure
Partner or relationship
Health
Exercise
Living conditions
Feeling relaxed
Feeling in control.
Please rate both qualifying columns on a scale of 0 to 10, where zero is least satisfied or least significant, and 10 is most satisfied or most important.
You finish the life assessment by writing a reflection on what came up for you while conducting the quiz. This should help you clarify where you are right now in your life. It will also help you identify which life area(s) you want/need to work on next.
