How to Achieve Your Goals in The Next 5 Years

You are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Did you know that? Did you?!

I sure didn’t.

I mean, I knew that writing down your goals helped, but not THAT much.

However, after what I’m about to share with you in this post, I’m living proof that it’s true and now I will spend every waking minute preaching it from the cliff tops to anyone who’ll listen.

So basically like seagulls and the odd seal..

I kid, I kid.

But I will tell you that I now 100% believe that writing down your goals is a powerful tool in manifesting what you want.

Here’s why..

Five years ago, I wrote this post “predicting” how the next five years were going to play out for me and what I would achieve in that time.

Here’s what I wrote in 2013:

1. I see a lot of travel happening that is both work and life related, as well as a career in travel unfolding veeeery nicely.
2. I see this online space growing enormously to the point where we (you and I) have built a wonderful relationship and community together as well as it becoming a very profitable micro biz.
3. In terms of where I’ll be, I 100% see myself living on the beachfront in a beautiful modern beach house with my boyfriend (and yes, it’s a high possibility I’ll be married!)
4. I will also be my healthiest and fittest and will have built new nourishing relationships with wonderful people who are incredibly like-minded.

To put it simply, the next 5 years is going to be AWESOME. Lots of positive changes as well as big scary challenges that are great for me in the long run.

After the last couple of years having broken down, slowly built myself back up and using that time to build a solid foundation for myself, I can 100% say I am right where I need to be.

I believe that good things are happening for me, I believe that I will achieve every single thing I really want to achieve and I believe with all my being that I can create for myself the kind of life I want.

Fast forward to 2018 (5 years later)

So….. did I achieve at least 43% of my goal?

NOPE.

Try 90%.

2013 Elise knew what was up!

Here’s what I achieved:

1. I became a full-time solo traveller/digital nomad in May 2017. I bought a one-way ticket to Bali, Indonesia and have travelled to Malaysia, Timor-Leste, USA, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Spain, Cuba and Singapore.
2. My online business, House of Brazen, began in January 2016 helping women build profitable businesses, after 6 months in I quit my job to work full-time on it and have built the business up to over 6-figures in 2.5 years.
3. I did the total opposite of getting married and settling in a beach house but I don’t feel like I lost out. I honestly believe what I got was so much better. I mean, meeting incredible people from different cultures and backgrounds and living in stunning AirBnB’s all over the world is a pretty fantastic alternative!
4. I’m the healthiest I’ve been in a long time. I’m not at my peak yet but I’m well on my way. And of any period in my life, this year was the year I built the strongest friendships I’ve ever had and I cherish them deeply. 

I did a little research to find out more about whether there was any official study done on the effects of writing down your goals. Turns out there was – by Harvard. This article by Elite Daily broke down the findings.

“Harvard’s graduate students were asked if they have set clear, written goals for their futures, as well as if they have made specific plans to transform their fantasies into realities.

The 3 percent who had written goals were earning, on average, 10 times as much as the other 97 percent of the class combined.”

So, yeah. I think there’s something concrete to be said about writing your goals down. And I am definitely going to make it more of a habit.

So in saying that, let’s do something fun!

In the comment section below, share your prediction for what you WILL achieve in the next 5 years. Let’s put it out into the universe!

And in exactly 1825 days we can reassess how we all did, celebrate the shit out of our amazing achievements and set our next goals!

Here’s my prediction for the next 5 years:
(in no particular order)

• More travel: Like that wasn’t predictable! Of course I’ll be traveling for work speaking at events and running workshops as well as going to the destinations my intuition leads me to. But let’s get a bit more specific about my bucket list items. I’m going to St Lucia, Giraffe Manor in Kenya, Morocco, Positano in Italy, Petra in Jordan, the Berlin Christmas markets, Thailand, Japan, Ireland and eating my way through all of Europe, again. 
• Have a home base: I see myself having a place to call home where I can establish some roots, have a great support network of friends and a solid routine for my well-being. I’ll still take off for adventures here and there but I will have more of a settled home life rather than the ever constant moving around that I currently do. It will be my own home or apartment, and no, it’s not in New Zealand. 😛
• Launch an award winning Podcast: This has been a dream of mine for quite some time now. And this is me casually sharing with you that I’m launching a podcast.. in 2019! But notice that “award winning” is also mentioned? That’s where my work is and what I see myself getting! BOOM! 
• Write and publish a best-selling book: Another dream of mine has been to write and publish a book and now I’m finally ready to make it a reality. It will be here sooner than you think! Oh yes, we’re levelling up in many ways!
• Meet and marry the love of my life: What? I’m a sappy romantic! He’s done the work, has strong values and is always working on mastering himself. He knows what he wants and goes and gets it. No games, no BS, just pure love. He has no problem going deep emotionally, spiritually, and sexually and is on the same level about doing life and building an empire together.
• Become a 7-figure business owner: Oh yeah, I totally just said it! A big part of why I want to hit 7-figures is because I want to help people on an even greater scale. From being more philanthropic and giving my time and resources to the causes and organizations I care about, as well as taking care of my family and supporting a team of people who make House of Brazen possible.

Not gonna lie, most of those goals scare the shit out of me. But then again, they’re not strong enough goals if they don’t scare you a little. Goals that scare you means you will grow a lot in order to achieve them. And above all else, that’s what I want the most – to never stop growing and learning.

And it might not seem like it but 5 years is a long ass time. It’s HALF OF A DECADE. There is plenty of time to achieve those goals!

Look at what I achieved in the previous 5 years! Look at what YOU achieved! You are 100% capable of making anything happen, and now you know that writing them down is a powerful tool in making them even more of a reality.

So let’s go!

DON’T FORGET TO SHARE: In the comment section below, share your prediction for what you WILL achieve in the next 5 years!

Elise xo

P.S – It really is a strange experience to come back and update a post that I wrote about predicting my future FROM the future!