Huw's goal tips

Our latest goal setting tips come from Huw Grove, one of the sponsors of the year long What’s your Goal? campaign for Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Owner of The Learning Grove, Huw works with organisations to help them understand what results they want to achieve and how they can reach them.

Here are Huw’s top ten tips for achieving a goal;

1. A goal without a date is a dream; a dream with a date is a goal

2. Effective goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic, Timebound

3. Be specific - what exactly is it you wish to achieve?

4. Timebound - be specific with the date - next week, tomorrow and later are all

poorly set times

5. Action oriented - include milestones that can be quickly achieved to spur you on

6. Realistic - this needs to be more than achievable, it needs to be achievable with your resources

7. If you are serious, tell someone you can trust. A shared goal beats a lone goal

8. Positive - you should want to have the goal, not want to not have it - I.e. want to be fit, not lose weight.

9. Clearly imagine how you will feel when you have achieved the goal

10. Write your goal as if you have achieved it, not as something to achieve in the future

On supporting the campaign, Huw said; “I think the What’s your Goal? campaign is a great idea and I’m very happy to be a sponsor for it. The advice I have provided I use with my own clients and it can be a great tool for setting and achieving any type of goal, whether it’s business related or to improve your health and wellbeing.”

For more of Huw’s tips as well as our other goal setting experts advice, follow us on Twitter @LeedsandYorkPFT.

To find about more about The Learning Grove, please visit http://www.thelearninggrove.com/  

Bitten by the bug – goal setting by an expert

Andy McMenemy is an ambassador for our campaign. He is a local business man, inspirational speaker and development coach. In 2011, Andy established a new world record with the epic feat of completing 66 ultra-marathons in 66 consecutive days in each of the 66 official cities of the UK. You can find out more about him here.

We interviewed Andy about being our ambassador, setting goals and being bitten by the running bug…

Victoria: you recently spoke at our Allied Health Professions conference. We’d love to hear your impressions of the day

Andy: it was fantastic to get a privileged insight into what your clinicians do in the Trust. I was impressed by the commitment of staff, their passion for their roles and enthusiasm for patient care. Their sense of values came through loud and clear. I had lots of chats with staff over coffee and learnt about their frustrations and worries about the future in this time of unprecedented change in the NHS. Many have worked in the NHS for many years and had seen so many changes before. They were committed to focusing on providing continuity and patient care through the changes that happen around and with them.

Victoria: please can you tell us about your key note speech; what key messages did you aim to get across?

Andy: I was keen that staff recognise that we all face circumstances outside our control, but focusing on things you can shape and influence is important. If you set yourself a dream that is important enough to you then its power will pull you through – that was my key message.

Victoria: Challenge 66 was an amazing achievement; what did you learn from your experience about learning to set and achieve your goals?

Andy:  the biggest lesson learnt for me was recognising  the importance of being pulled by the power of your dreams rather than being pushed by your circumstances. This is how I got through pain and injury to achieve my goal. But it applies in all aspects of my life, from massive goals through to much smaller day-to-day ones.

When I began rebalancing my life after changing direction from the corporate world, I knew I had to focus on my health and fitness. In August 2005 I decided I was going to enter a race called the Marathon des Sables, a distance of 153 miles, or 5½ marathons across the Sahara Desert in 6 days,  and I secured a place for march 2007.

I joined Wetherby Road Runners club on 4 Jan 2006 and I remember that night well. At that point I couldn’t run five miles without stopping.  I used to make all sorts of excuses. I said I had stitch when I didn’t have. I’d bend down to tie a shoe lace which wasn’t undone. I was unfit and I felt sorry for myself. Driving home on that first night I felt proud of myself for taking the first steps as well as daunted and excited about the task ahead of me,  to cross the finish line. I achieved my goal just over a year later.

Victoria: how important was support from others in achieving your Challenge 66 goal?

Andy: a lot of people thought and told me I couldn’t succeed in the challenge I set for myself. Lots of people questioned me. I think they didn’t believe they could do it and didn’t see me as being any better than them. I wonder if they put it down to arrogance on my part. There were also people around me who supported me all the way. You need those people around you. It is so important to hear from other people’s wisdom rather than just your own experience because that’s the way you extend your knowledge. Reaching out to other people and looking for reassurance and encouragement is critical.

Victoria: how do you set a good goal?

Andy: I know when I’ve set a goal that really means something to me when I really connect to it. When I experience that tickle of adrenalin it is almost like a small electric shock – that’s when I know I’ve been bitten by the bug.  You know it’s in your grasp if you can imagine yourself achieving it. My rule of thumb is that you should never let go of a goal that pops into your mind at least once a day. My top tips for setting goals are very simple – take small steps and build towards your goal incrementally.  Write your goals down and put a date on them. Make your goal specific and frame it positively. If you have a set-back - reflect and recuperate, focus on what you did well and re-set your goal.

Victoria: can lessons from coaching apply to a clinical role?

Andy: I think the role of the coach and the clinician can be similar in many ways.  As a coach I work with people who often have low expectations about what they can achieve. Through coaching I can help them think beyond what they thought was possible. I can help them develop a sense of belief, walk alongside them and help them to build up their confidence.  From chatting to allied health professionals at the conference, this is what they do day-in-day-out.  Staff can help people they support find their inspiration or even be that source of inspiration themselves.

Victoria: what was your reason for becoming an ambassador for our campaign?

Andy: I love the idea of helping people develop belief in themselves and  seeing them take those first steps. I’m keen to share these messages with people doing the excellent work that takes place in the NHS and to reach people who may face disadvantage because of mental health issues or a learning disability.

Victoria: what’s next for you?

Andy: I don’t have any big challenges on the scale of Challenge 66 on my agenda. I’m currently training for the three peaks challenge to raise money for Simon on the Streets. I’m also writing a book and am doing my coaching work.

Victoria: what’s one final message you’d like to share with our members?

Andy: it’s never a sign of weakness to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength because you know your limit, and we all need to start somewhere!

Ready, set, launch!

Well the big day has finally arrived. Today marked the launch event of our What's your Goal campaign here in Leeds. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day. The sun was shining, families were out in force and the What's your Goal team were ready and raring to go! 

Our launch event took place in Millennium Square on the Ice Rink. We had two stalls available. The What’s your Goal campaign stall had information for people to find out more about the campaign,  goal setting cards and bunting making! We were joined by the lovely Leeds Lets Change team at NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds.

David Stone, Paralympic Champion and Ambassador for the campaign came along to mark the launch event. He spoke to passersby and encouraged people to set their goal. David is pictured below with Buddy, the Trust Mascot and Stuart from Community Ventures. 

Community Ventures have been extremely supportive of our campaign and very kindly provided us with the sponsorship for today’s event. Huge thank you to Community Ventures!!

Thank you to everyone that entered our What’s your Goal competition (for a chance to win tickets for today’s event). It was brilliant to meet so many of our members today as they helped us celebrate the launch event on ice. There will be lots of other opportunities for you to get involved in activities we are organising, so keep your eyes peeled!

I have included a picture of the What’s your Goal team on ice. We all had great fun. That’s me, third on the right with the hamster cheeks and cheesy grin. Ice skating is a great way to get active and have lots of fun. Apparently in a 40 minute sesh you burn over 300 calories! For me exercise is all about having fun and socialising at the same time. At the Ice Cube in Millennium Sq you can have time for plenty of both. There is also some funky music to really help you get into it. If you like to have fun while exercising, I would definitely recommend trying ice skating out for size. The ice skating rink in Leeds will be open until Sunday 26 Feb and is just £7 for adults and £5 for kids (it’s even cheaper if you have a BreezeCard). It is definitely worth a check out. 

I have set my goals and made my pieces of bunting (although as one of the campaign organisers I think I may end up having more than two goals)....  

1. My first goal is to complete the Race for Life. This is something very close to my heart and something that I am hoping is achievable.

2. My second goal is to organise and complete a Zumbathon. I would be very grateful for some support with this. If you think you can wiggle and shake for 3 hours solid please do get in touch: gemma.wharton@nhs.net Dani our Zumba queen is heading up the event which will take place at the end of April.

Please, please don't forget to take the time out and set your goal. Go to www.whatsyourgoal.org.uk to find out how.

That’s all from me for now. We will be sure to update you again soon.

Gemma x

Why 'What's your Goal?'...

The simple purpose of our 2012 What’s your Goal? campaign is to reduce stigma, by getting people talking about mental health and wellbeing – something important to people who use our services and to us as providers of care. We’re doing this through a positive message about the benefits of setting goals for our wellbeing – something we hope that everyone can relate to and be happy to talk about and also very topical in the year of London 2012.

We’ve found that people are often reticent to talk about mental health. That’s why we employ different tactics to give them an excuse to come over and get chatting. During 2012 we are asking people to set a goal and then represent it on a piece of bunting. We hope the fact that they are contributing to a world record attempt (for the longest piece of bunting) will be an additional draw and we’ve already had lots of interest from all sorts of community groups who want to get involved. We’ll be providing packs to craft groups, schools, clubs and many more so they can contribute.  We’ll be giving them facts and figures about mental health for them to discuss whilst they are being creative.

Our Trust strategy has recovery principles at its core – hope and optimism for the future and enabling people to set their own goals and take control of their lives. That’s why we also want to support people who use our services to set their own goals and contribute to our world record breaking challenge. We’re recruiting volunteers to visit groups, and other spaces where people who use our services congregate, to talk about the campaign and help them set goals. If you’d like us organise a session with your service then please do get in touch.

Our campaign is a purposeful and meaningful way to recruit members and to keep them involved and interested in our work. We survey our members once a year to find out their opinions about mental health stigma and we hope to see attitudes improve over time.

We deliver our campaigns through a small in-house resource, lots of in-kind support and sponsorship. We’re delighted that Hobbycraft are supporting us with free bunting material throughout the year. Community Ventures are kindly sponsoring our launch event.

This year, in partnership with the Healthy Living Service, we’re also fundraising for equipment and resources that we can use to help people who use our services be physically active.

If you’d like to find out more about the campaign, get involved either individually or as a service, we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s a link to more campaign information and a regular blog on our website: www.whatsyourgoal.org.uk

Whats the campaign all about?...

What’s your Goal? What’s the campaign all about?

Our 2012 What’s your Goal? campaign is all about reducing mental health stigma by getting people talking. We’re continually searching for ways to make our member* recruitment meaningful by influencing attitudes and behaviours of people we come in contact with. We hope that by getting people talking, we will improve the experience and outcomes of people using our services, by making Leeds a better place to live. It’s really that simple.

By having an annual campaign, we hope to find fresh ways to get people thinking, talking and coming together. What’s your Goal? is inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games – we know everyone’s going to be talking about them and we want help people make the connections between setting aspirations/goals and sporting achievement with positive mental health and wellbeing.

So what ideas underpin our campaign? There’s quite a bit of evidence that setting goals is good for our wellbeing. Writing down a goal means we’re much more likely to achieve it. Achieving a goal is good for our self-esteem. Looking after our physical health is good for our mental health. Exercise has positive benefits for people experiencing mental distress. Lastly, coming together to work towards a common goal is good for all of us.

We hope to raise awareness by sharing information, stories and directing people to local resources. We’ll be organising and participating in lots of events throughout the year where we’ll encourage people to set a personal goal. We’ll be asking people to represent their goal on a piece of bunting. We’ll then connect all the individual bunting-goals into one enormous (hopefully!) record-breaking piece of bunting. We love the idea that each individual goal will be an integral part of an overall goal – bringing lots of different people at different events together for a common purpose – in this way we want to hit the wellbeing jackpot! And we hope to recruit some members along the way, so we can keep you in touch with our campaigns and increase the influence of local people in the future direction of our NHS Trust.

The campaign is organised by our communication and engagement team. We’re so keen that we’re all setting goals for ourselves to raise money for physical exercise equipment for people who use our services. We’ll be doing this through a sponsored run, zumbathon, football tournament, sponsored walks and cycle. Who knows what else we’ll cook up during the year. If you want to get involved then we’d love to hear from you.

Keith Woodhouse (one of our non-executive directors) has set himself a massive goal to undertake a sponsored climb up the highest mountain in the Americas. You can find his blog here and his just giving page here We’re massively grateful for his support.

If you’d like to get involved, or find out more, then please do get in touch. You can reach our team on ftmembership.lpft@nhs.net

Watch this space for more blogs from the team throughout the year.

Victoria

*As a Foundation Trust, we are part of the NHS as well as being a public benefit corporation. This means that people can become members of our organisation who are eligible to stand to be a governor and/or vote for who becomes a governor. Governors have an important role in setting the future direction of our organisation and are made up of people who use our services, care for people who use our services, staff and the general public with an interest in our Trust.