Setting big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs) are exciting. They make us dream of what is possible and then push us to achieve it. In June 2010, we asked some rockstar lululemon athletica employees to set (and write down) some BHAGs. As with any other goal, it’s a good idea to review your BHAGs on a regular basis. Sheena sat down with Matt, a member of our Leadership & Development team, to review her BHAG – let’s listen in:

Matt: Your BHAG of speaking fluent Italian, Spanish, and French by Oct 2014 is awesome! Tell me about your vision that this supports.

Sheena: Well, in 10 years, by Jan 2020, I will be the Director of International Business at lululemon athletica. I also want to set the intention of being able to connect and speak with our guests, ambassadors, and store neighbours directly to really build those authentic relationships – rather than having a translator.

Matt: Sounds like this BHAG is really aligned to your other goals. Was this your first time looking at your BHAG after you wrote it down?

Sheena: Actually no. I reviewed it earlier and wanted to take being fluent in Italian out because I knew it would be really hard. But BHAGs are intended to be hard and push you, so I just had to prioritize how I was going to tackle it.

Matt: So what’s your plan? How are you going to tackle this bad boy?

Sheena: I am going to master Spanish first, then take on French, and then Italian.

Matt: It’s good to start with something that helps build confidence in your ability to accomplish your BHAG. And by the time you hit Italian, you’ll be only one language away! Your goal will be so close to being accomplished! But, before we get too ahead of ourselves, how to plan on mastering Spanish?

Sheena: Believe it or not, I just registered for Spanish lessons at Point Grey Community Centre. I am doing the classes with a friend as well, so we can hold each other accountable.

Matt: Having someone to hold you accountable to your goals is key. To help you really understand the language, you may also consider teaching it to someone else. That could look like quizzing your friend before and after class, or teaching your colleagues a new word each week. Either of those can really help solidify your learning and help enroll others in supporting your goal.

Sheena: Does that mean you are ready to learn some Spanish then?

Matt: Si!

*high five*

Do you have a question around goal-setting that you'd like some guidance on? Visit the lululemon Facebook wall on Sept. 8th at 4 pm PST and ask Matt! Event details are here: http://www.facebook.com/askagoalcoacher.. Hope to see you on the wall!

It's the last day of Goal Week on lululemon. To end the week, we wanted to remind you that failing is part of the process. Here's Matt with more on why you should embrace your failures.

when failing is fun

One of the most common reasons why people don’t set goals is because they are scared of failing. However, this fear of failure, and failure itself, should be embraced rather than rejected. “Failing” is actually a really positive thing in setting and achieving your goals. Here are three helpful things I remind myself of when I sit down to set goals or when I am reviewing my goals:

1) Fear is an indicator that we are doing something remarkable.
Stepping out of our comfort zone means we are stretching ourselves; we are going after something we really want or something that will really impact our life. Focusing solely on the fear distracts us from the remarkable results our goals will bring about. Use that fear as a motivator rather than a detractor.

2) Failing sometimes takes you off a path you never really wanted to be on.
Sometimes we set goals towards things we don’t really want. Not achieving that goal allows us to evaluate what we were going towards, or how we were going about getting there. It could be the end goal that needs tweeking, or it could be the approach we were taking to tackle that goal.

3) Setting a goal and falling short, is still better than not trying at all.
Your life without goals will remain pretty static over time. Setting an inspiring goal will immediately set you on a path of trial and error towards something great. Bumps along the way are to be expected, so just keep holding on! When it comes time to look back and see what you’ve accomplished, you’ll be astounded to see how far you’ve come – whether you fell short of your goal or surpassed it by a mile. (I like to see this in graph form…)

Do you have a question around goal-setting that you'd like some guidance on? Visit the lululemon Facebook wall on Sept. 8th at 4 pm PST and ask Matt! Event details are here: http://www.facebook.com/askagoalcoacher. Hope to see you on the wall!

Setting big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs) are exciting. They make us dream of what is possible and then push us to achieve it. In June 2010, we asked some rockstar lululemon athletica employees to set (and write down) some BHAGs. As with any other goal, it’s a good idea to review your BHAGs on a regular basis. Ali sat down with Matt, a member of our Leadership & Development team, to review her BHAG – let’s listen in:

Matt: Tell me about your BHAG.

Ali: Well, it’s changed. I originally set it as owning an online eco-friendly urban gift basket store by January 2015. But when I knew we were meeting, I reviewed and changed it.

Matt: That’s perfect. Goals should always be reviewed and modified. So what is it now?

Ali: I will be a professional wrapper and own a wrapping business by January 2015. I will be the one to go to that is able to wrap anything. You want me to wrap up a car for you? I can do that!

Matt: So why the change? Is it more in line with your vision of where you’d like to be in 10 years?

Ali: I changed it because, when I was reviewing the goal, I realized what I really love to do is the wrapping of the gift baskets – not creating the mix of the consumable products in the basket itself. And it would still have an eco-friendly, philanthropic twist to it, obviously. This is also still in line with my vision. In five years I will start the business, and in 10 years I want to be a stay at home mom with the business on the side.

Matt: That’s great to hear the goal is still aligned to your 10 year vision and your true passion. When you revisit your goal and it doesn’t inspire you – you know it’s time to change it. So – what are you going to do next to help you achieve this goal?

Ali: I want to start small to test out the demand and my own capacity. I’m going to offer my great wrapping services to my colleagues during Christmas through our company newsletter – helping them to wrap Christmas and Secret Santa presents.

Matt: Nice! Let’s follow-up after Christmas to see if that experience helped reaffirm your BHAG or if it highlighted what may need to be altered.

*high five*

Do you have a question around goal-setting that you'd like some guidance on? Visit the lululemon Facebook wall on Sept. 8th at 4 pm PST and ask Matt! Event details are here: http://www.facebook.com/askagoalcoacher.. Hope to see you on the wall!