Book Nook: Your Goal Guide - A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals

Author and goal coach Debra Eckerling says, "July is the new January." It can be a great time to reset New Year's Resolutions. She's the author of a book I got to review, Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals. 

It's a book that starts with a  little different concept - instead of starting by telling readers how to achieve goals, the book helps readers figure out what they actually want, in order to create a plan to get there.

Part 1 of the book goes through Eckerling’s brainstorming and task-based system, the D*E*B METHOD®. DEB stands for Determine Your Mission, Explore Your Options, Brainstorm Your Path. It gives readers exercises, tools, and examples to hone in on their new destination, whether it’s related to their career, business, expertise, or work-life balance. 

Part 2 of Your Goal Guide is filled with strategies for success, which range from staying motivated and productive to dealing with roadblocks and sidetracks.

Part 3 has a variety of websites and communities to support readers on their journey. This includes recommended expert resources, as well as Eckerling's dedicated Your Goal Guide Facebook group, her weekly #GoalChat Twitter chat on Sundays, and #GoalChatLive each Monday on Facebook.

All three parts are helpful and well-written, applicable to many of the common setbacks, and able to be adjusted for nearly any goal.

I had a chance to interview Debra to learn more.

What sets this book apart from other goal-setting and self-improvement books?

Your Goal Guide is unique in that it starts with the crucial first step: helping readers figure out what it is they actually want, so they can set the right goals and put a plan in place. 

The first part of Your Goal Guide takes readers through a combination of writing exercises and systems designed to help them hone in on their ultimate goal - I call it #GoalTopia - along with long-term and short-term professional and/or personal goals. The book is also filled with strategies for success, as well as examples, worksheets, and resources for even more support.

 

What really sets my book apart is its user-friendly tone. I've been told that Your Goal Guide is like a coach in a book, which was my intention. Christina Kettman, one of my Amazon reviewers, captured it: "The entire book is written in an approachable, methodic and kind-hearted voice that makes you feel like Debra is right next to you, encouraging you in your progress."  

How did you create the D*E*B METHOD®?

I have been coaching, speaking, and leading goal-setting and productivity groups - live and online - for many years, along with communications work, writing, editing, etc. In Spring 2018, when I found out my anchor client no longer needed my services, I took it as an omen that it was time to fully embrace my passion for helping people with their goals. 

In exploring my next steps, I realized my name was the perfect way to illustrate my goal-setting system. It represented everything I had been teaching for years.

So, I Determined My Mission, Explored My Options, and Brainstormed My Path. I launched a new website, set up my new social media platforms, and renamed my workshops. 

I was all set to self-publish The D*E*B Method, when I met an agent who suggested I try to go mainstream. My book proposal found its way to Brenda Knight at Mango Publishing toward the end of 2018 and, a little over a year later (January 2020), Your Goal Guide was released. 

 

What has been one of your most ambitious goals?

My big, ambitious goal is to become the go-to expert for goal-setting and productivity. 

Debra Eckerling is the author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD®. A communications specialist and project catalyst, she works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. Eckerling is also the founder of Write On Online, a website and community for writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, as well as host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat (Sundays at 7pm PT), and #GoalChat Live (Mondays at 4pm on the Mango Publishing Facebook Page). She has been featured in Fast Company, Thrive Global, Psych Central, Dotto Tech, Up Journey, CEO Blog Nation, and more.