WHY DO WE NEED GOALS?
Goals give you direction in all areas of your life Personal,
Career, Spiritual, Material, and Contribution. Goals give you a
purpose in life. A reason to get up early in the morning and go to
bed late at night. Goals will put drive and passion into your
life.
Not having goals is similar to sailing a ship across the
Atlantic without a map. Goals, like maps, help you get to your
destination much faster than sailing though life aimlessly.
HOW DO I SET GOALS?
First you must dream! Dream of everything you want, and have
always wanted in every facet of your life. There are no limits.
Ask yourself, “What would I attempt to do, if I knew I could
not fail?” “What would I want for my life if I knew I could have
it?”
Allow yourself to dream like you did as a child. Let your
imagination run wild! Brainstorm. Write your ideas down on paper
and decide which ones are the most important to you.
Now its is time to define your dream precisely. Which of these
goals are most important to you, and why? On a fresh piece of
paper, write down one goal at a time. Beside the heading, write
down a deadline for achieving that goal. Be sure that the deadline
is realistic.
To help achieve the long term goal, set a time line using short
term goals. For example, if your long term personal goal is to
loose 60 lbs. in one year, set short term goals leading up to the
long term goal. In this example you might set short term goal to
loose 5 lbs. per month. This is an effective way to evaluating
your progress helping you to determine if you have to make changes
to your action plan.
THE SECRETS OF ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS
1. Make your goals inspirational.
You need to set goals grand enough to challenge yourself. Remember
that if you don’t have to push yourself beyond your current limits
to reach your goals, you’re not really achieving anything. To
truly be successful, and reach your true potential, you must
constantly push yourself to move outside of your "comfort zone”.
2. Define your goals with clarity.
Be precise in what you want. The more clearly defined your goal
is, the easier it will be to attain. For example, let’s say you
want to buy a house. To say you want to buy a house is not enough.
To find a house you’ll really be happy with, you have to specify
exactly what you want. Do you want to live in the country or the
city? Do you want a two story or a bungalow? Do you want a brick
house or a wood house? How many square feet do you want? Do you
want a pool? How much can you afford? As you can see there are
many questions to ask. The more questions you ask yourself, and
are able to answer, the clearer your goal will be. Once you know
the exact outcome you want, you will be able to create an action
plan that will ensure your success.
3. Write a paragraph.
Write a paragraph or two describing exactly why you absolutely
must attain your goal. Write down all the reasons why you are
committed to attain your goal. Feel the emotion stir up inside of
you. Feel the passion and drive. This will bring the goal to life!
How would you feel one year from now if you were to attain all
your goals? How would that make you feel about yourself? Would
your feel proud? Would your self-esteem be increased? Would you
feel unstoppable? Would you feel more confident in your ability?
What results would you get from reaching your goals? Would you
have greater job security? Would you be up for a promotion? Would
you be earning more money? Would your family and friends be proud
of you? How would that make you feel?
4. Write another paragraph!
This paragraph or two should explain what will happen if you don’t
attain your goal. How will you feel? What will happen to your
lifestyle? Will you be embarrassed? Will you loose self-esteem?
Will you loose your job? The more emotion you can put behind the
reasons why you must succeed and why you must not fail, the more
committed to attaining your goals you will become.
5. Constantly evaluate your progress.
Having an action plan is not enough. The captain in the previous
example will have to constantly evaluate his progress in order to
be sure he is on target. Unforeseen obstacles are sure to arise,
such as a hailstorm, or increased southerly winds. As a result, he
may have to increase his speed or guide the boat in a more
westerly direction. In other words, notice what is working and
what is not. If an approach is not working, don’t waste your time
with it. Change your approach.
6. Never lose sight of your goal.
Take the time to review your goals every morning when you get up
and every night before you go to bed. This will keep them fresh in
your mind. If you think reviewing your goals twice a day is too
much to ask, maybe you should reevaluate what it is you want. Ask
yourself, “How important is it to me that I attain my goals?”
7. Don’t procrastinate.
Procrastination is a “silent killer”. Understand that the only way
to achieve your goals is to take action! Knowledge means nothing
if you don’t apply it. How many people have you come across with
an unbelievable amount of education working a mediocre job? The
world is full of people who don’t apply their knowledge. On the
other hand, chances are you know of people with less educational
background who apply everything they learn. These people are
usually the ones who are most successful in all areas of their
lives.
Do something right now that will help you to achieve your
goals. There is no time like the present! Get the ball rolling.
Each step you take brings you one step closer to the life you
want. Remember the motto, “The road to Someday, leads to the town
of Nowhere”. Someday is today!
THE BENEFITS OF GOAL SETTING
You will notice an increase in your energy level as you begin to
live your life with passion – the passion that having a meaningful
goal will give you. You will be in control of your life and the
direction you are heading. Your life does not have to be
determined by fate alone. With goals, you create your destiny.
Goals give you a purpose in life. A reason to get up early and go
to bed late.
EVIDENCE
The following are examples of individuals who have achieved their
goals. How has it changed their lives and possibly the lives of
others?
Mother Teresa
Nelson Mandella
Michael Jordan
Mark McGwire
What goals have you achieved that have changed your life, and
possibly the lives of others? Maybe it was,
Education
Relationship
New car
Job interview
Weight loss
Exercise program
Everything you do is a cause set in motion. No matter how small
the act may seem, it will ultimately have an effect on your life.
OBSERVATIONS
You will soon notice your mind will become a magnet for attracting
any information or opportunity that can help you achieve your
goals more rapidly. For example, have you ever played the game,
“Punch Buggy?” If not, it goes something like this. When driving
in a car with a friend, the first person to see a Volkswagen "Bug”
gets to punch the other person in the shoulder while exclaiming
the color of the car “Punch Buggy Red”! Once you begin playing
this game, you will be surprised to find how quickly your arm
becomes sore! That’s right, all of a sudden you will become a
magnet for Volkswagen “Bugs”! Everywhere you look, you will see
one.
The same thing is true of your goals. When you know exactly
what you are looking for, it will mysteriously present itself.
This is based on the phenomenon that You Get What You Focus On.
Remember to “enjoy the ride. This is the key to a successful
life. There is little point in only allowing yourself to enjoy
life at the point of achieving a goal. If that were the case,
think of all the time that would be spent not fully enjoying your
life. Learn to happily achieve rather than achieving to be happy.
After all, whether you are conscious of it or not, the majority of
your time is spent striving to achieve goals. Such as, getting up
in the morning, getting to work on time, making time to see a
friend of loved one, and so on. Although these “goals” are pretty
exciting, let’s not forget the big ones. The ones we create with
passion and drive. The goals that can truly change our lives if we
commit to pursuing them.
SUMMARY If you are
dissatisfied with some aspect of your life, get excited. All it
means is you now what you don’t want. Now its is time to determine
exactly what you do want. Clarify exactly what it is you want and
create a time frame for getting it. Write one or two paragraphs
why you must attain your goals and one or two paragraphs why you
must not fail to attain your goals. Keep a close eye on your
progress. If what you are doing is not working, change your
approach. Review your goals twice daily. This will keep you
focused.
The time to change your life is now. Not tomorrow, not the next
day. Take time to invest in the future you want. You have the
power to create your own destiny! **
Are
Your Goals Holding You Back?
The
SMARTEST Goal Setting Techniques
The
Top 10 Best Ideas For Setting Goals
