Posts Tagged ‘goal-setting articles’
Make Your Dreams Reachable
All too often, we may be envisioning a level of success, which is far beyond what we can realistically accept and thus fall short of full manifestation. However, if we can envision a period of time in which our success can gradually increase, quite often our subconscious can more easily accept it. However, allowing ourselves to get comfortably accustomed to a steadily increasing flow of abundance in our lives tends to stabilize it for us.
We’ve all heard stories about people who won the lottery and promptly lose it. This is a problem with acceptance. Simply, it was too much, too fast. It is far rarer to hear of someone who steadily and consistently increases his or her income losing it.
Because the subconscious mind has time to grow familiar with the experience of steadily increasing abundance, there is no need to sabotage the process. Another problem is the subconscious mind’s “believability factor.” It is far easier for the subconscious to swallow this new approach to success a small piece at a time. Allowing the process to occur in simple steps permits the Universe to cooperate solidly, with substance. This is because the subconscious can grasp the change more solidly and with greater substance.
Being gentle with yourself in your success work is very important in gaining success. Doing violence to your own inner logic accomplishes nothing. Stretch yourself of course, but allow it to be a natural growth process.
About The Author
Janet K. Ilacqua is a freelance writer based in Tracy, California. She specializes in academic writing and ghostwriting of books and manuals for individuals and small businesses. For more information about her services, check her website at http://www.writeupondemand.com.
7 Effective Ways To Set Your Goals In Motion Today
1. Stop seeking approval from people.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to fulfill your dream. Trust yourself and give yourself permission to succeed. Having support from people whose opinion you value is a wonderful thing but it should not be the criterion for whether you begin acting on fulfilling your goals or not
If you really desire to turn your idea into reality, constantly floating it around and seeking the approval of people will waste your time and kill your dream. What will happen to your idea if you don’t get the approval of those whose permission you so desperately need? Nothing!
2. Don’t wait for perfection.
Waiting for a time when everything is perfect and in place will cause you to lose your enthusiasm and abandon your goal. Conditions may never be as perfect as you desire. You may never have all the money, time, or knowledge you desire to begin working on your goals.
You must take risks, learn and improve as you go along and then watch as everything begins to fall in place. If you have to wait for the perfect time to begin working on your goals?you will be waiting a long time!
3. Create time for the goal.
Many people have dreams, ideas or goals, which remain unfulfilled because they are too busy doing everything else but work on the goal! If you have a goal to accomplish, you must be ready to invest your time, and resources to ensure that it succeeds.
Making excuses about lacking the time to work on goals that are important to you is a procrastination tactic, which will kill your dream before it has a chance to see the light of day. There is always time to work on what we love and consider important. Create that time and see your dreams begin to unfold!
4. Decide once and for all!
The process of goal accomplishment, like most things in life begins with a decision. You decide what you want to achieve and then you plan how you intend to achieve it.
If accomplishing your goal is important to you, your inability to make crucial decisions about what you should do, how you should do it and when you should do it, will waste your time and choke your dream. Make up your mind and stop second-guessing yourself. When your mind is made up?nothing can stop you from making progress with fulfilling your goals.
5. Be bold and take the initiative.
Be bold! You are the one in charge of turning your dreams to reality. You need to be proactive and actively involved in the process of working on your goals to ensure you achieve them.
Just because you have shared your ideas with others does not necessarily mean that you are no longer responsible for turning them to reality. Don’t sit around waiting for others to make suggestions and guide your idea to reality. Don’t leave your dream entirely in the hands of others. Nobody cares about your dream like you do.
6. Invest in your dream.
No idea is self-funding. Don’t be deceived into thinking that people will invest or finance your idea just because it is brilliant. If you are lucky, someone may invest in it, but if you are not, you will have to invest your time, energy and finances towards activities that will fortify and fulfill your dream.
You may have to invest in the acquisition of knowledge or expertise that will help you achieve your goals. It would be a good idea to keep some money stashed away to finance your goal.
7. Do one thing at a time.
Commit yourself only to projects and activities which are connected to your main goal. Whatever you do should directly or indirectly add up to a move toward your main goal. Failure to do this will confuse, overwhelm, sidetrack, and drain your energy.
To get started on achieving your goals, you need to plan for it and make it a priority. If you keep crowding and cluttering your life with what does not matter, you many never, ever accomplish your goals.
Remember that you can’t do all things, but you can do one thing!
About The Author
Caroline Jalango is a life coach for unstoppable women who are willing to step up to the plate and take a shot at living exceptional lives wherever they are. www.motivationzone.com
How To Keep Your Resolutions and Reach Your Goals
Another year has flown by and here you are at the beginning of another year. This is a time when many people assess their life and make “new year resolutions” or set goals for the New Year. Sometimes they are the exact same resolutions as last year!! Did you make some of these?
I will:
* Lose weight, get into shape, and exercise more
* Spend more time with my family
* Stress less & relax more
* Get more sleep
* Save money
* Change jobs
* Be happy
If any of these resolutions sound familiar this is because these are some of the most popular resolutions made each year according to “How To Keep Your New Years Resolution.com”
The Oxford Dictionary definition of resolution is to decide firmly or have great determination, but most people are lucky if their resolution is kept until the end of their holidays. It’s no wonder many people find themselves making the exact same resolutions the next year. So how can you be successful in sticking to a resolution or successfully achieve any goal?
FIRSTLY…work on one thing at a time. Goals or resolutions involve change and sometimes it’s easier to give up and sink back into our old life patterns than stick to change. So only do one thing at a time or you may be tempted to give up!
SECONDLY…PLAN..PLAN..PLAN..you’ve heard the saying “People who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Think about your goal. WRITE IT DOWN!!!! Put it where you will see it everyday. Set a start date. Develop a strategy. Write a list of points to help you reach your goal-break it down into manageable pieces and tackle it one piece at a time.
THIRDLY…Prepare for those obstacles that you know will come up. You know what I mean-if you have decided to lose 10kg you know someone will bring a chocolate cake to work on the first day of your diet. So think about what obstacles will come up and a plan to tackle each one. If you slip up-don’t let this make you totally give up. See it as one step back among all the steps you have taken and will take forward!!!! Remember to reward yourself for every step forward you do take-this will keep you in action and motivated.
LASTLY……GET SUPPORT…this is a must. It’s much easier to stay in action if you feel supported and also accountable to someone. You could buddy up with a friend or relative (as long as you are definitely sure they will support you). Or for unbiased support chose a Personal Life Coach to keep you motivated and in action.
Lisa Branigan specialises in coaching women who are stressed, tired and overwhelmed with their busy lives. Lisa is the author of “Life Solutions” a free monthly e-zine providing tips, advice and information on self-care and wellbeing.
For further information:
Phone: +61 89757 3750 or 0439 828 594
Website: http://www.quantumcoaching.com.au Email: lisa@quantumcoaching.com.au
Goal Setting – The Facts Behind The Fiction
To have hopes and dreams for the future is a wonderful idea. If you want to call them ‘goals’ that’s fine also but do learn to get things in perspective. They are NOT achieved in the way you have been led to believe.
The much talked about conscious mind, subconscious mind, the will, belief patterns, etc. are simply descriptions of mental procedures and do not exist in isolation, as many people believe.
They are all part of the same ‘mental cooperative’.
Ah, there lies the rub!
The moment you set a goal you instantly cause an ‘inner conflict’ to take place between various departments of this mental cooperative.
This is unavoidable due to the way we were brought up, our parents, how we were educated, where we grew up, our religious beliefs or lack of them. The list is almost endless.
All these factors make up our core beliefs. These beliefs give rise to our very own particular and personal creative patterns of thought which dictate our own individual realities which, in turn, give life to our very own set of ‘Living Laws’.
‘Living Laws’ means laws that we follow, in other words, adhered to, for the sake of leading a ‘normal’ acceptable life. But it also means that they have a life of their own and can be changed, amended or completely abolished to make way for new ones.
Each one of us has a set of these laws. Some of the laws you live by are similar to other people’s but never 100% – that’s what makes us individuals.
Sure, we are all human beings – but we are NOT the same. We are all different, albeit only slightly, but we all differ.
The inner conflict arises when what I call ‘The Judge’ evaluates, compares and checks out your goal to see if it is valid. That is to say, if it complies with your current set of internal laws.
When your goal is found to be contravening these laws, for whatever reason, and reasons you are very rarely aware of, it is immediately and unceremoniously overruled and thrown out of court with no hope of appeal.
The secret to achieving our goals, therefore, is to cause a new creative pattern of thought and thereby amend our current set of Living Laws.
We must become an active and willing member of the cooperate. We must, in fact, cooperate with the cooperative!
The modern day idea that you can use visualization techniques or repeat endless affirmations in order to change these laws and therefore The Judge’s mind is totally erroneous – it will not make the slightest difference.
This is totally misguided thinking.
Sure, after many years of constant repetition of your affirmations/visualizations you may eventually get some reaction from The Judge even if it takes a lifetime, that’s if they don’t lock you away in a funny farm first!
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Meme machines
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Before we go any further let’s just take a look at these beliefs and where they come from and see why they are so darn difficult to change.
It’s all very well being told to change our beliefs and we will change our lives but just how do we do it?
We know from experience that simple visualization doesn’t work, nor do affirmations or anything else for that matter. So, what’s the answer?
The DNA of beliefs are MEMES (pronounced as in cream). Memes are a relatively new discovery and seldom, if ever, talked about in books or courses about personal success and achievement.
Why? If memes are the very foundation of our personality why are they never mentioned?
The main reason is that few people actually understand how they work or the significance they have in our everyday lives.
The dictionary defines a meme as “a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another”
Memes have been likened to viruses and the comparison is indeed very apt. The Oxford zoologist Richard Dawkins defines memes as a set of ideas that can replicate itself like a virus and spread from one brain to another.
For example, it took only 300 years for the meme of Christianity to overrun the Roman Empire and less than 130 years for the meme of communism to “infect” 1.8 billion people across the face of the Earth.
So you can imagine that memes such as: “life’s a constant struggle”, “there ain’t no free meals in this life”, “money doesn’t grow on trees” etc. etc. and all that these silly memes represent (that life is not easy and you have to constantly struggle to make ends meet) have had many generations to set up home in our psyches and become part of our everyday lives. Besides, it’s got to be true ? our parents said so!
Memes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are relatively innocent, such as the ‘hula-hoop meme’, ‘the pet rock meme’ and ‘music memes’ normally associated with a particular race or creed.
But some are extremely dangerous and far from innocent.
I don’t wish to enter into the religio-political arena, so, suffice it to say that the ‘religion memes’ and the ‘political memes’ are particularly virulent and in some cases deadly!
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Paradigms
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Memes then form what are known as PARADIGMS.
A paradigm is “a set of assumptions, concepts, values and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.”
We must be very clear on the understanding of the power of paradigms and how they affect us in order be able to exercise our right of free choice.
For, whatever paradigms we choose to accept determine the form or our perceptions, which in turn shape our decisions, actions, experiences, social systems, worlds and futures.
If you don’t understand just how much of a grip paradigms have on your life and shaping your experiences then you will be under the impression that you and the world are set in stone and there’s nothing you can ever do to change that.
Ian S.N. Randall
Author of Accelerated Goal Manifestation
http://www.tinyurl.com/6zbsf
One Life to Live
Nothing stops us. Well, almost nothing. Although we do live in a world that whirls at breakneck speed, there are a few things that will stop us in our tracks. When tragedy strikes, our attentions are diverted from our normal hustle and bustle to the turmoil at hand. The perfect example of this is, of course, the world’s reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the events following it.
As we witness catastrophic events unfold around us, our own mortality becomes evident. In reaction to this, we vow to devote more time to the “important things” in life and do less quibbling about the “small stuff”
Post any tragedy, we are thankful for life’s blessings. People often attend church services more, spend more time with their families and are just nicer to one another in general.
But Time changes everything and these newfound priorities have a way of being forgotten. It’s much easier to slip back into the comfort of our old habits that it is to face the harsh reality of life and our own mortality.
To effectively reach your goals, your drive and vision must come from within. When it comes from outside sources, it may be ineffective long-term. According to John Donoghue, performance psychologist coach, “Motivation is only a temporary emotive action which usually has no real lasting effort nor does it make permanent changes.”
In order to be truly successful in achieving goals, we must give ourselves a critical assessment and work to continually improve ourselves. “A person’s performance and behavior will always be consistent with the picture they hold of themselves, i.e. their ’self-image’,” says Donoghue.
And since nothing can improve our self-image like reaching goals, being successful can lead to more success. We are our own best coaches and motivators, and when the will to win comes from within, almost nothing can stop us.
In setting and striving for goals, there are many things we can do to help ensure success. One is to use the “SMARTER” approach to achieve your goals:
Specific: Is your goal specific enough to move toward?
Measurable: Is your goal tangible enough to measure?
Attainable: Is this goal possible for you at this point in time?
Relevant: Is your goal tied to what is most important?
Trackable: Can you chart your progress for this goal?
Elasticity: Are you and your goal flexible enough?
Rememberable: Will reaching your goal be a celebratory event?
Vera Haitayan, Principal Consultant of The Leadership Laboratory., a California-based employee development and process improvement consulting firm and is the senior editor of The Stepping Stone Newsletter featuring leadership and process improvement best practices. http://www.1leadershiplab.com mailto: vera@1leadershiplab.com
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
The Hasidic master, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach taught that on Passover night we are bringing our entire life stories to the Seder table to be freed. What exactly does this mean? To begin with, we are by nature, storytellers. Whether we are aware of it or not, we live in a world of stories. Stories that we tell our family, friends, coworkers, and clients. Stories we share over the phone, e-mail, in our journals and the stories that are constantly playing themselves out in our heads. Stories about what’s happening to those we love, stories about those we despise, stories that inspire the spirit, and stories that instill fear.
The sum and total of our life is that, from our birth until our death, we are walking stories, here upon the earth. Yet on Passover, it’s the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves that needs to be looked at and freed. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves have great power over us. Depending on how they are told, our life stories can either enlighten or mislead, inspire or discourage.
A good exercise for this Passover is to become more aware of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and our past. What are the underlying themes of our stories?
Victory? Betrayal? Struggle? Victimization? Each of us has had key events in our pasts, whether it be from our childhood, or more recent episodes of hurt and loss, where a part of us draws a reactionary conclusion about our life stories — even when the conclusions are terribly incorrect. Many perpetuate these stories and our immature understandings of them often make a further mess of our lives in the process – unless a reminder comes to wake us up and reorient our perspective. Our Hebrew Sages teach that Passover is such a reminder.
Passover is a reminder that we need not live in our Egypts forever. There is a G-d, a Higher Power, that has an invested interest in our Liberation. Our job comes in our willingness to understand, heal and ultimately elevate the stories we hold onto that are no longer working for us. After all, it does clearly state in the Haggadah, “In every generation a person is obligated to see themselves, as if they themselves left Egypt”. What are we doing to leave THIS year?
We can simply begin by looking at our life stories and revising parts of the script. Remember, it’s not what happened to us that’s important but what we make of those events.
The following suggestions are designed to help us tell our stories well this year:
Become a Sympathetic Narrator
When telling your story about yourself, to yourself, become a sympathetic narrator.
In literature, a sympathetic narrator is one who takes the side of the story’s protagonist or main character. For example, when the Torah introduces the life of King David, it includes his shortcomings, yet does not let it take away from his greatness. Similarly, we need to admit mistakes yet not obsess over them. A sympathetic narrator casts daily failures as learning experiences, painful yet helpful steps on the way to success.
Choose What You Want to Emphasize
Any honest reporter will tell you that all stories have a slant. It’s not that reporters try to mislead, it’s just that in choosing what to cover, some things are always left out or minimized in order to create a perspective. And that’s OK. Likewise, in our own stories of loss or pain, deciding what to highlight can bring about the difference between lingering bitterness and a sense of closure.
Seek the Higher Purpose
There is a core spiritual principle that our lives are divinely designed for each one of us to get exactly what we need to support our own soul’s unique evolutionary process. As the Baal Shem Tov taught, “You are exactly where you need to be”, which implies that we should not get too caught up in our internal struggles against what is, or what was, which will only lead to more pain and suffering. According to this spiritual belief, nothing in our world occurs by accident and there are no coincidences, only synchronicity. When reframing our life stories, attempt to see the “Hand of G-d” or the pattern of events that have led us to this moment. These patterns of connectedness or synchronicity are the magical language of the Divine in our lives. When rewriting our stories, seek to see beyond the circumstances and instead at the Divine Order of the unique paths that have chosen us.
As for the Life Story that still plays itself out today:
Work on the 20 Percent
While it is not commonly known, according to the Midrash, when Moses left Egypt, only 20 percent of the nation of Israel left with him. The other 80 percent remained behind, and did not succeed in taking the risk of leaving an imprisonment that was all too familiar to them. An interesting correlation is found in the meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery groups where the statistic is the same. It is known that only 20 percent of those in recovery will remain sober, the other 80 percent will inevitably relapse into old behavior as statistics have shown, because the life of addiction, no matter how painful and dark, is at least familiar.
Consequently, when we say we want to change our life stories, the important thing to remember is not whether we feel 100 percent confident and ready. The more realistic question to ask ourselves today is whether we still have a least 20 percent of ourselves that is strong enough to take the steps, and if we can agree to work on that 20 percent that is committed and willing. Passover asks us to at least look for that part, to find that part, and to work on that part, for it is there that we might find the secret of finding the life we want and deserve to live.
May this Passover be for all of us, the benchmark in time when we begin retelling our stories, but perhaps this time, in a slightly different way. May G-d release us this Passover from our pasts that we may be delivered to our future.
New Beginnings,
Rabbi Michael Ozair
Practical Exercise:
Write out three stories from any period of your life (no more than a page each) of something you did well, some problem you solved, and tell (yourself) how you did it.
About The Author
Rabbi Michael Ezra is a spiritual life coach, counselor and consultant. He can be reached at coach@kabbalahcoach.com or by visiting his site at www.Kabbalahcoach.com.
Goal Getting: 5 Steps to Get You There Quickly
One of the things that frustrated me while in school was that most of the psychology books specialized in complicating things. It’s the same with many self-help books as well. I always wondered why relationships, change and meeting goals couldn’t be made much more simple.
To that end, here are five simple steps to making goals attainable:
1. Write it down
We all carry around in our heads great ideas, intentions and goals. The problem is that is where they often remain – floating around in our heads, taking up space and never being acted upon, much less realized. If you really do want something to happen, write it down. In fact, the simple yet powerful act of writing down your goals automatically increases the chances of meeting them. This is because even the weakest ink is so much more powerful than the strongest memory.
Another advantage to writing down your goals is that you now have them in front of you. Reading your goals on a regular basis can motivate you and keep you on course each day. We all have full days with lots of distractions. Having your goals right in front of you allows you to focus on the activities that push you toward your goals and tune out the distractions.
2. Break it down
This is the first place people often get stuck. You’ve set some attractive goals. Then you look at how much has to be done and how distant the goal seems to be, and you stop there. Break down your goals before you break down.
Many of the things we do on a regular basis are broken down into smaller chunks. A week has seven days, a day has 24 hours, an hour has 60 minutes and so on. Even a pizza is cut into slices and then eaten a bite at a time. Take your goals and break them down into small, manageable pieces that can be handled one at a time, a day at a time, a week at a time, and so on.
3. Take small steps
Here’s the second spot where we tend to get stuck. Now that you have broken down your goals into manageable pieces, begin to take one small step at a time. As you begin to take and complete small steps, both your confidence and motivation will grow. Most people don’t begin. You begin.
4. Take the next step
This is the third spot where people tend to get off course. You get off to a good start and then fail to follow through. Ask yourself “now that I have accomplished this step, what’s the next step I need to take?” Then either take that step right away, or at least get started on it.
This builds your momentum and can carry you through to the completion of your goals.
5. Take one more step
This is sometimes called “going the extra mile,” and it’s the major difference between winners and champions. Winners take all of the steps listed above. Champions take an extra step, run one more block, lift one more weight, read one more page. When you don’t believe you can take one more step and then do, that’s when you become a champion.
So, here is what I’d like to invite you to do: Choose a goal you would like to accomplish, write it down, break it down, begin to take small steps, take the next steps and then take the extra steps.
Then enjoy what you have accomplished.
Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.
Goal Believing is the First Step to Goal Achieving
We’ve just gone from “the Holiday Season” to the “Goal Setting Season.” Each year, about the time we turn our calendars to a New Year, we hear a lot about goal setting (even though it is sometimes disguised as information about making your New Year’s Resolutions). While the research and polls show that most people don’t set goals, most everyone thinks about it at this time of the year.
It is a funny thing. People will say, “You really need goals.” But when you ask them what theirs are, they sheepishly reply, “I don’t have them, but everyone really should.”
There are many reasons why people don’t set goals. Some of the biggest reasons are:
? People don’t know how
? People have set them in the past but didn’t reach them
? People are afraid of failure
Of course setting goals is just an exercise that we know helps us achieve goals. So, while we all want to achieve goals, many of us don’t even set them.
The Real Objective
Think about it. Is goal setting really the objective? No. What we really want is goal achievement. Goal setting is a part of the recipe, so while we need to learn this skill, it is just part of your solution. The biggest missing ingredient in most people’s goal achievement recipe is faith, conviction, and lack of doubt. In other words, a deep seated, in the gut belief.
The fact is that most of us don’t achieve our goals (however clearly or vaguely they are set) because we don’t ultimately believe that we can reach the goal. That is why I believe the first step to successful goal achievement, regardless of your process or the steps you follow in setting your goals, is to absolutely believe that you can (will) accomplish it.
Driving a Ferrari doesn’t make you a race car driver. Having the best paints, canvas, brushes and easel doesn’t mean you will paint masterpieces. And having the best goal setting process won’t guarantee goal achievement either.
But belief will.
The Size of the Goal
Much is written about how big goals should be. They should always be big enough to stretch us ? how much we should stretch depends in large part on what we can believe. If I have a total conviction that I am capable of and will reach the larger goal, then it is fine. Because without belief, you won’t hit the goal, regardless of what it is.
David Schwartz wrote in The Magic of Thinking Big, “Believe Big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier — certainly no more difficult — than small ideas and small plans.”
It is a known fact that our beliefs become our reality. Most of us accept this as truth, but haven’t applied it to goal setting. Beliefs lead to actions which lead to results. If you believe, you will act in accordance. If you feel your belief wavering, act as if your belief was strong and your belief will become stronger.
So rather than starting with a goal setting process; start from a state of belief. Begin by thinking about things you want to achieve, and believe you can and will achieve. Then write them down, and follow the process or format of your choice.
Start with belief ? be it for your personal, family, financial, professional or business goals ? and you will have taken the most important step towards achieving your goals.
Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. Kevin publishes Unleash Your Potential, a free weekly ezine designed to provide ideas, tools, techniques and inspiration to enhance your professional skills. Go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp to learn more and subscribe.
Conquering Goals: The Battle Plan
“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.”(Anatole France) While these three items define success, without all of them success would be unattainable. Without a dream, you will be without desire and without desire, you will be without action. If you can unlock the dream, then you can unlock success and make your dream reality.
Take a look back across your life and at the difficult things that you have already accomplished. For some, finishing high school seemed impossible only to graduate from college. Others set out for a career and ended up owning their own business. No matter who you are, you have accomplished many things in your life. I venture to say that many of your accomplishments were at one time or another, a goal. Goals and dreams give hope and the ability to achieve things otherwise not realized. If you can institute the following keys into your daily routine, you can realize more goals and reach new heights of success. What are the keys and how do they work?
1. Identify the Goal
In order to achieve, you must set and accomplish goals. Goals give purpose and make us feel good about ourselves.
Think about the horse pulling a cart with the carrot dangling out in front. What purpose does the carrot serve? It’s the dream and the desire. When the horse wakes up each morning, I doubt that he is very excited about pulling a cart all around town. But add the carrot and we have created purpose and motivation. All day long the carrot hangs out in front and all day long the horse chases it. People laugh at the horse because of its simplicity. But during the first five minutes of the day the horse has identified the goal to get the carrot. At the end of the day, the horse is rewarded for its perseverance. While we all might laugh at this little analogy, what would happen if we inserted this horse mentality into our daily lives?
I agree that it isn’t that simple; however, do not make it harder than it has to be. There is a simple system to creating and accomplishing goals. You cannot just wish your goals; you need to install structure in your life for establishing goals and achieving your desired success.
First, goal statements need to be specific. Simply setting a goal to lose weight isn’t enough; being specific will allow you to better define the goal and create a stronger plan for success. “I would like to lose 10 pounds by June 1st” is a much stronger goal. This gives the goal more credibility and creates the need for a specific plan.
Next, your goals need to be achievable. Achievable does not mean easy. Goals should require you to move outside your comfort zone. Goals are meant to help us accomplish things, but do not make them impossible. Sometimes the accomplishments might be small and other times they might be great. But, each one should require you to elevate yourself in order to see through to the accomplishment. This stretching will make you stronger and build your confidence to achieve greater goals. When I think of this process, I visualize athletes pushing themselves and their bodies beyond where they have ever been. Why? In order to build larger and stronger muscles, the weight must be gradually increased. This weight increase in turn develops the muscles and new, higher levels of strength. Without the increase of weight, the muscles will not get stronger. I believe the same principle holds true in the setting and accomplishment of goals. Goals need to require more effort than the last, thus making you stronger.
Third, establish a deadline or date for accomplishment of your goal. The date can be just around the corner or somewhere in the distant future; setting any date is the important part. A date will allow you to keep your eyes looking forward and not looking back. The goal lies in the future; now let’s get after it!
Finally, make a list of your goals. Create a “Goal Contract” with yourself. Write down your goals, include all of the specifics and sign it. This further solidifies your commitment to the goal(s). Now, find a moment each day to review your goals. Make them part of your daily routine.
2. Create a Battle Plan for Success
I like to use the words “battle plan”, because accomplishing goals is not easy. Around every turn there will be obstacles. You will quickly recognize some obstacles and others will appear without warning, like an ambush. You may have control over the outcome or you may be reliant upon another for help. Either way, it is going to be a constant challenge for you to keep moving forward, even through the setbacks. The key to overcoming setbacks is to learn from what has happened and then alter or strengthen your battle plan. Mel Gibson said regarding his making of the Academy Award winning epic, Braveheart, “You have to go in with a plan. You can deviate from it, though — it’s just a jumping off point.”
As you are formulating your plan, ask yourself these questions: “What tools do I need to accomplish my goal(s)? What resources do I have at my disposal? How long do I have to accomplish my goal? Whose help might I need to realize success in my goal?” Answering these questions will help you think through what is needed to ensure success.
Another critical factor in your plan is other people. George Washington said it this way, “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” If you need support from others, be certain that they support and are in alliance with your goals. Surround yourself with strong supporters and let them become your battle warriors. Rely upon them to help and encourage you. It is unimaginable that you could achieve any goal without a few obstacles. Because of this possibility, you need to surround yourself with positive thinkers. The introduction of negative ideas or feelings into a situation can sabotage your plan. Cheer yourself on every day and surround yourself with others who do the same. Be your biggest fan. Support and motivate yourself with a positive attitude, even when you stumble. In John Maxwell’s book, “Think on These Things”, he offered a quote that resonates this type of positive thinking: “I am never down. I am either up or getting up!” What a positive image.
3. Charge into Action
Welcome to the battlefield! You’ve assessed your goals and created the battle plan. Now it is time to charge and get going. Often, goals are set with the best of intentions only to fail because they never get started. Inaction is an enemy of success. It will even seek to destroy the work that has already occurred.
In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Finding the great things in this world are not where we are standing, but is in what direction we are moving: to reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”
First, in either your personal or professional life, be courageous. Do not limit yourself or settle for being average. You were not created for ordinary, but for extraordinary. Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. In order to be above average, you must think and act above average. If you dream and accept mediocrity, you will always fall short of your true potential. Dream great things and move into action to accomplish them.
There are moments when you are offered opportunities to accomplish great things only to accomplish little because you fail to act upon the opportunity. Create your own success, seek greatness. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Beware of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance, go forward and give us victory.”
Next, be committed. Earlier you took the time to write down your goals and dreams. This was an exercise of commitment. Once you move into action, this exercise will need to expand. Keep your goals nearby, so as to never lose focus. Each day recite your dreams aloud. Move into action each day toward your dreams. Strive to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind.
Finally, you must also be critical. As you encounter opportunities, ask yourself how this will affect your goals. Will this lead you to success or move you farther from your goals? If they point towards success, accept their challenge. If they don’t, let them pass. Even meeting new people is an action exercise. Ask yourself, “Will this person support, encourage or push me to new heights or will they pull me away or hinder me from achieving my goals?” Charging into action is probably the most difficult step in this process. Be courageous, stay committed and be critical. When you have mastered these skills, hold on tight and prepare yourself for a wonderful ride!
4. Celebrate Victories both Large & Small
Celebration is the final key. Rewarding yourself gives you an opportunity to reflect upon your achievements and to celebrate the hard work required by the journey. Celebration is an important part in the goal process. It allows you to enjoy the fruits of your efforts and to express joy and fellowship with those who helped in your accomplishments. It provides a forum to share with others the self-satisfaction you have received from your success.
A common misconception is that celebration comes at the end of the journey. Says who? I challenge you to celebrate early and often. Recognize that some of your goals can be accomplished in a short time, while others might take years to accomplish. With long-term goals, the end is distant and thus you might become discouraged or bored with the goal. It’s very easy to get caught-up in the end-result and forget all of the small things you accomplished that were essential to the mission. Take time each day to celebrate your accomplishments.
I have heard my clients say, “I have not or cannot accomplish anything.” Nothing could be farther from the truth! The truth is that these persons have not seen the end goal, but have accomplished many things that have led them toward their goal. Certainly you need to stay focused on the ultimate goal, but don’t forget to celebrate the critical accomplishments along the way.
Try this great exercise: Create a celebration team and a weekly celebration list. This will help you more clearly recognize your progress and the reasons to celebrate. I am confident that you can find at least one thing each week to celebrate. Once you view the list, set aside some time to celebrate. You can celebrate alone or with friends. Develop an environment that allows for self and group celebration. Ask others if they would be on your celebration team, to support you and celebrate with you. Have fun with it!
In the end, it’s the accomplishment of goals and the achievement of dreams that will bring great joy to your life. Stay committed and focused, develop a plan, move into action and celebrate your success. With this powerful structure in place, you will amaze yourself and those around you with all that you accomplish. You can do it!
Copyright Anthony Mullins
Elite Coaching Alliance 2005
Anthony Mullins is the President and Life Coach for The Elite Coaching Alliance. He specializes in leadership, marriage, relationship and family,christian based coaching. He is the author of the upcoming e-book “Finding Fulfillment in and Unfulfilling World”. He can be reached by e-mail: anthony@elitecoachingalliance.com or by phone at 770.587.3545. Visit our new website http://www.elitecoachingalliance.com
