Goal Setting
One of the greatest keys to success, and an element common to nearly all successful people around the world, is that they all set goals. We all know that goals can really be a great help in making progress in life but most people have little idea of how to effectively set and use goals as a tool for achievment.
In this article we will discuss the process of setting goals step by step and also how to make the best use of them.
Setting Your Goals
Step 1:
When setting your goals for the first time, you may like to use a large sheet of paper and some coloured pens (this makes the process more creative!). Brainstorm all the ideas you can onto the sheet about what you would like to do or what you would like to have, from what kind of house or boat you want to that dream of going into space one day (I know people for whom this is a real goal and they are on schedule to realize it!). Remember to think in the short, medium and long term.
Step 2:
Now that you have a list of your 'dreams' you can start placing them into categories. The three main categories are Personal, Business, and Financial and the easiest way is simply mark a 'P' 'B' or '$' ('F' may have a negative impact) next to each dream. Some things may overlap categories - just think of your main focus with regard to that goal. At this point you will probably still be coming up with more ideas so just keep writing them down.
Step3:
Ok. So you've got 3 groups of dreams - time to start turning them into real goals. Starting with the 'personal' group, think more closely about each goal and describe it in detail. For example, if you want a new house imagine driving up to it and walking inside. What does the street look like? What kind of driveway does it have? Are there lots of trees or a beautiful green lawn? What does the front door look like? What colour is the entry? What kind of furniture does it have? The more detail you put into the goal, the stronger your conviction will become to achieve it. Describing your goals gives you a 'measuring stick' to judge how far you are along the path to successfully achieving them. As you complete this step, you may want to transfer your goals to a chart or table for clarity.
Step 4:
Begin to think more closely about the timeframe for each item. Remember your goals should be Motivational, Achievable and Measurable. There is no point saying that you want 3 million dollars next week! While this might be achievable for some people it will certainly just DE-motivate the majority of us. So set a timeframe in which you think you can achieve each goal. Usually these will be short term, a week to a month, medium term, one month to one year, or long term, more than one year.
Define when you want to achieve each goal. For short term goals try to be fairly precise, for example if you are trying to lose weight, set a goal to lose a certain amount within two weeks from today. For long term goals you can be a bit more general. It may be that you want to climb Everest by your 35th birthday.
Step 5:
Finally, you just need to put everything together. Describe your goal in detail, make sure it is set in a style that motivates you to reach it and set a timeframe to achieve it.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that your goals are ALWAYS set out in POSITIVE and DEFINITE language. That is, set a goal that you want not one that you don't want. For example, rather than saying you don't want to work after age 50, your goal should be that you will retire by 50 years of age.
A Final Note:
It is very important to have your goals in WRITING. It may seem like a slow process to go through, but you will have a far greater chance of success if you have set motivational, achievable and measurable goals and have them in a place where you can refer to them constantly (like the back of the toilet door!) A study of MBA graduates showed that nearly all of them had set goals they wanted to achieve. However only 5% had written goals and referred to them on a continual basis, using them to motivate themselves and stay on track. After 5 years, the study reviewed their progress and it became clear that the success of those who had written goals was far greater than their peers. They were happier with their positions, earning higher wages, heathier and had better family relationships at home.
Using You Goals
Now that you have set some motivational, achievable and measurable goals, it's time to put that work to good use. Having written your goals down, you can now refer to them for motivation any time and I know some people who like to keep a small card in their pocket with their most important goals on it, allowing them to always judge whether a decision is taking them towards or away from their goals.
When you look at your goals you may find that some of them seem a long way off or you don't know how you are going to achieve them. This leads to procrastination and that is the biggest killer of success I know of. It has another term - Laziness! Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. So take a look at the goals that you consider most important or urgent and come up with smaller steps that you can do today - the 'How'.
This is really about breaking your larger goals down into smaller goals to help achieve them. If you have a goal to lose weight, your first step might be to clean out all the junk food from the fridge and pantry! The next step might be to set up an exercise program and make a start right now. If you have a long term goal to reach a certain level of wealth, you will need to work out how you are going to achieve that goal. It may be that your first step is to acquire knowledge - to learn how to invest or to learn how to start a business. Whatever your goal is, you should be able to come up with something that you can do now to begin moving towards it's achievment.