What is really important to you right now in your life? In
other words, what do you really value? The main headings
are: PEOPLE- THINGS- OTHER, e.g. career. Also
finances. That word MONEY again!
Areas of goals:
These can be divided into short, medium and long-term;
these respectively being six months, one wo years and
five plus years. Also divide them into balanced components,
being: personal, family, social and work goals.
Then break them down further into:
Spiritual
Mental
Physical
Financial
Family
Community/School
Remember that over-concentration on one of your goals
will not ensure success. A car can only run well if all the
tyres are inflated to the correct pressure... and if it has
four wheels!
The art of goalsetting is to balance all of these areas. If
one area is out of proportion in your wheel of life, it affects
everything else. Your wheel of life should be rounded
evenly and balanced, so that it gives a smooth ride.
Unlike mine. Currently my social life is pathetic, so I am
joining "rent-a-friend", as I'm way too obsessed with my
work, my writing and spend far too much time focussed
on it... instead of having more FUN !
A thought...
Perhaps it's about time I slowed down in my article
submissions and set a goal of using that time for pure
relaxation!
How's that for a goal?
TIPS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE GOALS
1. Give yourself permission to dream and desire.
Put aside (as much as you can) all reason and logic. If
you don't have a goal, you have nothing to aim for and no
plan of action. Without a goal you are just kicking a ball
around. Think creatively by using your imagination in setting
targets.
2. Make a master dream list.
It is important to write down everything you want and need.
Every place you want to go and everything you would like
to become or achieve. These need not be high ideals, but
genuine wants, e.g. putting food on the table (most important
for "starving" writers!), a new car, beach house.swimming
pool, yacht. A "proper job" for writers like me, perhaps!
3. Aim high
Stretch yourself to your limit and you will achieve more than
you believed possible. The higher the level of conscious goals,
the greater their motivating power.
4. Prioritise your Goals.
Start off with some easy goals to get you in the 'habit of
achieving'. Know where you are now and how you got
there. (" How the s...did I get where I am now?). Look at
yourself and learn from others. These goals must be
compatible with your inner values. Values are what we
hold to be important at the deepest level of our being.
Doing this will make them far more likely to be achieved.
5. Set a time limit for achieving them.
It's important to set a deadline...but it doesn't have to
be "set in concrete". Don't let something drag on for
three years that could have been achieved in one
year. Set short-term goals: tomorrow, next week, next
month. Also set long range goals which will require
vision, courage and foresight. Finally, set your ultimate
goals like becoming an All Black or Springbok (these
are rugby football players from New Zealand and South
Africa for "ignorant Americans"- oops, sorry!), a Judge,
or some grand purpose, etc.... as long as that is what
you really desire. List the steps needed or smaller goals
required to be achieved onthe path to your ultimate goal.
By breaking them down they will seem more attainable
and once each minor goal is attained will bring you
closer to theultimate goal. List the skills, qualifications
or traits you will need to achieve them.
6. Be inspired.
Receive regular inspiration and enthusiasm through
reading and other motivational material (like this book-
PLUG, PLUG). Also helpful is frequent contact with a
person or people who inspire and enthuse you.
7. Focus on your goal like a laser and go after it every day
Don't be discouraged - sometimes "one step backwards comes
before a leapforward". "Dare to be different to others", if that
is just being "the real" YOU.
Don't allow the future to act on you. Act on the future. Don't
see yourself as a powerless victim of circumstances, but rather
as one having many choices to take any path you CHOOSE
to move your life forward. N.B.Goals should be written down
and regularly reviewed.
This makes for focussing ones thoughts and COMMITMENT
in seeing them through. Write each goal on a list and as you
achieve it, tick it off and enter a new goal. Act immediately on
your short-term goals, as only ACTION will get you there.Have
balance in your dreams and be honest and realistic with yourself.
A goal is either meaningful in itself or as a means to an end.
More Goal Tips
Start first with your longer term goals and break them down; if
you start with short term goals you will end up with more of the
same.
Focus first on the overall outcome, not how you will achieve
the goal or you
will limit yourself. Then the amazing power of your creative
imagination (in the form of your subconscious mind) will come
up with the plan on HOW to achieve your goals. The answer
may come to you immediately or take a while... and then come
to you in unexpected moments, like in the shower.
.. Don't be obsessive about goals- let them happen, don't
force them. (I must learn that one and let "life take it's course"!).
Be flexible and be aware of the unexpected, which may be a
stepping stone to
your goal in disguise.
Involve your spouse/partner hose "nearest and dearest to
you" in goal setting.
Shared family goals have more meaning and the commitment
to achieving them is greater.
THE SECRET IS TO VISUALISE YOUR GOALS AS ALREADY
BEING ACHIEVED
"We should all be concerned about visualising the future,
because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there."- anon
Visualisation is the technique used by top sportspeople to
achieve results. Successful people make things happen and use
the process of Goal Setting. Ask yourself whether you are a goal-
setter or goal-getter? You are not as stuck down in a rut as you
may think. You have far more choices than you could ever
imagine.
GOALS - THE FIVE KEY QUESTIONS
"The important thing is to identify what you need to do
AND THEN DO IT!"
Which?
What do you really want? Break down into needs and
wants, e.g.. yacht, pool, new car, beach house, holiday.
Also set tangible and intangible goals.
Why?
If it is not planned, it doesn't happen.
When?
Goals must have a time frame. Long range goals should
have checkpoints and a completion date.
Who?
Goals involve others :
# Business (the boss, manager)
# Personal (wife/husband/partner)
How?
What is the blueprint? You can't build without plans.
The reason why you must have specific goals.
Don't Forget:
A. Involve others.
B. State goals in terms of measurable results.
C. Set target dates.
D. Be specific.
Criteria for Setting EFFECTIVE Goals
They:
# Should make you enthusiastic and excite you.
# Must be truly your OWN goals - meaningful to YOU only.
# Must be based on real desires.
# Must be consistent with your values and be purposeful.
# Must be written down.
# Must lift our sights, yet be realistic and attainable.
# Must be specific and measurable.
# Must be compatible with your other goals.
# Must have a starting and completion date.
# Keep written goals in front of you.
# Should be dynamic, but not set in concrete.
GOAL DESIGN
1. ITEMISE
- list possible goals
- don't analyse at this stage
2. CATEGORISE
- personal/family/work (use headings from the Wheel of
Life).
3. PRIORITISE
- relate to what you value and rank.
4. CRYSTALLISE
- make specific and clear, use the KISS principle ("keep
it simple, stupid").
Oops, sorry my dear reader!
Remember that goals are dreams which come true. Most people
give up on their dreams too soon or, like me in the past, don't
aim high enough and achieve them too easily and quickly.
Except in writing!
N.B: The essence of goal setting is:
COMMITMENT
DISCIPLINE
DETERMINATION
I really believe that. This entire planning process might
take a few days.
GOALS
1. If it's not in writing, it is not a goal. It is a New Year
resolution.
2. If it's not specific, it's not a goal.
3. 'Goals must be believable, inspirational and expandable'.
4. An effective goal is an exciting challenge.
5. Goals must be adjusted to new information.
6. Dynamic goals guide our choices.
7. Don't set short-term goals for longer than ninety days.
8. Maintain a balance between long-term and short-term goals.
9. Include your loved ones in your goals.
10. Set goals in all areas of your life.
11. Your goals must harmonise with your life.
12. Review your goals regularly.
13. Set vivid goals.
14. Don't chisel your goals in granite/set in concrete.
15. Reach out into the future.
16. Have a set of goals for every day, and review results
every night.
17. Train yourself to crave your goals.
18. Set activity goals, not production goals (salespeople).
19. Understand luck, and make it work for you.
20. START NOW!
If you don't break your yearly objectives down into first
quarterly and then monthly/weekly/daily activity targets,
you cannot keep on track. Marathon runners keep
going not by focusing on the whole course, but on the
next drink station, the bottom of the hill, and when the
pain comes, the next lamp post.
The plans we make to achieve our dreams are the
blueprints for success. A written plan focuses the mind
on goals. Intermediate steps move one step by step
closer to success.
You should regularly review whether you are on track
(e.g.. monthly, quarterly, yearly). Goal setting must be
an ongoing process. Goals that are no longer
meaningful must be replaced by ones that are.
" A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."
- Mao Tse Tung
I really like that one. No wonder I repeat it so often
(the first signs of impending senility, perhaps???).
Mark Spitz, the American swimmer, won nothing at the
Mexico Olympics in 1968. Bitterly disappointed, he
dreamt of winning 7 goal medals at the next Olympics
in Munich in 1972 and set a target of the times he
would achieve in each event. He won those seven
medals with times within 100th of a second of what he
had said he would do. He developed his plan and a
rigorous training regime. His goal became an obsession
which overcame everything else... yet he achieved
greatness.
Thomas Edison tried 2000 times to invent a light bulb.
He didn't see it as 2000 failures, but rather as a
process to be gone through. He didn't take it personally,
but saw his efforts as 2000 ways that did not work.
Every time an idea didn't work, it got Edison a step
closer to his ultimate goal - SUCCESS. That is what
kept him going. In a word, PERSISTENCE.
Even countries have set goals. After being defeated
n World War II, Germany
was totally devastated. However, Germany is now
one of the economic giants of Europe. Another
defeated nation, Japan, which only had.3% of the
world's land and 3% of the population now has 10%
of the global trade. The nation's leaders set goals for
these countries after the war, which seemed impossible
at the time, but were achieved.
The motto: Forget the mistakes of the past and press on
to the greater achievements of the future. Remember
that setting a new goal is the first step towards a positive
plan of action; because without a goal you have no target,
nothing to aim for.
"Challenges are a chance to boost motivation, seize
them like gold dust."
SUMMARY
There is nothing more exciting and inspirational than
new goals. Our attitude to ourselves determines our
ability to set and achieve goals. Whatever your self-
image, you project it to other people and it becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy.
With positive attitudes (subject of the following chapter)
and a good self image, your enthusiasm for challenges
will be heightened, as well as for life in general.
This results in greater job satisfaction, as well as living
an emotionally healthy life filled with meaning and
purpose.
Remember, negative attitudes in other people can
easily block your goals. I don't expect people to
understand what I'm trying to achieve in my personal
goals, but I'm getting there. They are MINE alone and
I believe are right for ME! Raise your sights high and
dare to be different. In our society we are conditioned to
follow the leader.
N.B: Follow your own heart in setting your goals.
If you've set goals, but have had difficulty with your
goals in the last 3
months, it may be because of the following:
1. Your goals were not realistic.
2. Your goals were not clear and specific.
3. Your goals were not written in the present tense.
E.g.. 'I have now cleared all my short term debts and I
have saved X$ (or pounds')...'I now weigh my ideal
body weight of...' Well done "Jumbo"!
4. You weren't really committed to your goals and/or
they were not appropriate
for you.
A final few words of wisdom (even if I say so myself) to
end off this chapter...
WE GET WHAT WE EXPECT
DON'T ALLOW THE FUTURE TO ACT ON YOU
ACT ON THE FUTURE
"There are those people who make it happen, those
who watch it happen, and those who don't even know it
happened."
WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO BE?
Craig Lock
P.S: WITH FAITH AND PERSISTENCE, YOU CAN
ACHIEVE ANYTHING YOU SET OUT TO DO.
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power
and magic in it."
- Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe (German philosopher)
About the Author
Craig Lock
Creative Writing Course
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/creative.html
My various books are available from:
http://www.novelty-gift.com/