Goal Setting

Goal Setting – A roadmap to success

It’s time for the family vacation.  You are about to begin an 11 hour drive for your well-earned holiday with your wife and 3 children.  You’ve been planning this for months.  The van is packed.  Goodie bags have been made for the kids…also a few munchies for Mom & Dad. Every day has been well thought-out out.  The map has the routes that you will take.  It also includes the several break areas and fuel stops noted.  If all goes as intended arrival at your destination sans traffic in just shy of 11 hours. 

Does this sound familiar?  Most of us take greater pains to plan our vacation than our plans for the future. In fact, it’s been stated by professional speaker, trainer and consultant, Brian Tracy that only 3% of adults have clear written goals. A failure to plan is a plan for failure. It’s been further stated that those people (the ones with goals written down) are 5 to 10X more accomplished than those of equal or better education who do not take the time to write out exactly what they want. Too many of us treat goal setting the same way. We dream about where we want to go, but we don’t have a map to get there.

Let’s commit today to make sure that we are doing everything within our power to achieve greater return in life.  A roadmap to success!

If you follow the few short steps I’ve outlined below you will be well on your way to becoming an expert in building the road maps to achieving your goals.

1. What do you want to accomplish? 

When setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values. Goals should be clear-cut, straightforward and give emphasis to what you want to happen. Details help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.  Writing down your goals creates the roadmap to your success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also equally important to review your goals frequently. Critical examination of your goals with “stepping points” will help you do a progress report throughout your journey. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them.  I cannot emphasize enough that a goal “is nothing more than a wish unless you write it down”.  Your written goals have clearness.  You have the ability to be laser-targeted in precisely accomplishing your goals.  Your goal will motivate you and release endorphins to energize you to perform.  The excitement that you get as you begin to move forward to your ultimate goal will help clarify and make your goals tangible.  Once you can truly see it…you can then feel it….ultimately achieving it!

This is a great time to talk about SMART goal-setting.  The acronym stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Specific is the What, Why, and How of the SMART model.

• WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build etc.

When determining your action words use “brain power” by using positive terminology in your tactical plan.  The stepping stone process is a short list of the tactics that you will employ in your overall strategic goal achievement. Always use positive verbiage to enable our subconscious mind to help us carry out the plan. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get.

• WHY is this important to do at this time? Start with the end in mind and the stepping stone process to achievement.
• HOW are you going to do it? ~Stepping stones

Measurable

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.  Deadlines are critical. If you do not have deadlines your goal has no urgency.

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. This will help you be efficient and reach your goals sooner. Once mini-goals are reached you can experience the exhilaration of achievement that will continue to spur you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.

Attainable

Ability to be achieved, accomplished, or obtained!

Realistic

Bend but don’t break.  It’s worked for the New England Patriots….It can work for you.  Allow for yardage inside the 20’s but keep them out of the end zone. You do not want to set goals that are out of reach or impossible but be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren’t very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!            

AIM HIGH = Soaring    AIM LOW = Boring

Timely

Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, month, six-month & annually. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.

Continued success and best of selling to you! I will end this blog with a quote from one of the most beloved players from Major League Baseball ~  “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”
Yogi Berra