An essential part of life should be achieving one’s goals. There’s a reason most self-help sources encourage you to write your goals down.

The process of writing out and plotting a course of action stimulates the brain. It’s important to note your exact feelings as you make your plan, remind yourself exactly why you are doing it. It’s fair to say that many may write down their goals, but they don’t necessarily communicate internally the importance of making those goals. One must ask questions such as why is making this goal important. How will it change my life?

Communicating your feelings on paper will help you later in the journey should things become tough. Sometimes when things don’t turn out as planned, one can easily toss aside some written goals. Circumstances change, new feelings come along or perhaps even loftier goals surpass previously set ones. Communicating your feelings on paper will force you to assess how you felt when you set out on your goal. You can compare your current feelings with how you initially felt when you first started. Mental toughness can be the difference between those who achieve their goals and those who don’t.

We have to imagine that many people are born with incredible talent. However in a world where you are not alone in that aspect, it’s going to take a little more to get to where you want to be. It’s obvious if you notice around you, talented people are everywhere, the motivation and drive to succeed is what really counts. So take into consideration whenever you write down your larger goals, to also communicate your deepest thoughts and feelings. There’s probably no need to write them down for the smaller goals. However make sure to reward yourself along the way as you hit your milestones.

It’s a great idea to break down large vision goals into measurable milestones. This will help keep you on track. Breaking down your big vision in measurable parts puts the brain in overdrive. The process of actually finding steps to make your larger goals a reality is crucial. It sets the goal apart from just being a pie in the sky dream. If your mind can figure out a path to reach your big vision dreams, then half the work is already done already. The rest is up to you. The mind can take you where you want to go. Look around you at all the many inventions and things that make your life easier. It all started out as a dream in someone’s head, someone with the passion and motivation to succeed no matter the obstacles. Whether you are next, remains to be seen. Best of luck.

Advantages of Goal Setting
Goal setting helps us verify our priorities, get organized, build massive choices, and realize our dreams. The act of just setting a goal brings regarding positive modification for many people. Once you set a goal you’re making an exciting challenge for yourself. Almost all motivational consultants incorporate goal setting as an vital half of their programs. The effectiveness of Goal Setting will be seen in the unbelievable accomplishments of folks like: Henry Ford who wanted to form cars cheap for everybody, Bill Gates whose goal was to possess a pc in each household, and John F. Kennedy who embarked on to put a person on the moon among a decade. There’s a famous story concerning Jim Carrey who, whereas struggling as an actor in 1987, drove his car up on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood hills to consider the future. Whereas sitting there overlooking town of Los Angeles he wrote a check made out to himself for “acting services rendered” in the number of $10 million. He dated the check for Thanksgiving of 1995. Jim’s Goal turned out to be conservative as a result of by the point 1995 rolled around he was creating $twenty million a movie.

The objective of MyGoalManager.com is to direct the user through the entire Goal process from definition to achievement. This Goal Achievement process entails the subsequent needs:

Well fashioned Goal Statements

Breaking goals down into manageable Steps

Motivation and Commitment

Reminders and Keeping on the right track

Frequent Review and Re-assessment

1. Well shaped Goal Statements

The Goal Statement forms the premise for the complete process therefore careful attention should be placed on formulating a clear and accurate goal statement. A good approach to remember how a goal statement ought to be defined is the recent S.M.A.R.T. acronym employed by several experts in goal setting. SMART stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Action-Oriented

Realistic

Tangible

The Goal should be specific enough thus that we grasp specifically what we are striving for, measurable thus we have a tendency to apprehend precisely what is to be accomplished and when it’s been reached, action-oriented declaring positive activity that will turn out results, realistic in that it is practical and can be achieved given the limited availability of resources, and tangible that means concrete and not vague. The goal statement “Increase sales twenty five% by the tip of the fiscal year without increasing advertising spending” is an example that follows these rules.

2. Breaking down Goals into manageable Steps

Once we have a well-shaped Goal Statement we need some direction to follow to achieve this Goal. While the goal “Increase sales 25% by the end of the fiscal year while not increasing advertising spending” could be a nice goal statement, this is a monumental task while not being attenuated into smaller detailed steps. The creation of Goal Steps provides us an “Action Plan” that when completed will cause Goal Achievement. Steps additionally allow for tracking of progress towards the goal. Goal Steps ought to be positive and not used to list obstacles that has to be overcome which focuses on the negative. Negativity can kill motivation but there is power in positive thinking.

3. Motivation and Commitment

Motivation and commitment are what build us attempt to achievement. They give us the push, desire, and resolve to complete all of the other steps in the Goal process. This motivation will be obtained by developing a personal statement that makes a high level of emotion and energy that guarantees achievement. One self help skilled said that as a child he was kicked out of his local country club pool because he wasn’t a member, in response he later created a goal that he would at some point have a pool that is one foot bigger than that country club’s pool. The motivation of being asked to go away the pool provided the mandatory fuel for him to realize this goal. Commitment creates more accountability and is what sets us on direct course to reach our goals. It might produce expensive negative consequences upon failure to realize a goal. Making a commitment might be one thing like having invested your savings in your new business that you may lose if it fails. Motivation and commitment are specific to your state of affairs and life and only you can type statements that will ensure you reach your goal the quickest. The a lot of personal you create your motivation and commitment statements for every goal, the a lot of motivated you may be to accomplish your goal.

4. Reminders and Keeping on Track

Reaching our goals needs persistence and regular attention. We have a tendency to need some sort of system to stay us reminded and accountable. MyGoalManager.com uses a combination reminder emails, calendars, and reports to keep users organized and on track. Sharing goals with others who will give you facilitate and support could be a highly effective approach to extend your chances for success. If some accountability system is not used then we are probably to lose sight and fail.

5. Frequent Review and Re-assessment

When we first sit down and start to define goals it will seem sort of a tough and daunting task however over time it begins to urge much easier. Patience is required. Goal Setting is unquestionably an ongoing process that’s accomplished over time. Any goals program that defines goals and then ignores them will fail. All goals due in the following year should be reviewed at least once per week and daily if possible. The nice factor about frequent review is that this forces us to make big decisions and verify priorities in our life. We ought to keep look forward to goals that are not being achieved on time or for goals on which we tend to keep extending the deadline.

Author: Scott Huey
So you have packed up the car full of everything you need for a cross country adventure. You have gone down your checklist and have everything you need for a successful trip. You take off down the road and head to the highway. You have many places in your head you want to visit on your journey and you are so looking forward to getting to each spot. Everything is great except for one thing, you don’t have a map for your trip. What do you think the odds of you being able to get to the places you want to go without knowing how to get there, probably not very good. The map is nothing more than where you are going and how you are going to get there, written down.

Unfortunately most people leave their house every morning with out their map. They go day to day and wonder why they have not gotten to that place they have been wanting to go for years. They just have not gotten the written directions on how to get to their dreams. Written goals are much more than things jotted down on paper. They are complete and focused, just like a road map.

It is easy to tell you what goals are but showing you how to create and implement them is the tricky part. Everyone in the world knows what a goal is but not everyone knows how to achieve them. This is where you separate yourself from the pack. First, let’s look at how you should define your goals.

When you sit down and start thinking about your goals they are going to need to make since. You can say “my goal is to make $100,000 a year” that is spectacular but is it a real goal or just a fantasy? Has your goal been defined by the S.M.A.R.T system?

S – Specific: Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen.
Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do. Specific is the What, Why, and How of the SMART goals. WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop and plan. WHY is this important to do right now? What do you want to accomplish? HOW are you going to do it? Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 25 lbs. or to walk 5 miles at a challenging pace.

M – Measurable: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. In the broadest sense, the whole goal statement is a measure for the project; if the goal is accomplished, the is a success. However, there are usually several short-term or small measurements that can be built into the goal. Choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. How will you see when you reach your goal? Be specific! “I want to ride my mountain bike 3 miles a day before July” shows the specific target to be measure. “I want to be a good bike rider” is not as measurable. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you will stay motivated, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.

A – Attainable: When you prioritize goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them happen. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of those goals. Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won’t commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it’s too much for you means your inner self will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best. A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know that isn’t achievable. But setting a goal to loose 1lb and when you’ve achieved that, aiming to lose another 1lb, will keep it achievable for you. The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.

R – Realistic: Realistic does not mean easy, it means obtainable. Your goals need to be something that you know you can accomplish. For instance, I know I can never be President of the United States but I can be President of a smaller organization. Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal of never again eating cookies or chocolate may not be realistic for someone who really enjoys these foods. Maybe it would be better if your goal was to eat more fruit instead of sweets. You can say “My goal is to eat an apple after lunch instead of a candy bar for a month and see how I feel.” Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! If it is too difficult then you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren’t very capable. Set the bar high enough to satisfy your inner self.

T – Timely: Set a time frame for the goal. You can’t achieve something if you don’t put a dead line on it. How often does your boss give you a task to complete and doesn’t give you a dead line for it. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no sense of urgency to start taking action. The time frame must be measurable and realistic.

Now that you understand the basics of SMART goals it is time to start examining the aspects of our lives that are important to us. The goals you set should effect many places in your life. A lot of times we do not take the time to see the different aspects we hold beneath us. Most people think about setting goals for our professional life or our personal life but we tend to go much deeper than that. Here are some examples of goal areas. These questions and statements should help you start getting things on paper.

• Artistic – Many of us have an artistic goal that we just don’t realize yet. Think back to something you wanted to accomplish. Did you ever want to be published and share your thoughts with the world ( like I did ) or just paint a simple picture that you could pass on to a loved one. These would be considered artistic goals.
• Public Service – Many people want to leave the world a better place. If helping the unfortunate is your passion then decide how you will do that.
• Pleasure – Guys, life isn’t a dress rehearsal. Some of your goals should be for the enjoyment of yourself. Don’t worry, it doesn’t make you selfish.
• Physical – Do you have some athletic goals or just want to become healthier so you can have a few more years to spread some joy?
• Financial – How much do you want to be earning by what stage in the game?
• Family – Set goals for your family. Will your kids go to college and if so will you pay for it? Do you even plan on having kids and if so how many?
• Career – What kind of work do you want to be doing 5 years from now and how high do you want to go?
• Education – Is there any knowledge you want to acquire or a subject you want to learn about. Education doesn’t have to be going back to school but maybe just picking up a book and reading.
• Attitude – Is there something about you you want to adjust?

Now you can see there are different aspects to our lives that we may have never even realized. As you are writing down your new goals I have some tips for you to remember to make things easier and more likely for you to achieve your goals.

1. A goal can not be a contradiction to another one of your goals. Example: You can not have a goal of buying a million dollar home when you set a goal of making $50,000 a year. Those two goals contradict themselves. If this is indeed your goal I hope your other goal is to marry a very very rich woman. Make sure your goals compliment each other.

2. Set goals for ALL walks of life. So many times people set their professional goals. They carry on and conquer what they set out for just to realize that their life is one sided. They are successful and have become what they always wanted in the business world but their personal life is in shambles. If you set a professional goal make sure you set a personal one as well. That way when it is all said and done you will have a balanced life ahead of you and there will be no need for back tracking. You can set goals for your professional self, your spiritual self, your sociable self and of course your financial self.

3. Be very detailed when writing your goals down. This is very important. When I write down goals they are typically accompanied by what I call “sub class” goals. Meaning that my goals are some what complicated and it takes the accomplishment of several smaller goals to achieve one large one. It is easier to stay on course to that larger one when you keep knocking out small ones along the way.

4. Don’t share your goals. The first thing people want to do when they take the step to goal setting is share what they have learned. DON’T! Sure, you can tell people you set goals but there is no need to share them with anybody. Sharing goals with others just leads to others knocking them and discouraging you. These are your goals and nobody else’s. When you accomplish one, shout it from the roof top but until then just keep it to yourself.

5. Put it on paper. In my mind a goal is just a dream if it isn’t written down. If you make your goal the written word then you will derive more benefits from it. You should read your goals before you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. I have even gone so far as to put some of my loftiest goals into a picture setting so I can see them all the time when walking through the house. Some people put their goals in their PDA’s to constantly view. How ever you decide to place your goals for view is your choice but remember…what you think you will become.

6. Don’t get discouraged if you miss a goal. I am not saying be easy on yourself, you must hold yourself accountable but give yourself a second chance to reach that goal. It could take a few tries but if you are determined and if the goal is truly important to you I know you will be able to achieve it. We are all capable of great things.

I hope this brief writing will help some people start to achieve the things that are important to them. I know once I started on this path the world opened up and if I can help open somebody else’s world up then one more goal of mine is completed.
Copyright © 2008 by ScottHuey.com.

About the Author:

Scott Huey is a self evolving man with many views and thoughts. To see what Scott is about visit his self help site for the Evolution of a Man.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Become a Goal Setter

Setting Goals allows you to achieve more.

Author: preetisharma

What do you think about when the word goal comes up in conversation? Do you cringe and snort thinking to yourself “right, goals . . . whatever. What’s the point of making them if I won’t keep them?” Or, do your eyes light up as you tick off a long list of goals for the New Year that will be impossible to complete?

No matter if you have an optimistic or pessimistic outlook about your small business goals for this New Year, both outlooks have something in common and it is this: Unless you know how to set goals properly, you will fail to complete them. So let’s start by defining exactly what a goal is: A goal is something that is meaningful, powerful, and transformative. A goal is something that will change your life, your business, your career, or your family in some meaningful way.

A goal is fierce!

• A goal is clearly defined

• A goal is very specific

• A goal has an action plan and time line for completion

To be an accomplished goal setter, you must become a fearsome time manager by:

• Setting priorities

• Completing tasks on time

• Eliminating distractions

In other words, those who manage their time, manage their world.

Three Parts To Setting Goals That Stick

1. Activate Intentions. They key to getting your business goals to stick it to activate your intentions. That means to put down on a piece of paper what your goals are, and then to take one action on each goal immediately.

Seven Steps For Successful Activation

• Identify your goal, very clearly and specifically. Identify no more than 3-5 business goals to focus on. Be concrete. Put your business goal into words and be as precise about it as you can be.

• Think critically about whether or not this is actually a business goal that you want to accomplish this year. Make sure you know why this goal is meaningful.

• Thinking creatively about how to accomplish your goals. Think outside the box. Stretch the boundaries of possibilities. Engage others to brainstorm and ‘creategize’ with you. Think really far out. Consider outlandish and bazaar solutions.

• Next, identify your plan of action and create strategic action steps that will lead to goal completion.

• Then, and this is all so energetically important: schedule and take your first action step either now, or within the next five days. This one step will set the activation energy in motion. Since what we focus on happens, it is important to schedule and take a first step to create momentum immediately.

• Evaluate your activity and measure success every step along the way.

• Reward success.

2. Eliminate Distractions. Distractions are the worst enemy of time management, and are the number one reason why goals fail. When we allow distractions to take our time and attention away from our goals, the result is frustration, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed, to thoughts of not being able to do something, to failure. Be fierce about your goals and guard them with your time.

3. Fearsome Focus. Dave Lakhani, speaker, trainer, and author of the Power Of An Hour has come up with a fearsome focus strategy that works. In his book, he suggests focusing for an hour at a time on a specific action step of one of your business goals, no more, no less. He recommends that you block out time each day for this fearsome focus hour, and that you divide that focus time into 45 minutes fearsome focus, and 15 minutes doing something else. Below is a summary of his strategy.

• Write down action steps for what you intent to accomplish in your 45-minute fearsome focus time.

• Surround yourself with all the tools you need to get the job done before you begin.

• Don’t allow distractions.

• Launch into your project with gusto.

• Evaluate success along the way by reviewing steps, then immediately re-engage in fearsome focus.

• If distracted, instantly dismiss distraction and re-engage.

• Complete all action steps.

• Acknowledge completion and relax.

• Remain in fearsome focus for 45 minutes, and then do something different for 15 minutes. After an hour, move on to something else.

That’s it folks. These are the steps to take if you want to set goals that stick. All you need to do is activate, eliminate, and focus. Keep in mind, though, that it is ridiculous to spend time focusing on something you don’t intend to do. That’s a failed goal in the making. Instead, if you find that a goal no longer serves you, replace or revise it with one that does.

About the Author:

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Set Goals That Stick

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over.”  I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead “I will come next Tuesday”, I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

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