I took my team out for a goal setting exercise a couple of weeks back. It was supposed to be good 6 hour journey to a jungle resort. The route that we took was a very familiar one and in those few rare moments of silence , I couldn’t but think of the numerous trips that I have made on this very same route.
Often, a little while into the trip you need to check the map because you've reached an intersection you're not familiar with. You panic for a moment because you realize you've forgotten your route.
But you say the heck with it because you know where you're going. You take a right, change the music and keep on going. Unfortunately, you never reach your destination or it seems to take for ever.
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. What is a map? In essence, the written word.
What is the difference between a dream and a goal? Once again, the written word.
1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something that sounds good.
How much is your goal influenced by another persons success? More often than not, ones goals reflects an aspiration to become what somebody else has. That is one of the biggest tragedy of human potential. Instead of focusing on what one truly wants , one tends to belittle oneself by comparisons to another mans failure or success. It’s a bigger tragedy and an outright violation ones true potential. Focus on what makes you happy and what you can go to the end of the world to acheive
When setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values.
2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals.
For example, you cant become the “big shot” and at the same time not be in synch with the working culture. You cant get worried about a 40 lakh home when you earn only 5 lakh. This is called non-integrated thinking and will sabotage all of the hard work you put into your goals. Non-integrated thinking can also hamper your everyday thoughts as well. We should continually strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from our thinking.
3. Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:
a)Home b) Financial and Career
c)Spiritual d) Physical and Health
e) Social and Cultural f)Mental and Educational
Setting goals in each area of life will ensure a more balanced life as you begin to examine and change the fundamentals of everyday living. Setting goals in each area of life also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking we talked about in the 2nd step.
4. Write your goal – Give your mind instructions.
Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it can not determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It's only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get.
Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don't limit it to goal setting.
5. Write your goal out in complete detail. View / imagine your success
Instead of writing "A new home," write "A 4,000 square foot contemporary with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and a view of the mountain on 20 acres of land.
Once again we are giving the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become.
Can you close your eyes and visualize the home I described above? Walk around the house. Stand on the porch off the master bedroom and see the fog lifting off the mountain. Look down at the garden full of tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers. And off to the right is the other garden full of a mums, carnations and roses. Can you see it? So can your subconscious mind.
6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough. Have a BHAG
Have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal ( BHAG)Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll still be in the stars.. Some of you might be saying that I'm not setting my goals high enough. Not so. I still have very high goals in the field of people development. My ultimate goal is to be able to advise CEOs of large corporations.
If I never make it, everything I do to reach that goal will make me a better trainer and a better person. If I make it, I will be one of the best in the world. Shoot for the moon!
7. This is the most important, write down your goals.
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 extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them.
Sometimes we realize we have to revise a goal as circumstances and other goals change, much like I did with my umpiring. If you need to change a goal do not consider it a failure, consider it a victory as you had the insight to realize something was different.
And finally….
First of all, unless someone is critical to helping you achieve your goal(s), do not freely share your goals with others. The negative attitude from friends, family and neighbors can drag you down quickly. It's very important that your self-talk (the thoughts in your head) are positive.
Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, "Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal." If the answer is "closer to," then you've made the right decision. If the answer is "further from," well, you know what to do.
I wish you all the very best.
