A Killer 3-Step Process to Making a Good Goal Great

Everyone has goals, but the difference between those who have mastered goal setting and those who simply wish for their goals to come true comes down to simply how they choose to phrase their goal! But wait, I can hear you saying. How can the way a goal be phrased influence whether or not it is achieved?

Let's say you have a goal to start your own business. As an example, we are going to say that you are going start a plumbing business.

A typical goal may look like this: "I want to own a plumbing business."

At first blush, this goal looks good. There's a willingness to accomplish a stated objective. There is implied desire to achieve it too. But if we look deeper, there are several major flaws with the way this goal stated.

1. This Goal Lacks a Deadline. There is no specific timeline for when it is to be achieved. It could be tomorrow, it could ten years from now. This lack of a deadline insures that there is no urgency or hurry to take action. This is no good! Let's try it this way instead...

"I want to own a plumbing business by March 2012."

Now that we have a timeline in place, a reason to begin acting immediately, it's a little better. But admittedly, this goal is still kind of vague.

2. This Goal is Unclear. What kind of plumbing business are we talking about? A one-person operation, or a company with dozens of plumbers and administrative staff? Is it going to be a franchised company, or is it going to be an independent business? Is your company going to focus on commercial plumbing, residential plumbing or service and repair? Let's try phrasing this goal again, specifying exactly what kind of business it's going to be.

"I want to own an independently-owned, residential plumbing business by March 2012."

Now that's a lot more specific. Nailing down exactly what it is you want to achieve makes it more real in your mind, and that much more likely for you to act on it. We tend to reach for things we can actually grasp and visualize in our minds, compared to hazy and unclear thoughts.

This still isn't the best it could be. There's one more thing we need to do this goal to make it truly solid and worthy.

3. "I choose..." When goals are phrased with the terms "I want/wish/hope..." you are turning your goal into a fantasy, a dream. It's wanting and panting for something you don't have. It's a helpless and defeatist method of phrasing your goals.

"I want" stinks of future plans that you may or may not get to. It's coated with a "I'll start tomorrow" attitude. "I am/choose" presupposes that you already are acting in according to the belief or goal.

The difference is immeasurable. "I choose" means you are already in the act of achieving your goal, not on the outside looking in. "I choose" assumes that you have already achieved this goal, and that it is merely a matter of steps and time before you accomplish it!

Let's tidy this up:

"I choose to own an independently-owned, residential plumbing business by March 2012."