Goal Setting for Success!

What sort of people will you find goal setting? Many, many ordinary people.nnBut for too many their way of setting goals is vague and lacks commitment. nnGoals like " I want to be rich or successful or slim or ...." mean little. This sort of goal setting is too generalised to be effective.nnHow rich is rich? nnHow do you define successful?nnHow will you know when your goal is reached?n nWhat sort of people write down their goals and plan how to achieve them? nn** The Successful Ones! **nnWriting down your goals is the essence of true goal setting!nnIt doesn't matter if your goals are personal or financial or social or business related.nnGoal setting works for individuals, families and companies. nnI can't recall who first said this but it's true! - Fail to Plan and You Plan to Fail.nnNow I accept it takes a little time to write your goals and the sub-goals you need to accomplish on your way there.But there is no better way of goal setting!nnLack of time is no excuse IF you really want to achieve your objectives. We always have plenty of time and energy for the things we want to do. Sometimes you have to do something, complete an action plan, and then you feel motivated.nnBUT when you are goal setting you MUST have a firm goal and a flexible plan.nnImagine the pilot of a plane or the captain of a ship knowing they wanted to get to a country and just setting out without any firm idea of how to arrive there!nnThey would wander all over the world and never arrive at their destination...nnRemember - any road will do if you don't know where you're going!nnThe advantage of a flexible plan is that you can adjust it whenever it becomes necessary. Just like our travellers above who would adjust their direction if the weather interfers and they are blown off course.nn** Easy Goal Setting.**nnI want you to write down your goals using the acronym SMART to help you.nnWhat is SMART? It is a valuable guide to help you with your goal setting. You will find references to SMART in almost all books on goal setting.nnSpecific - goals must be specific in their detail.nMeasurable - goals must be measurable in quantity,time,costnAchievable - goals must be achievable within a realistic timescalenRelevant - goals must be relevantnTimescales - goals must have a timescale otherwise they will never be finished.nnUsing the above as your "magic" formula I want you to write down your goals whether they are personal or business related. nnDon't forget to also write down your sub-goals i.e. how you are going to achieve your goal - in other words all the stages you must travel through to reach that goal!nnAs part of your goal setting you should also identify any obstacles you may encounter and who you are going to deal with them. In others completely specify your plan of action.nnAnother secret of successful people is that they keep their written goals visible and review them daily. nnYou could put them on a yellow stick-it note on your computer, where you will see them each day.nnMake a list each morning of what you should accomplish that day. Work on the top priority until it's finished. Then go on to the second priority. Work your way through the list.nnThen each Sunday evening or Monday morning review your list.nnIf you haven't managed to do anything for a particular goal, mark it in colored felt-tip and determine to work on it as soon as possible.nnRemember to focus on what you want and not on what you don't want...nnVisualise your ultimate success - write and repeat affirmations to keep your mind positive.nnRemember the words of Napoleon Hill :nn" Whatever the mind can conceive and believe - it can achieve"nnAnd you must never confuse activity with accomplishment!nn**Common Reasons for Failing to Meet Goals.**nnFailure to meet goals can often be traced to one or more of the following:nnInsufficent time and too many goals.nnThere are conflicts between business goals and personal goals.nnThe achievement of one goal interfers with the achieving of another.nnGoals have been shared with pessimistic people who have ruined" your dream. ONLY share your goals with those you trust - Don't share with "dream stealers".nnnCopyright ® 2003 Joe McHenry. All rights reserved. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. To find other tips and advice visit http://www.tips-for-boomers.com