Goal Setting - Steps to do it right
Tanveer Shaikh
Sales Effectiveness | Executive Coach | Leadership Facilitator | Management Consultant
What would you like to achieve in your lifetime?
You get on a flight and the captain announces, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome onboard flight 9Q234 to somewhere. I don't know where but we will certainly reach somewhere. We will get there soon, don't know when but we will. We will fly high, don't know exactly but it will be high enough. Sit back relax and enjoy your flight." What would you do? Would you want to travel on that flight? Most of us would not.
You do not want to be on a flight where the captain of the flight does not know where it is going. Whereas, on the other hand, you - the captain of your life - is doing the same thing! sitting in a flight where there captain has no clarity where the flight is headed?!!! Why such double standards? This brings forth the importance of Goal Setting and creating a roadmap for yourself, doesn't it?
Goals are indispensable. They provide direction, long-term vision and short-term motivation. They separate the important from the irrelevant. Goals also build self-confidence by helping you grow as an individual.
Olympic athletes, successful business people, and bestselling writers are goal-setters. You aspire to greatness too, don't you? If you do, and you're not already setting goals, now is the perfect time to start.
Five Things to Remember When Setting Goals:
1. Write Goals Down
Always jot down your goals-this is powerful. The process of physically seeing your goals helps crystallize them in your mind. This process also better enables you to commit to them. You can write them in 5 categories - Personal, Professional, Health, Money, Relationship.
Interesting Fact: A popular Harvard Business School study once found that only 3% of the population records their goals in writing. Another 14% have goals but don't write them down, whereas 83% do not even have clearly defined goals. More interesting is that this 3% earned an astounding ten times that of the 83% group!
2. Make Goals Short, Attainable, & Measurable
Set attainable short-term goals that can be measured. This means setting quantifiable goals.
Here are some examples:
Make your goals attainable so you won't get discouraged. The short-term goals above are attainable for me, but they may not be for you. Or maybe for you, my short-term goals aren't challenging enough.
Goals are very individual. You have to set your own goals remember, you're charting your own course to success!
On the other hand, don't set wimpy goals simply because you're afraid to fail. Talane Miedaner, author of Coach Yourself to Success (McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books, 2002) notes: "People sometimes give themselves 'weeny' goals-they play it safe so they don't fail. But the bigger the goal, the more likely you are to achieve it."
3. Create Deadlines
Without deadlines, your goals are merely dreams. Set deadlines for both short- and long-term goals, and I promise, you'll get there sooner!
Remember that deadlines can be flexible. Life changes and so do goals. Never be afraid to adjust the timeframe for a goal. What's important is to keep moving forward.
4. Look at your goals weekly!
Visual aids are an effective way to program your brain.
Reading and re-writing goals are two very effective visual aids. By physically rewriting your goals and pasting them in places you regularly frequent, you make them more real in your mind.
I read an article in this month's Shape magazine that inspired me. The author mentioned that before Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of the bestselling book & Oprah Pick Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy (Warner Books, 1995) became a bestselling author, she pasted her name on the #1 spot of the New York Times bestseller list and posted it on her computer. Visual Aids like these give you that extra ammunition that will make a difference.
5. Make Goal Setting a Routine
Begin every morning with a "To Do" list. This will help you organize and better manage your time. Plus, your goals will be right smack under your nose every day. Do not get discouraged over any unfinished items. Simply transfer them to the next morning's list.
The above said, keep your goals front and forward in your mind. Remember...you only get one chance to live your dreams!
In the words of Cecil B. De Mille: "The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication."