Goals: Your Main Thing or Side Piece?

Our goals are the things that drive us in one direction or another. They deserve the time and attention required to manifest our dreams. Let me ask you a question. Are you treating your goals like the main thing or the side piece? Pardon the double entendre but you get my point. Our goals are like the Northstar for our lives, careers, and businesses. Without goals, we would probably be aimless in our pursuits to become the best that we can be.

I believe that in order to achieve your goals you must...

Set them.

Plan them.

Live them.

Reach them.

These 4 tips are the way I think about my goals. I call it #Loriology.?

Here's my question to you.

Have you been planning your goals or just thinking about them?

We are three weeks into 2022, which means if you don’t have a plan for what you want to accomplish this year, you may not achieve it when year-end arrives. Too often we treat our goals as a sidepiece instead of our main squeeze. However, that type of behavior will leave you wondering where all the time went and why you haven’t progressed as quickly as you hoped.

Whether you are a professional working a corporate gig or an entrepreneur working for yourself, it is imperative that you get smart about goal achievement.

Of course, you have heard about the S.M.A.R.T. method of setting goals which are to make them, strategic, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. However, there’s more to it than that.

The concept of goal setting is psychological in nature. Like most theories in psychology, goal-setting theory started with the ideas from Dr. Edwin A. Locke, in his article, Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives.??In this article, Locke insists that goals should be clear, challenging, and monitored with feedback and progress on a regular basis. Not only do I agree with Locke’s position for personal goals but professional as well. Locke and colleague Dr. Gary Latham came up with five principles for goal setting.

1. Clarity – you should be crystal clear on what you want to accomplish.
2. Challenge – goals should be attainable but not easy.
3. Commitment – you must be 100% committed to your goal.
4. Feedback – you must evaluate your progress.
5. Task Complexity – how difficult is the goal? You should give yourself enough time to complete complex goals.

Every successful business has a list of goals for the year that are broken down into quarters, months, weeks, and even daily objectives. In order to grow and succeed, the leadership team of that company or organization must plan out how those goals will be attained and who will be responsible for what part of the plan. It's the same in your life or career, you must assign strategies and timelines to what you want to accomplish as well as solicit proper assistance if needed.

An effective achievement plan includes the goal, objectives, strategies, and tactics. Imagine you are planning a trip to Hawaii. Your goal is the particular destination in Hawaii you are trying to reach. Perhaps your objective is to arrive there on a six-hour flight from Atlanta on a particular date. The tactics to help you reach your destination would be booking the flight or hiring a travel agent. As you can see from my example, you have to map out every aspect of how you are going to go from point A to point B.

When you want to achieve anything when it comes to your goals whether personal or professional, you must answer three important questions.

1. Where do you want to go?
2. What is the route or pathway you must take to get there?
3. How will you do it? (What process will you follow?)

Answering these simple questions will help you navigate your true desires and assist you in determining your NEXT BEST MOVE.

But don't stop there.

Keep going.

Your ultimate destination awaits.

Here are 7 KEYS to help get on the pathway of goal achievement.

1. State Your Goal (s) – Decide what you want to accomplish.

2. Set the Objectives – Figure out the milestones that will get you closer to your goals.

3.?Develop Strategies – Map out the strategy which explains how you are going to do whatever your goal is.

4. List Tactics – Determine all of the activities that you will need to do to execute your strategy.

5. Identify Benchmarks – Notate the success points you will use to measure your progress.

6. List deadlines – Give yourself specific dates when you will complete certain items and tactics.

7. Manage the Process – Put it all together. You can’t win at goal attainment if you are not managing your execution, documenting your progress, and keeping track of everything.

So there you have it.

I've shared a roadmap of ideas to help you achieve your goals and manifest your dreams.

Remember this, if you want success in your life, don't rob your goals of your full attention. Don't treat your goals like a sidepiece. Your goals deserve your full attention and 100% of your effort.

That said, allow me to ask the question once more for impact.

Are you treating your goals like the main thing or the side piece?

If you're treating your goals like a side piece, trust me you can do better.

If you're treating your goals like the main squeeze, kudos to you. Sooner or later you are destined to achieve all you want and more. Keep going!

This article was written by: Lori A. Manns, Trailblazing Business Strategist and Sales Coach with Quality Media Consultant Group. www.qualitymediaconsultants.com. Certain aspects of this article originally appeared on the QMC Group blog found here.

Would you like to connect with Lori to discuss your business goals or growth strategy? BOOK A ONE TIME COMPLIMENTARY 15 minute discovery call. CLICK HERE.