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Goal Setting
Importance of Goal Setting
Just try imagining what a day in your life will be like five or
10 years down the lane. Now, if you do not have the faintest
clue about your goal, no wonder you are going to have hard time
motivating yourself to...
Goal Setting: A Plan of Action or Get Off the Couch
Two monks were arguing about the temple flag. One said the flag
moved, the other said the wind moved. Master Eno overheard them
and said, "It is neither the wind nor the flag, but your mind
that moves." The monks were speechless.
--...
Goal Setting Secrets to Jumpstart Your Life
"Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life." - Mark Twain Another year is upon us and you have your list of resolutions or goals you want to accomplish in the upcoming year. It’s time to plan your...
Setting our Goals for a Simpler Lifestyle
We are often asked how did we do it, leave our jobs, the
security of a steady paycheck and move across the country to
find a simpler way of life. While there are many answers to
these questions, the one thing that we did do is "set our
goals"....
The Power of Goal Setting
Goal setting is a tool to use to have more fun in life.
Life is perfect as it is. It is perfectly itself, whole and
complete, lacking nothing.
That may seem like a funny way to begin an essay on goal
setting. "If my life is fine the...
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Ten Commandments of Goal Setting
Setting goals is risky business. Depending on how you set your goals, they can elevate you or they can devastate you. And you want to know a secret? Not everyone who succeeds in life sets goals.
[ pausing for the oooh’s and aaaah’s… ]
Like any tool, however, your goals can be powerful victory-builders. But be careful. If you set your goals too high, you’ll quickly become frustrated and experience feelings of failure and the desire to give up. If you set your goals too low, you won’t be motivated to strive.
Though few people talk about it, there are certain tactics you can use to ensure that your goals significantly aid you in achieving success. Rather than simply be the measuring stick for your achievement, each goal will serve as a vehicle that gets you there. I call these tactics the Ten Commandments of Goal Setting.
The Ten Commandments of Goal Setting
1. Thou Shall Be Passionate: more powerful than any goal you ever set is the passion you have for what you want, what you do, and who you are. Find your passion first, then set your goals around that.
2. Thou Shall Be Realistic: if your goal is to make a million dollars in one year, and you only make $500,000, according to your goal, you’ve failed. Yet, you’ve made $500,000! Isn’t that a huge success? So why not set your goal at $100,000 dollars in one year, and beat the heck out of it five times that year?
3. Thou Shall Be Value-Driven: in the pursuit of wealth and satisfaction, many of us lose sight of our values and beliefs. Make a list of your goals, then a list of your values. If you can’t directly associate each goal with one of your values, maybe you shouldn’t invest your time in that particular goal.
4. Thou Shall Be Detailed: the goal itself is almost never enough. The most effective goals are designed so that you know the goal, the date by which you will achieve it, the quantity by which you will measure it (is “rich” $100,000 or $500,000?), and how it will change your life.
5. Thou Shall Plan: start with the end result in mind, then work backwards. For example, if your goal is that your teenager confides all her secrets to you, the step before that has to be that she trusts you. To earn her trust, you have to listen, and allow her to tell you her mistakes.
6. Thou Shall Remain Accountable: find someone to hold you accountable to your goal, or create a system whereby you hold yourself accountable. An effective way to do this is to set a realistic “due date” for
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each step in your plan, and then report to yourself or a friend how far you’ve come in that step. These little goals are easier to measure and give the sense of accomplishment.
7. Thou Shall Have Fun: goals won’t do you much good if they just frustrate you and make you feel guilt or a sense of failure. Have fun with them, reward yourself, and when things get tough, take a break and do something novel and entertaining.
8. Thou Shall Believe: many of us set goals we don’t truly believe we can reach. Just think of the resolutions you made during New Years. Have you ever followed through on one of those? If your goal is to be healthy and fit, and you can’t imagine being able to exercise every other day and stay away from chocolates, then you have to rework your goal into something believable for you. Otherwise, you’ll only frustrate yourself.
9. Thou Shall Seek Support: most of us hate to admit it, but we often won’t achieve our goals solely on our own. Depending on the goal, you may need a professional mentor, a coach, a close friend, or an inspiring book. Don’t always try to achieve your goals alone.
10. Thou Shalt Not Give Up: what if you still don’t achieve your goal? Don’t give up. Maybe you’re concentrating too hard on reaching the goal and losing sight of why you set it in the first place. Not everyone succeeds by setting goals. If you try the above, and they don’t work for you, then try something else. The most important thing is to be passionate and have fun. You’ll get there.
Copyright 2002, Jaime L. Mintun
Ms. Jaime Mintun is founder of the transformational growth assistance company, PhoenixFire and author of the forthcoming book, "Life Authorship." Her unique Life Authorship techniques and approach to personal growth have earned her a reputation for down to earth, applicable advice given with a bit of spice and what she calls, the "FUN Factor."
To reach Ms. Mintun, you may email her at:
jmintun@phoenixfirenet.com
Or visit her company's website for free resources, free advice community forums, and more:
www.phoenixfirenet.com
About the Author
Ms. Jaime Mintun is founder of the transformational growth assistance company, PhoenixFire and author. Her unique Life Authorship techniques and approach to personal growth have earned her a reputation for down to earth, applicable advice.
To reach Ms. Mintun, you may email her at jmintun@phoenixfirenet.com or visit her company's website:
www.phoenixfirenet.com
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