WRITTEN GOALS ARE VITAL FOR YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS

GOAL-SETTING is critically important in order for you to get what you want, the kind of life you want to live. Here’s a true-life example:

In 1953 Yale University took a survey of the graduating students. Only 3% of the students had clearly defined, written goals for the future. At their twenty-year class reunion, those 3% that wrote down their goals had a greater net worth than the other 97% COMBINED!

“You have to have a target in order to hit it.“

Everything Begins as a Thought.

Everything is Created 3 Times:

First, In Your Mind
Second, on Paper
Third, in Reality

“You can achieve anything you want in life if you have the courage to dream it, the intelligence to make a realistic plan and the will to see that plan through to the end.” – Sidney A. Friedman

BUT, KNOWING THE PATH AND WALKING THE PATH ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

So let’s see how we can turn our desires into reality:

Most people have heard of the acronym of S.M.A.R.T. goals that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive. But, how much better would it be to have goals that are also pleasurable, that lead us to the kind of life we truly desire?

Let’s take a closer look at each of the components of S.M.A.R.T. Pleasurable goals:

Specific:
Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures. Know exactly what you want to achieve.

There are 3 types of goals: Short term, mid-term and long term. You need to know the end (long-term results you want) before you begin. In order to reach a long-term goal, you have to set smaller goals that will allow you to achieve this it. Be specific on all 3 levels and write down specifically what you want to achieve.

Measurable:
Always set goals that are measurable. You need to keep score, measure each step you take. This will enable you to know exactly where you are in terms of achieving your specific goal. When you measure, you are able to find the weaknesses, tweak it and improve.

When you measure or keep score, you will be able to see if you are spending your time on activity or accomplishment. We can be busy with all kinds of things, like organizing our office, but what really counts is what you accomplish. Do something each day to move your business forward. Bottom line, your check will reveal or measure what you’ve been doing.

Attainable:
Make sure the goals you set are attainable, that you are able to reach them.

Not Too high
If you set your goals too high and, as a result, miss your target, it can cause you to feel a sense of failure, disappointment and frustration. Emotions are powerful. These emotions, then, can turn into dis-empowering beliefs of self-doubt and fear.

For example, you might start thinking it doesn’t work, or you’re not good enough, talented or skilled enough. You may start beating yourself up, feeling guilty, fear trying again, get depressed and may even start making excuses because of the discomfort.

These emotions are real and very painful. The pain could possibly overshadow the pleasure of the reward that ultimately may lead you to wanting to give up and Quit.

As you can see, this is all just due to setting your goals too high, where they are unattainable. You can avoid this emotional roller-coaster by making sure your goals are attainable.

Not Too low
On the other hand, if you set your goals too low, you are limiting your success. Don’t underestimate yourself and what you are able to achieve.

So make sure your goals are attainable, not too high, but not too low.

Relevant:
Your goals also have to be relevant, realistic and reasonable. Set your goals, making sure they are attainable by carefully structuring your plan on how you will reach them. This will require knowing the end result before you begin and working it backwards, breaking down each step.

If you can measure where you are on each step and you know you are able to attain it, you will not fall into this emotional roller-coaster. Instead, you will have a plan in place to work each step and you will know exactly where you are as you take each step. You will be able to see, even before you start, that it is attainable if you do each step to get you there. This is realistic.

Time Limit:
Every goal needs a time frame. A S.M.A.R.T. goal has a beginning, a middle and an ending. So write down each step and set a time line to each step.

The popular saying, “Aim for the moon. Even if you miss it, you’ll land among the stars” is entertaining, but how much better would it be to aim for a star, land on it and then aim for another star, make it there, and THEN aim for the moon…Now it’s within your reach!

You must do each short term and mid-term goal in order to get to your higher long-term goal. This way, it IS attainable – no matter how high it is.

We’ve all heard the joke: “How do you eat an elephant?” . . . “One bite at a time.”
. . . and the quote: “Inch by inch it’s a cinch.”

One of the powerful aspects of a great goal is that it has an end, a time in which you are shooting to accomplish it.It’s also a time of celebration, when you reach it – so your mind attaches pleasure to the goal…a reward to look forward to gaining. After all, isn’t that the whole purpose of a goal? Helping you achieve what you want in life?

Keeping in mind the end goal, you begin working on it. As time goes by you work on it because you don’t want to get behind schedule. As it approaches, you work diligently because you want to meet the deadline. If you stick to your time line, you are almost guaranteed to have success You know that each step you take brings you closer to celebrating.

In Summary:
Break each specific, reasonable goal down into attainable steps, take action, measure your progress, readjust if needed, and stick to your set time line. Now get ready to celebrate a better, quality life.

An Important Note: People avoid pain and gravitate toward pleasure. If something brings you pleasure, you will continue doing it. If something brings you pain, you will do all you can to avoid it. So please make your goal-setting experience one filled with pleasure as you continue taking each step toward your goal of improving your life. Keep in mind the Reason WHY you are working so hard to reach the goal you set.

Only The Beginning:
I started with Goal Setting because I wanted you to have this as a reference any time you have a goal in mind that you’d like to reach. But you need more than goals in order to create the type of life you desire. First, you have to know what you Want and Why you want it…

Good Job!!  Go on to #6 “A Meaningful Life”

***NOTE: To start at the beginning of the SERIES – #1 Go Here!
Or hit the TREE on the right side.

Hugs,
HUGS: “Helping You Grow & Succeed

Loretta Helson
247LiveBetter@gmail.com

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Tags: accomplishment, get results, goal setting, goals, setting goals

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