Ten top tips for goal setters – or goalies
by Mervin Straughan
September 2020
Goal setters – or goalies as one client excitedly describes them – are often prompted by a desire to bring about change or to build on what has already been achieved. Goals are beacons that serve as milestones for reaching and celebrating progress on life's journey.
Many experts state that the journey is more important than the destination because it's a process through which we develop to fulfil our potential. If we're fixated on the destination, we fail to appreciate the view from the window of our metaphorical vehicle along the way.
Which is why goal setters are usually advised to avoid making happiness the destination. If it were the destination, we could be waiting a long time and, even then, only have a short period in which to enjoy it. Happiness is a state of mind that needs to be found in the now.
Goal setting becomes especially effective when combined with our purpose. Purpose gives meaning to life. To find it, we can draw on the principles of Ikigai, the Japanese philosophy of "having a reason for being; why we get out of bed each morning." Imagine four roads that each pose a question; our purpose is found at the crossroads where those answers meet:
1) Write SMART goals. This means: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
2) Write your goals in the present tense to programme your mind to believing that it is happening. For instance, if you want to build your confidence, rather than say: “I want to be able to build my confidence” say: “Each day, my confidence is getting stronger.”
3) Time them according to short, medium and long term. Short might be within two years, medium within five years and long beyond five years. You decide.
4) Get into the habit of good planning. This means identifying busy times and holidays. If you like to be spontaneous when it comes to deciding holidays, that’s fine but make sure you take them. Getting away from the work environment helps to stimulate new thinking as well as recharge the batteries.
5) Develop a positive mindset for the goals journey. Are you a victor or a victim? Are you in control or do you blame others for where you are in life? Accept responsibility – it’s liberating.
6) Language. Your positive mindset includes using the right language. For instance, talk about “challenges” your experience in pursuit of your goals rather than “problems” and “areas of development” rather than “weaknesses.”
7) Look at your goals each day. Identify the steps you will take to move closer to your goals and commit to action.
8) Get your goals witnessed by someone who'll provide positive encouragement. Choose someone who'll be supportive and provide constructive feedback. Avoid negative people – they'll drain your energy. If your goals are achievable and realistic, you don't need negativity.
9) Celebrations. When you achieve a goal, celebrate. This gives meaning to your achievement and motivates.
10) Keep going. Now that you’re achieving goals, start adding new ones.
It's little surprise that high-performing athletes and successful people from the world of business and industry, set goals. A goal-setting framework helps to establish a clear understanding of where we want to be in life and gets us to pool our knowledge, resources, skills and talents in a focused way so we begin to achieve what we want from life.
September 2020
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| We grow through life's journey. |
Many experts state that the journey is more important than the destination because it's a process through which we develop to fulfil our potential. If we're fixated on the destination, we fail to appreciate the view from the window of our metaphorical vehicle along the way.
Which is why goal setters are usually advised to avoid making happiness the destination. If it were the destination, we could be waiting a long time and, even then, only have a short period in which to enjoy it. Happiness is a state of mind that needs to be found in the now.
Goal setting becomes especially effective when combined with our purpose. Purpose gives meaning to life. To find it, we can draw on the principles of Ikigai, the Japanese philosophy of "having a reason for being; why we get out of bed each morning." Imagine four roads that each pose a question; our purpose is found at the crossroads where those answers meet:
- What am I good at?
- What do I enjoy doing?
- Can I be paid for doing what I enjoy?
- What does society/the world need?
1) Write SMART goals. This means: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
2) Write your goals in the present tense to programme your mind to believing that it is happening. For instance, if you want to build your confidence, rather than say: “I want to be able to build my confidence” say: “Each day, my confidence is getting stronger.”
3) Time them according to short, medium and long term. Short might be within two years, medium within five years and long beyond five years. You decide.
4) Get into the habit of good planning. This means identifying busy times and holidays. If you like to be spontaneous when it comes to deciding holidays, that’s fine but make sure you take them. Getting away from the work environment helps to stimulate new thinking as well as recharge the batteries.
5) Develop a positive mindset for the goals journey. Are you a victor or a victim? Are you in control or do you blame others for where you are in life? Accept responsibility – it’s liberating.
6) Language. Your positive mindset includes using the right language. For instance, talk about “challenges” your experience in pursuit of your goals rather than “problems” and “areas of development” rather than “weaknesses.”
7) Look at your goals each day. Identify the steps you will take to move closer to your goals and commit to action.
8) Get your goals witnessed by someone who'll provide positive encouragement. Choose someone who'll be supportive and provide constructive feedback. Avoid negative people – they'll drain your energy. If your goals are achievable and realistic, you don't need negativity.
9) Celebrations. When you achieve a goal, celebrate. This gives meaning to your achievement and motivates.
10) Keep going. Now that you’re achieving goals, start adding new ones.
It's little surprise that high-performing athletes and successful people from the world of business and industry, set goals. A goal-setting framework helps to establish a clear understanding of where we want to be in life and gets us to pool our knowledge, resources, skills and talents in a focused way so we begin to achieve what we want from life.