Dear Mr. Self Development,

How important is “goal setting” in the success equation?

Alex

Alex, goals are as necessary to success as oxygen is to life.

You can’t succeed without them.

Goals are your “sign post” letting you know that you are headed in the right direction.

When I was on my way home last night, I passed signs on the interstate which stated “Atlanta 20 Miles.”  Now, I wasn’t in Atlanta yet, but those signs assured me know that I was headed in the right direction.  That’s what goals will do for you, if you set them properly.

Here are 5 mandatory steps required for effective goal setting:

1. Set specific goals and document the steps to achieve them

Many people wander through life like Alice wandered through Wonderland.  In their mind, they have some vague idea of what they would like to accomplish, but it’s more of a dream, than a goal.

As a first step in goal setting, you always want to become crystal clear about your objective.

After you’re clear, you should document the goal along with the steps necessary to achieve it. You are much more likely to accomplish a goal that has a written plan for its achievement; much more likely.

Be specific: Specificity allows for clarity, clarity allows for motivation, and motivation is the fuel to your destination.

2. Your goals must be believable, achievable, inspiring, and they must have a deadline

Your goal must be believable. If your goal is not believable, you will not be motivated to achieve it.  Recognize your own mental limits and stretch them gradually.  Stretch them to the degree that you believe they can be stretched.

Your goal must be achievable. If you are consistently setting goals that you do not achieve, you are building a memory bank of failure.  Set smaller but inspiring goals, and build a history of small successes that lead to your major victory.

Your goal must be inspiring. Inspiration and motivation will drive you to your goal.  If you’re not inspired, you won’t make it very far.

Your goal must have a specific deadline: I will achieve these results by 5:00pm EDT on Friday, December 4, 2009.  It your goal is not this specific, it’s just a dream.

3. Your goals must be seen daily

It is critical that you see your goals daily.  We’ve all heard the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind,” and this is especially true when it comes to goal setting.

If your goal is to drive from California to Florida, and this is a four day trip, what would happen if you were not clear about your goal on day two of the trip?

You may stop in Arizona and visit the Grand Canyon; you may decide to go “site seeing” for a few days.

Keeping your goal in front of you everyday, keeps you focused, everyday.  The greater your focus the faster you will achieve your goal.  So place pictures of your goals where you will see them everyday, or have a special time of meditation where you visualize and/or see where you are going daily.  This will keep you motivated, when your goal seems far away.

4. You must have long-term and short-term goals

A lot of people have long-term goals (five-year goals and beyond), but it’s important to have short-term and long-term goals.  Short-term goals offer greater motivation.

I like to have three-month goals.  They provide for easy measurement, and allow me to make updates and changes as needed.  They also keeps me focused so that I can avoid procrastinating.

Long-term goals may tempt you to delay action…you keep on waiting and waiting and you never get started.

5. You must work with focused effort toward achieving your goals everyday

This is why it’s critical to do what you love.  It’s easy to work on your goals everyday when there fun.  As the saying goes, do what you love, and you will never work another day in your life!…that’s all for now, until next time…

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

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