Goal For It!
What do you wish to achieve in life? What expectations do you have? What are your goals? What would improve your life? How can you make this world a better place to live in? These are all questions which are put to us or we ask of others throughout life to help us focus on our goals for the future.
How many words or phrases can you think of with the same meaning as the word “goal”. Aim, objective, intention, end result, deadline, purpose, mission, target, aspiration, dream – the list goes on.
Whichever term you use, planning and achieving goals in life separates humans living worthwhile lives from animals existing purely by instinct.
For many, setting goals is considered to be an outdated process. Rigorous testing of the process of goal setting by researchers Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham has been undertaken and the following conclusions have been arrived at. These findings (as detailed in their book – A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance) may help you plan and achieve your own goals for your future.
1. Survival and a happy state of mind are both achieved as a result of goal-directed action.
2. Committing to difficult goals will involve more effort and perseverance and will ultimately produce a more worthwhile achievement.
3. More than one goal can be successfully pursued at any given time.
4. It is essential to have confidence in reaching your goal.
5. Specific and challenging goals encourage you to make more of an effort.
6. You must be committed to your goal in order to achieve it.
7. Feedback is essential so that adjustments in effort can be made.
8. Unrealistic goals lead to less effort and you may give up altogether so always make your intentions realistic.
9. Perseverance and hard work are more likely to lead to eventual achievement.
10. Challenging and specific goals are required to direct a person’s knowledge and skills.
“New Year’s Resolutions” usually fail, but maybe once in a while you have proved to be determined enough to carry out your resolutions. Looking at the list of essential goal-achievement conditions mentioned above, you will see that on the occasions you have actually achieved your newly set resolutions, or any other goals for that matter, several of these conditions have been adhered to. Not meeting some of Locke and Latham’s conditions is probably the reason you have failed to achieve some of your goals in the past.
Use the above as a check list and make sure you goals are realistic and achievable – then Goal For It!!
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business. http://besuccessfulnews.com/
Top 10 Ways To Support Someone In Being Their Best
One of the greatest responsibilities we have is to support ourselves and others in living at our highest and best. Whether we’re parents, partners, friends or leaders, it’s incumbent upon us to help others to live as close to their unique potential as we can.
With everything we say and do, we’re influencing, positively or negatively, the people we care about. The ideal is to do this with consideration and intention. Here are ten ways you can help others see and realize the best that’s within them.
Believe in Them: We all have self-doubts from time to time. Our confidence is shaken. We lack the faith in our talents and skills to go for an important promotion or launch a new initiative. Having someone believe in you at these times is priceless. The stories of great men and women are saturated with examples of someone who believed in them even when they didn’t fully believe in themselves.
Encourage Them: “You can do it. I know you can.” These are words that are all-too-infrequently voiced. Sincere encouragement can go a long way in helping someone stay the course. The more specific you are, the better the results. “I remember when you got through your slump last year and ended up winning the sales contest. I’m willing to bet that you’ll do even better this time.”
Expect a Lot: We’re often told not to get our hopes up. We’re encouraged to have realistic expectations. But when it comes to helping others operate at their best, we sometimes have to up-level our expectations. This can be taken to extremes, but there are many times when a teacher, a parent or even a boss has required more of us than we thought we were capable. And we’ve risen to the challenge which enabled us to see further than before.
Tell the Truth: And tell it with compassion. We often avoid telling the hard truth because we don’t want to upset anyone. We want to be nice. But telling the truth is a loving act. You may be the only person who can or will say to another what needs to be said. And you can confront someone without being combative.
Be a Role Model: One of the best ways we influence is by our own actions. Who we are speaks much more loudly than what we say. Don’t think that people aren’t watching you. They are. And they’re registering everything about you consciously and unconsciously. We automatically emulate our role models. And we’re all role models to someone so let’s be good ones.
Share Yourself: Too often, we miss the value of sharing our failings. We don’t want to be vulnerable so we hold back. In doing so, we deprive others of our experience, our learning and our humanity. When you share from your own experience, especially your failures, you increase empathy, you’re more approachable and you increase your relatability to others.
Challenge Them: The word “challenge” has some negative connotations. The meaning we’re using here is, “a test of one’s abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking.” We all need to be challenged from time to time. Doing it for another is an art form. Go too far and it will backfire. Go too easy and you will appear patronizing. Remind people of their commitment to being their best and state your challenge. “I challenge you to overcome these unimportant opinions and get on with the real task at hand, get the job done, make the commitment, etc.”
Ask Good Questions: A good therapist or coach doesn’t tell their clients what to do. They ask good questions in order for the client to understand themselves better, to get clear on what the issue is and from there to make good choices. You can do the same. By asking elegant questions, you cause people to think and come up with solutions. They’ll appreciate it.
Acknowledge Them: You find what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for the best in someone, you’ll see it. If you’re looking for their failings, you’ll see those. Catch people doing things right and tell them. When we acknowledge the good deeds of others, they tend to do more of them. Write a note. Send a card. Give them a call. Praise them in front of others.
Spend Time With Them: We love what we give our time to. By devoting your most precious resource (time) to another individual, you’re showing them that you truly value them and your relationship with them. Invest time in your relationships; it’s what life is made of.
Karen Scharf is a member of SuccessNet.org, an on-line community dedicated to helping you become your personal and professional best. You can download the FREE eBook “How to Form Your Own Success Team” at http://www.successnet.org/teams.htm
Planning Your Business
One of the greatest things you can possibly do for your home or online business is to plan ahead. Naturally, taking the first big step into the business world is scary and you may be placing all of your attention on the grand opening but it is just as important for you to plan ahead. Setting long term and short term goals and creating an avenue to reach them is just as important as opening the doors in the first place. If you do not have direction, your business may end up floundering around for a long time without making any appreciable progress.
By setting goals, working towards them and planning for the future of your business you greatly improve your chances of getting through the first rough steps successfully. Not only is it inspiring to be able to track your progress on a chart but it will also show you which areas you need to work harder in to keep on growing successfully.
Start off by writing down some of the goals you have, whether that is to make a certain amount of profit in a specified time or just to reach a specific number of sales. Track your progress on a chart or graph and once you get close to reaching your first goal, start thinking about a new one. For every goal you reach, have a celebration and share it with your customers through discounts and sales so they know how much you appreciate their business.
By creating and reaching goals consistently, your personal business will flourish quickly. Then you will have to start planning ahead for how you will handle all of this exponential growth. Just as important as setting goals is planning how to keep up with the increased demand for your product or services. This could mean planning to hire an assistant or it could mean planning to upgrade to better equipment for your business needs. Either way you will have to integrate these costs into your new plan for continued success.
Until you have begun planning your goals and making progress, there is no way to explain the real benefit of planning ahead. See for yourself how easy it can be to reach your goals by writing down your step by step plan to creating a wider client base and increasing the profit of your business. Once you have your plan, it becomes easier and easier to track your progress along the way and set new goals once you have reached the ones you have, until you have more business than you can possibly handle and you have no choice but to hire employees and continue growing. The first step is to get out a piece of paper and write down what you want to accomplish right now.
Obinna Heche:
Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
http://www.home-incomeportal.com
Goal Setting: Dream or Goal, What Comes First?
“Are you equating dreams with goals or do you set goals to get to your dream?” A friend asked me this question recently.
That is a good question. I have known some dynamic clients who are stubborn and never give up. They definitely dream and have a vision. In order to help you identify the difference between a dream, vision, and a goal, listed below are 8 steps to take to achieve your goals.
1. Dream or visualize your goal.
Here are some ways dreaming and visualization work: 1) Entrepreneurs can dream and visualize their goals, 2) Corporate goals generally begin with visualization and they can see the end result of their project and know what it will look like, and 3) Personal goals can be all of the above. For example, if the individual wants a Ferrari he will begin thinking about the car, then dreaming about it such as its color, model, fun to drive, etc. If the person is asked to do a project he will visualize a plan of action to finish the project. There was no dream involved as someone else created the concept.
2. Have a solid, clear picture in your mind of your goal.
Before you can write down a plan of action you should be able to visualize the end result in your mind and then it makes it easier to set up a plan to achieve the goal. It is easier to accomplish if you have a solid picture of it in your mind.
3. Develop your goal/plan.
You nurture the dream until it has real meaning for you. For example for me I had a dream to have a Writers’ Retreat in the Sonoma County Wine Country. Up to this point there was nothing, no plan in place and no specific people in mind. Then I began dreaming. I could visualize 10 writers sitting in the conference room creating their writing plan. I SAW the redwood trees, rustic cottages, and people mingling outside in the garden. It was an awesome visualization and dream. I even created a Visualization Board.
4. Set up a date (target date) to complete your goal.
Decide on a date to achieve your goal. Give yourself as much time as you feel is needed to accomplish your goal.
5. Write down a plan of action based on your target date.
It’s the baby steps it takes to finish the goal. Identify each task needed to complete your goal. It could be phone calling, sending out notices, marketing, Teleseminars, finding a hotel for your event, research, etc. You may have to adjust the target date if the tasks involved will take more time than anticipated. If your goal will take more than six months it is recommended that you have sub-goals that you can finish every quarter so it makes is easier to finish your goal and you won’t lose interest.
6. If you missed your goal, reset the target date and continue until you reach your goal.
Most important: As long as you still believe in the goal you keep on going and never give up. You need to feel PASSION for your dream or it will be difficult to finish. One client who sets 100 goals a year and accomplishes 90% of them told me that she just couldn’t stop. She is obsessed with completing her goals, however she calls them dreams. She is driven. How about you?
7. Find a mentor or buddy that will support you.
This can give you the boost you need in the tough times and be your motivator to help keep you going. Goal setting is not for the timid. A lot of work is involved. A huge commitment is needed on your part. Ignore the naysayer and find those positive people in your life that believe in you and will help you stay focused.
8. Take action and follow your plan.
There is only one person that can complete your goal, YOU! You must take action, overcome obstacles, and follow through on all your action steps. YOU are the Action Task Achiever, only YOU can make your dreams come true. That’s what I like about my dynamic clients. I give them the information they need and they do it! They are motivated. Do you have the passion for your dream? Can you visualize your goal? Do you have a buddy? Are you ready to create a plan of action? If you answered yes, to these questions then congratulations you are ready. Have fun and enjoy the journey.
America’s Book Coach, Joan Clout-Kruse, helps entrepreneurs and business professionals write a book that will get them recognized as an expert, attract more clients and boost their income. Claim your Free audio and tips on writing your great book at http://www.writemybizbook.com/ezine.html