Having goals can help you live the life you want. It can give you a focus and some direction. This article outlines why setting goals can be beneficial for your wellbeing. It also discusses how your character strengths can be used to assist you in setting and achieving goals.
The benefits of goal setting
Hope and optimism
Goals give you a focus and something to look forward to. Your life has a purpose, increasing your feelings of hope and optimism. Whether your goals are long term or short term, you are giving yourself a reason to get up in the morning. The link between hope and goal setting goes both ways. Thinking about and planning your goals can increase a feeling of hope and optimism.
This optimism can then boost your ability to achieve your goals. It will also assist you in planning more goals in the future. A person with hope is able to define their goals, know how they are going to get there and are motivated to achieve them. Furthermore, hope will help a person work through any complications and so not give up when things get difficult.
Taking control
If you set and achieve daily goals, this will add up to some major goal accomplishments at the end of the year. And it's all your own work. Happy people take control of their lives, rather than just drifting or let others make the decisions. Recognise the feeling of control and empowerment as you establish and then accomplish your goals.
Imagine you have a deadline at work (something you cannot control). However, how would it be if you made the decision to meet that deadline ahead of time? Or if you are the sort of person that tends to go over deadlines, making excuses all the way, turn this around and work hard to meet that deadline.
Recognise how much you can do. Even a shift in attitude can give a feeling of mastery. Being able to overcome hurdles and developing a more constructive attitude to the things you cannot control is a great confidence booster.
Flow experience
By setting yourself regular, meaningful goals you position yourself to encounter more flow experiences (a concept defined by Csikszentmihalyi). A flow experience is one where your whole consciousness is absorbed with a particular activity. Thoughts of time and other needs (such as hunger) are forgotten. Positive psychologists generally agree that the more flow experiences a person has, the happier they are. Goals give us something we can actively get involved with, which is an essential ingredient to a flow experience.
To achieve this state it is important to have a clear purpose. So clearly defining your goals is a good start. Also, you will want to choose a goal that is challenging for you, but is not out of your depth. If it is not challenging enough, you will almost certainly become bored. It is worth reviewing your goals on a regular basis to help keep you motivated.
Furthermore, try to obtain regular feedback so you are aware of how you are doing. Support from others can be a good idea, else make sure you track your progress in some way. Goals and the flow experience have a good relationship. By setting goals we enhance our chances of experiencing flow. By experiencing flow, we are more likely to achieve our goals.
General wellbeing
Having goals in our life is good for our wellbeing. It provides us with an opportunity to go on a journey which we can learn from and enjoy. It helps a person appreciate their capabilities, gives life a purpose and increases optimism. As such, it can reduce stress and help reduce the chances of developing depression. Carrying out goal-related tasks gives a person focus and increases happiness. Support for the benefits of undertaking intentional activity comes from research by Lyubomirsky, Sheldon and David Schkade.
Goal setting and your strengths
When setting and working on your goals, consider how you might use your personal strengths to help you achieve your objectives. It is worth knowing what your top strengths are as these are the ones that are most effortless to use and so drawing on them should be a great motivator.
Consider how the following strengths may assist you when setting up your goals:
Curiosity, creativity and love of learning may assist you in your brainstorming. This may be useful when you are considering which goals to set, how you are going to achieve them and ways to overcome potential difficulties.
Bravery can help you reach for those huge goals you've never quite got off the ground. This strength will enable you to act, in spite of your misgivings.
If persistence is your strength, then you are sure to achieve the goals you set yourself.
Having humour as your strength will enable you to laugh if things go wrong, as you see the lighter side of life.
Prudence can help you set the right goals as you are able to consider whether the goal you think you want now is one you will want in the future. Being authentic means you will remain true to yourself when setting your goals. It ensures you are doing them for yourself and not other people.
Another way you can make use of personal strengths when setting goals, is to actually set a goal dedicated to developing a particular strength. For instance, you might want to work on being kinder, so decide to volunteer at an organisation that helps other people.
Alternatively, you could use goal setting as an opportunity to nurture a particular strength, although the strength is not a goal in itself. For instance your goal is to write a novel. However, along the way you decide to exercise your gratitude strength and so make a conscious effort to acknowledge those people who assisted you in working towards your goal.
Whatever goals you set yourself, enjoy the process and think how they are benefiting you along the way.
Copyright Julia Barnard 2008
Julia Barnard is a professional counsellor living in Adelaide, Australia. She provides an online counselling service through her website http://www.makethechange.com.au, which offers counselling at a time and place that suits you. Julia also publishes a quarterly ezine and writes articles for the website aimed at enhancing wellbeing and promoting good mental health.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Barnard
Saturday 24 May 2008
Clocking Your Success
Everyone understands the clock. It ticks away like a time bomb and lets you know how you are going. So why would you want to clock your success? You might even ask, Why would anyone want to set goals? The truth is we do. And achieving them is what gives us an adrenaline rush; that feeling of euphoria that doesn't exist in a life of accomplishing nothing and trying nothing.
If you are not setting goals, you should, because achieving them is fun. If you are setting goals, then you must be having fun. However, you can have more fun if you can accomplish them quicker. All too often, when people who set goals do not meet their targets, they just push out the dates for meeting the target. This creates a lack of focus and a sense of mediocrity.
What can be a better way of goal setting is to set the same goal and start from scratch every time you miss your mark.
When a professional athlete runs his course, the athlete will go back and start the distance again. The same applies to swimmers and all sports that are time based. There is no extending the time to achieve the desired result of finishing the race. What each athlete will do is clock the time and re-evaluate what was achieved and what was hindering the desired result, which is to get the distance in the fastest time.
Setting a goal to earn a certain amount of money is different. Well, in some respects it is; in other respects it need not be. For instance, you might say that you are going to save a certain amount of money in a given time. Say $10,000 within 3 months. Your ability to do so will depend on your income and your expenses. For some to save this in a month is not a problem, for some it will be easy to do in 3 months and for others there might be a greater degree of difficulty than for those who manage to meet the target with a little bit of effort.
However, let's say you aimed to put aside a sum of money that would be difficult for you to do in three months. After three months, if you missed your goal, instead of extending the time to reach your goal, why not see if you could do it in the next three months. This way not only would you have the sum of money already saved, but you will probably have double.
When it comes to income goals, you can do the same thing. In fact, many sales people do this without realizing what they are doing. Some insurance salespersons, I know, set themselves a target every week and try to get it done by seeing as many people as possible in the first two days and hitting their sales target, so they can have the rest of the week off.
Gun salespeople monitor their sales strategies and analyzed their performance to run against the clock, and don't put off accomplishing their goals to a latter date. You, too, can do the same with any goal you set.
Happy Riches knows how to show you how. Happy Riches also runs an educational membership club which has a focus on people becoming healthy, wealthy and wise. Happy Riches can be found at http://www.happyriches.name
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Happy_Riches
If you are not setting goals, you should, because achieving them is fun. If you are setting goals, then you must be having fun. However, you can have more fun if you can accomplish them quicker. All too often, when people who set goals do not meet their targets, they just push out the dates for meeting the target. This creates a lack of focus and a sense of mediocrity.
What can be a better way of goal setting is to set the same goal and start from scratch every time you miss your mark.
When a professional athlete runs his course, the athlete will go back and start the distance again. The same applies to swimmers and all sports that are time based. There is no extending the time to achieve the desired result of finishing the race. What each athlete will do is clock the time and re-evaluate what was achieved and what was hindering the desired result, which is to get the distance in the fastest time.
Setting a goal to earn a certain amount of money is different. Well, in some respects it is; in other respects it need not be. For instance, you might say that you are going to save a certain amount of money in a given time. Say $10,000 within 3 months. Your ability to do so will depend on your income and your expenses. For some to save this in a month is not a problem, for some it will be easy to do in 3 months and for others there might be a greater degree of difficulty than for those who manage to meet the target with a little bit of effort.
However, let's say you aimed to put aside a sum of money that would be difficult for you to do in three months. After three months, if you missed your goal, instead of extending the time to reach your goal, why not see if you could do it in the next three months. This way not only would you have the sum of money already saved, but you will probably have double.
When it comes to income goals, you can do the same thing. In fact, many sales people do this without realizing what they are doing. Some insurance salespersons, I know, set themselves a target every week and try to get it done by seeing as many people as possible in the first two days and hitting their sales target, so they can have the rest of the week off.
Gun salespeople monitor their sales strategies and analyzed their performance to run against the clock, and don't put off accomplishing their goals to a latter date. You, too, can do the same with any goal you set.
Happy Riches knows how to show you how. Happy Riches also runs an educational membership club which has a focus on people becoming healthy, wealthy and wise. Happy Riches can be found at http://www.happyriches.name
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Happy_Riches
What is Your Trophy?
In 1982 I won a boxing championship and received a championship trophy for it. Now many of us have trophies we won as kids that we may have or may not have any longer. I was excited when I found this trophy because of the effort that went into winning it. It reminds me daily of the daily training and commitment it took to accomplish my goal.
So what is your trophy? What is it that you are striving to get. In 1981, I watched as the other champions took their trophies home. I decided then and there that I would win the next year. When it was time to start training I took it very seriously. I exercised, ate right and sparred on a daily basis.
I encountered daily obstacles of fatigue, embarrassment and even injury in pursuit of my goal. One day during sparring I was completely knocked out and awoke to the whole group looking down on me. I can still remember the punch coming toward my head. The coach who was working with us even told me that he thought I should not continue. I did not quit, I followed my goal and made every effort to learn from the mistake.
The day of the fight when my name was called out, I remember being so scared to climb those steps into the ring. My last thought before climbing up was that if I did not get into the ring, I could not win and would not have my trophy. During the fight I received many blows that I thought were going to doom me. At the same time I gave out more than I received. In the end I won that night and the next and was awarded my trophy.
The paper the next day said that aside from "the ire of the crowd" I given a split decision win. But I did not care what others thought. I had put in the effort and took the risk and won.
So how does this apply to you you're asking. It's a nice story but what am I to take away. Take these nine messages from the story:
1) Find what you want.
2) Everyday you must take action on the things needed to accomplish your goal.
3) Overcome the obstacles that get in your way.
4) Don't let negative people keep you from your goal. They are negative because they have never achieved their goals.
5) Overcome your fear. Remember faith demolishes fear. Build up your faith and your fear will retreat.
6) GET INTO THE GAME!!! Don't sit on the sidelines waiting for results. They must be achieved through action.
7) Take some blows, give more.
8) Get back in the ring everyday.
9) Fulfill your dream.
So I ask you again what is your TROPHY? Now go get it!
Bill Loyd is the author of best selling book "The 6 Keys that Lie Within You to Live a Successful Life -- Revealed" He is a highly sought after speaker and writer.
Contact him at http://www.findsuccesswithin.com bill@findsuccesswithin.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Loyd
So what is your trophy? What is it that you are striving to get. In 1981, I watched as the other champions took their trophies home. I decided then and there that I would win the next year. When it was time to start training I took it very seriously. I exercised, ate right and sparred on a daily basis.
I encountered daily obstacles of fatigue, embarrassment and even injury in pursuit of my goal. One day during sparring I was completely knocked out and awoke to the whole group looking down on me. I can still remember the punch coming toward my head. The coach who was working with us even told me that he thought I should not continue. I did not quit, I followed my goal and made every effort to learn from the mistake.
The day of the fight when my name was called out, I remember being so scared to climb those steps into the ring. My last thought before climbing up was that if I did not get into the ring, I could not win and would not have my trophy. During the fight I received many blows that I thought were going to doom me. At the same time I gave out more than I received. In the end I won that night and the next and was awarded my trophy.
The paper the next day said that aside from "the ire of the crowd" I given a split decision win. But I did not care what others thought. I had put in the effort and took the risk and won.
So how does this apply to you you're asking. It's a nice story but what am I to take away. Take these nine messages from the story:
1) Find what you want.
2) Everyday you must take action on the things needed to accomplish your goal.
3) Overcome the obstacles that get in your way.
4) Don't let negative people keep you from your goal. They are negative because they have never achieved their goals.
5) Overcome your fear. Remember faith demolishes fear. Build up your faith and your fear will retreat.
6) GET INTO THE GAME!!! Don't sit on the sidelines waiting for results. They must be achieved through action.
7) Take some blows, give more.
8) Get back in the ring everyday.
9) Fulfill your dream.
So I ask you again what is your TROPHY? Now go get it!
Bill Loyd is the author of best selling book "The 6 Keys that Lie Within You to Live a Successful Life -- Revealed" He is a highly sought after speaker and writer.
Contact him at http://www.findsuccesswithin.com bill@findsuccesswithin.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Loyd
Partnership With A Capital P
I've been thinking a lot about partnership lately, but not the kind of partnership defined by legal definitions and business agreements. The kind of partnership on my mind is Partnership with a capital "P," Partnership where you give AND receive support to and from a thoughtfully-chosen, select number of people in your life.
In working with individual clients, I've noticed how much we resist inviting others to participate in our lives, to support us in pursuit of our goals and dreams. What keeps us from doing so? Usually it's a matter of noisy inner chatter, that voice inside that can be quite convincing. It tells us things like: "He's just too busy." "I don't want to impose on her time." "Why would they want to help me?"
I work with a number of people who do a lot of their work alone and yet, they really love people. They get energized by people and find it easier to be accountable to others than to themselves. That realization combined with an assumption in our culture that we "should" be able to accomplish things on our own, often keeps us on our own lonely little islands, in the procrastination zone, "trying to figure things out" alone.
I've found this is a very ineffectual way of being, and once I began to play inside the framework of "Partnership with the big P" I began to see nearly everyone as a potential partner! By informally inviting them to be my Partners, all kinds of possibilities began to open up.
Now, to be clear, I'm not talking about using people or manipulating them without their knowledge for my own "selfish" purposes! I'm talking about collaboration, an ongoing relationship, sharing and engaging in a set of conversations about our commitments and goals, to uncover the possibilities of mutual support.
I'll bet there are potential Partners in your life, just waiting to be "officially" summoned into your mutual-support-network. My challenge to you this month is to take a risk, reach out, and enlist support for at least one of your life's dreams. Initiating a dialogue might start something like this... "I see us both harboring some big dreams. I'm wondering how we might support each other..."
Get off your island. Enlist your support team and watch the sparks fly! Who KNOWS where that might take you and what might be ignited!
Lori Darley is a Certified Somatic Coach and Associate for the Strozzi Institute. Lori founded The Transitions Coach in 1998 and has coached organizations and individuals, supporting her clients in reaching peak performance through dynamic communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Darley
In working with individual clients, I've noticed how much we resist inviting others to participate in our lives, to support us in pursuit of our goals and dreams. What keeps us from doing so? Usually it's a matter of noisy inner chatter, that voice inside that can be quite convincing. It tells us things like: "He's just too busy." "I don't want to impose on her time." "Why would they want to help me?"
I work with a number of people who do a lot of their work alone and yet, they really love people. They get energized by people and find it easier to be accountable to others than to themselves. That realization combined with an assumption in our culture that we "should" be able to accomplish things on our own, often keeps us on our own lonely little islands, in the procrastination zone, "trying to figure things out" alone.
I've found this is a very ineffectual way of being, and once I began to play inside the framework of "Partnership with the big P" I began to see nearly everyone as a potential partner! By informally inviting them to be my Partners, all kinds of possibilities began to open up.
Now, to be clear, I'm not talking about using people or manipulating them without their knowledge for my own "selfish" purposes! I'm talking about collaboration, an ongoing relationship, sharing and engaging in a set of conversations about our commitments and goals, to uncover the possibilities of mutual support.
I'll bet there are potential Partners in your life, just waiting to be "officially" summoned into your mutual-support-network. My challenge to you this month is to take a risk, reach out, and enlist support for at least one of your life's dreams. Initiating a dialogue might start something like this... "I see us both harboring some big dreams. I'm wondering how we might support each other..."
Get off your island. Enlist your support team and watch the sparks fly! Who KNOWS where that might take you and what might be ignited!
Lori Darley is a Certified Somatic Coach and Associate for the Strozzi Institute. Lori founded The Transitions Coach in 1998 and has coached organizations and individuals, supporting her clients in reaching peak performance through dynamic communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Darley
Acheiving Goals: Word Make A Difference
Kids have the most amazing insight if you stop and listen to them. Our daughter has an adult relative who lives far away who said to her "I wish I could see you more often". Do you know what she said later? I don't think he means it, or he would see me more often.
Good observation.
Let's look at this more closely. When the relative above says "I wish", this person is indicating that
1) they have not made a decision to make it happen and
2) the ability to make visits more often is not within his/her power. To that, I say poppycock!
The decision to "make it so" is the key. Not the how, or why. For any goal, one just has to decide to it and then figure out how. The how will follow. To achieve a goal, it's crucial to decide to do it. It doesn't matter really how or whether you feel that circumstances are outside your control. The means to accomplish this goal will present themselves after you decide. Waiting to think about it or wish about it moves one no closer to achievement... and wastes time that could be used constructively toward the goal.
Ok, ok, Nike beat me to it....
To get what we want, we need to get rid of the words "would", "could", "should", "wish", "might" and replace them with "I will" or "I won't". There's no doubt that the Nike slogan has appeal: Just Do It!
If you look at the cause and effect decision making that we do for so many of our decisions, it's very simple: deciding to do it should be first, then how. How many times have you dwelled on making a decision because you started thinking about the how and got stuck? I have, a lot. Unless I take notice, this is the first place I go. It has kept me from taking positive actions more than once.
Many people are comfortable in their world of would, could and should. It's easier to make excuses for failure that way. No promises made to anyone (including oneself), just wishful thinking. Of course, like our daughter pointed out, it's almost always a failure mindset. Without commitment there is no action.
An easy example of this that we all can relate to is diet and exercise. Many of my friends wish they weighed less or "had a body like X". Deciding to get fit and eat right is the first step. The how becomes evident with a bit of studying and organization. Next thing you know... a whole new fit body!
So, it's more the wisdom of our grandfathers and grandmothers than modern science. It goes like this.
1. Consider decision and its impact to you and your important people
2. Decide to do it or not
3. Then, figure out how
I for one am working on replacing the "would, could, should" in my vocabulary with "I will, I can, I shall and you bet!" I have been amazed at the difference that one simple paradigm shift has made in my life. Just Do It!
Copyright (c) 2008 Ainsley Laing
About the Author:Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ainsley_Laing
Good observation.
Let's look at this more closely. When the relative above says "I wish", this person is indicating that
1) they have not made a decision to make it happen and
2) the ability to make visits more often is not within his/her power. To that, I say poppycock!
The decision to "make it so" is the key. Not the how, or why. For any goal, one just has to decide to it and then figure out how. The how will follow. To achieve a goal, it's crucial to decide to do it. It doesn't matter really how or whether you feel that circumstances are outside your control. The means to accomplish this goal will present themselves after you decide. Waiting to think about it or wish about it moves one no closer to achievement... and wastes time that could be used constructively toward the goal.
Ok, ok, Nike beat me to it....
To get what we want, we need to get rid of the words "would", "could", "should", "wish", "might" and replace them with "I will" or "I won't". There's no doubt that the Nike slogan has appeal: Just Do It!
If you look at the cause and effect decision making that we do for so many of our decisions, it's very simple: deciding to do it should be first, then how. How many times have you dwelled on making a decision because you started thinking about the how and got stuck? I have, a lot. Unless I take notice, this is the first place I go. It has kept me from taking positive actions more than once.
Many people are comfortable in their world of would, could and should. It's easier to make excuses for failure that way. No promises made to anyone (including oneself), just wishful thinking. Of course, like our daughter pointed out, it's almost always a failure mindset. Without commitment there is no action.
An easy example of this that we all can relate to is diet and exercise. Many of my friends wish they weighed less or "had a body like X". Deciding to get fit and eat right is the first step. The how becomes evident with a bit of studying and organization. Next thing you know... a whole new fit body!
So, it's more the wisdom of our grandfathers and grandmothers than modern science. It goes like this.
1. Consider decision and its impact to you and your important people
2. Decide to do it or not
3. Then, figure out how
I for one am working on replacing the "would, could, should" in my vocabulary with "I will, I can, I shall and you bet!" I have been amazed at the difference that one simple paradigm shift has made in my life. Just Do It!
Copyright (c) 2008 Ainsley Laing
About the Author:Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ainsley_Laing
Be Succesful By Identifying Your Goals
Whether you are running a business or trying to complete a project, steady progress is essential for your success. However, you can enhance your progress with the practice of setting goals. Determining your goals can be simple. They can consist of all those targets that you want to achieve. These targets can be necessary for the long-lasting growth and development of your business. Defining your goals can be a daunting experience, especially if you are new to it. For your ease, we have provided some tips and techniques that will help you in setting and defining your goals.
The first step while setting your goals is defining objectives. You can simply manage your projects by dividing your goals into more manageable objectives as you complete your projects. These objectives can be accomplished on timely basis according to your schedule. However, you should spend some time in setting your schedule as the assigned tasks should be organized according to the available resources. For example, if you are building a house, you should schedule the construction team in earlier days, as later on you won't have any material left to build rooms.
On later days you can schedule the interior designer to decorate your house. Acquiring the services of interior designer on the first day is going to waste both your money and valuable resource. Setting goals can be a hard process and we have explained some of the ways by which you can do that.
Goal setting can me be made easier by set priorities on your objectives. One of an effective ways of doing this is assigning priorities to your objectives according to your goals. Logically, the objectives related to the important goals will come on the top of the list. This all can be a part of your planning process.
You can monitor your project's progress by measuring its output. Like if you are studying to become an engineer then your required output should be the engineering degree by the end of the fourth year. With this new knowledge you can probably start your own business. However, assess your output wisely; sometimes it is not feasible to start a project.
You should also try to determine all the possible benefits that you can derive from your goal. This can be motivational and encouraging. It may also help in determining the usefulness of your projects. It is recommended, that you should ask yourself about why you want to accomplish your goal, to give you purpose and sense of direction. For example if you want to excel as a successful businessman then you must try to visualize all the possible benefits.
Think of all the satisfaction you can derive from running a thriving business. If you are interested in promoting products, then all those products should inspire you to achieve your dream to become one of the top marketing experts. Goal setting process can be easy, you just need to prioritize and schedule your objectives and inspire yourself with all the possible benefits.
A big part of effective planning is identifying obstacles. You should make plans for everything that could perhaps prevent you from accomplish your goals. In this way you can prepare your self for minor set backs that can create problems in the longer run.
Copyright (c) 2008 Ori Foyer
Being successful at any business can be difficult. If you are having problems in making money from your current business or want to set goals to become a high achiever, just look at, http://www.being-wealthy.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ori_Foyer
The first step while setting your goals is defining objectives. You can simply manage your projects by dividing your goals into more manageable objectives as you complete your projects. These objectives can be accomplished on timely basis according to your schedule. However, you should spend some time in setting your schedule as the assigned tasks should be organized according to the available resources. For example, if you are building a house, you should schedule the construction team in earlier days, as later on you won't have any material left to build rooms.
On later days you can schedule the interior designer to decorate your house. Acquiring the services of interior designer on the first day is going to waste both your money and valuable resource. Setting goals can be a hard process and we have explained some of the ways by which you can do that.
Goal setting can me be made easier by set priorities on your objectives. One of an effective ways of doing this is assigning priorities to your objectives according to your goals. Logically, the objectives related to the important goals will come on the top of the list. This all can be a part of your planning process.
You can monitor your project's progress by measuring its output. Like if you are studying to become an engineer then your required output should be the engineering degree by the end of the fourth year. With this new knowledge you can probably start your own business. However, assess your output wisely; sometimes it is not feasible to start a project.
You should also try to determine all the possible benefits that you can derive from your goal. This can be motivational and encouraging. It may also help in determining the usefulness of your projects. It is recommended, that you should ask yourself about why you want to accomplish your goal, to give you purpose and sense of direction. For example if you want to excel as a successful businessman then you must try to visualize all the possible benefits.
Think of all the satisfaction you can derive from running a thriving business. If you are interested in promoting products, then all those products should inspire you to achieve your dream to become one of the top marketing experts. Goal setting process can be easy, you just need to prioritize and schedule your objectives and inspire yourself with all the possible benefits.
A big part of effective planning is identifying obstacles. You should make plans for everything that could perhaps prevent you from accomplish your goals. In this way you can prepare your self for minor set backs that can create problems in the longer run.
Copyright (c) 2008 Ori Foyer
Being successful at any business can be difficult. If you are having problems in making money from your current business or want to set goals to become a high achiever, just look at, http://www.being-wealthy.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ori_Foyer
SMART Goal Setting By Lisa McGrimmon
SMART goal setting is a great method that will ensure you have set practical goals for yourself. Using this strategy for setting achievable goals can help you to stay motivated through the challenges of your job search and allow you to make decisions that bring you closer to the kind of career and life that you want for yourself.
SMART goal setting helps you to work more efficiently, meet deadlines and avoid being sidetracked from your real priorities.
Failing to set goals is the "ready, fire, aim" approach to career and life management.
SMART stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Let's examine the SMART technique using the following goal as an example:
Within the next three days I will call five business contacts to seek out career opportunities.
Specific
You are more likely to follow through on a specific goal than a general goal because it is clearly defined. Specific goals help you to focus clearly on exactly what you want to accomplish and how you will do it.
If your goal was: I will look for job leads, it would not be a specific goal. There are plenty of ways to look for job leads. This general goal gives no direction. It doesn't tell you anything about what to do to achieve the goal.
The original example goal is very specific. It describes a strategy for finding job leads (calling business contacts). The original example goal lets you know exactly what you need to do in order to accomplish your goal.
Measurable
When a goal is measurable, you will know exactly when you have accomplished that goal. Establishing specific criteria for reaching a goal allows you to determine how close you are to achieving that goal and helps you to be motivated by your own progress.
A goal that states, I will call some business contacts to seek out job leads, is not measurable. How many business contacts do you need to call? Without that information, you will not know when you have achieved the goal.
The original example goal is measurable. You know you have achieved your goal once you have called five of your business contacts.
AttainableSMART goals are within your control. If you set goals that are outside of your control you are just setting yourself up for failure.
Some people might set the following goal:
I will find five great job leads in the next week.At first glance that goal might sound good; however, that goal is not definitely attainable by you. You don't have reasonable control over whether you find five job leads in the next week. You may do a great job of networking and seeking out job opportunities, but you still do not have complete control over how many great job leads you will find within a specific time frame.
The example goal, on the other hand, is an example of a SMART goal because it is definitely attainable by you. You have control over whether it happens or not. You do not have to rely on the whims of others to ensure that you call five business contacts, and you can reasonably expect that calling business contacts will lead to the outcome you want - finding several great job leads.
Realistic
Effective goal setting requires you to take into account the things that you are reasonably willing and able to do to achieve your goals.If your goal was: I will call twenty business contacts in the next three days, would that be a realistic goal? Maybe, it depends on who you are. If you have a big network of contacts and you are not terrified of business networking, that might be a perfectly realistic goal.
If you're like many people, and the idea of business networking strikes fear in your heart, then calling twenty business contacts may be completely unrealistic for you. If you know that calling five business contacts in three days to seek out job leads is the most you can manage, then five should be your goal. Push your limits a little bit, but don't set yourself up for failure.Timely
SMART goals have deadlines. Deadlines help you to determine how much time you have left to achieve a goal and prevent you from procrastinating.Your goal might be: I will call five business contacts. If you are procrastinator, you'll immediately see the problem with that goal. When will you make those phone calls? Today? Next week? Next month? There is no deadline pushing you to finish the task.
On the other hand, the example goal provides a deadline. You know you have three days to make the phone calls, and that deadline will help you to avoid the trap of procrastination.
When you practice SMART goal setting, you'll have an easier time staying on track with your career goals. SMART goals can help you to stay focused and achieve the short and long term goals that you want to accomplish in your career and in your life.
Lisa McGrimmon is a career counselor, author and entrepreneur who has helped over two thousand clients achieve their career goals. If you'd like to learn exactly how to manage your career and gain enormous control over your future, visit http://www.careerchoiceguide.com/ - For more ways to achieve your goals go to http://www.careerchoiceguide.com/ways-to-achieve-your-goals.html
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