Wednesday, May 27, 2009

8 Steps to Successful Goal Setting

“A goal is a dream with a deadline”

Napoleon Hill

1. Determine what you want

If you are not aware of what you want to achieve in life, you will never be able to achieve it. When you become aware of what you want, you are that much closer to achieving it

2. Write your goals down

This step, which happens to be one of the most important, is the one that is often overlooked. When you put your goals down in writing they become permanent. In addition, when they are written down they become clearly defined and are no longer simply thoughts rambling through our extraordinary brains. When you do write them, ensure that they are positive. Instead of saying “I want” or “I hope to be” say “I will be” or better yet say “I am” or “I have”.

3. Write down the reasons you want to achieve this goal.

When the reasons are written down, they become more real. As a result, they provide better motivation and can be easily referenced. I suggest spending at least ten minutes doing this step. When you get near the end of this time, try as hard as you can to continue writing down reasons. After the most obvious motivations have been put down on paper, you will be amazed at what other reasons/motivations your mind can come up with. It is usually these late addition motivations that are able to keep people striving to achieve their goals.

4. Come up with a time table for your goals

Goals are simply dreams with a time line. When this time stamp is added to our dreams, they become more practical and are not longer simply dreams. In addition, setting a time table and sticking to it will ensure that your goals actually become realities and not simply a plan to do in the future

5. Come up with a game plan

Determine the exact steps you will need to take to achieve this goal. By breaking it down into smaller pieces, it will appear to be easier to achieve.

6. Read your goals every day

When you write down yours goals and the motivations behind them, I suggest doing so in a notebook that can be kept by your bed. Read both the goals and the motivations every day before you go to bed or after you wake up. This will keep the goal fresh in your mind and will allow you to continually strive to achieve them.

7. Visualize yourself achieving the goals

This step can be done at the same time you read your goals. While you think about all of the motivating factors, try to picture yourself fulfilling all of these factors. Try to think about how all of the aspects of your life will be improved and how your quality of life will be improved.

8. Never give up on your goals

If your mind truly believes it can accomplish the goals, it will be able to. If your timetable expires before you are able to achieve them, simply ask yourself why you were not successful. After trying to figure it out, set a new timetable and a new game plan to try to improve upon your last attempt. Never giving up will ensure that your goals come true!

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