Chapter 8 | The Art of Setting Goals - Part 2
(Part 2 out of 4)
Setting Goals:
Introduction:
Setting goals is very easy to do – it's not eerie.
It goes like this: Decide what you want or wish for, and write it down.
Make a list of: things you'd like to do, places you want to go to, sights you'd like to visit, countries you wish to travel to, things you wish to have, a project or enterprise you want to take part in, skills you wish to have, the common things you want to do and the extraordinary ones too, a stupid and silly thing you want to do or maybe something big and important.
Write everything down, no matter how silly or pointless - just choose your goals and write them down. It's as simple as ABC.
I recommend you write this list in your personal diary.
That way in 5 yrs. time for instance, you could go back and see what you thought then was important but now days is less significant, but more than that – to see how your life philosophy has changed.
Then you can make a new list, one that is up to date.
Write the lists in your diary, so you can clearly see how you develop.
Your can sit down with your spouse to make a list of goals for your mutual life, have a chat with your children to make a list of your family goals, meet with your co-workers or colleagues to make a list of business goals.
In addition to all your other goals, why don’t you set a goal - to become a millionaire.
Why not? It sounds great – a millionaire!!
I'll discuss the reason for that in a minute... Some might say: "There's no need for a reason. Obviously, it would be great to have a million dollars". Still, I’d like to explain why I asked you to add it to your list of goals.
Set yourself a goal to become a millionaire, if only for what you’ll go through on the way of achieving this goal!
Now that’s a great reason to set goals to.
It’s an exciting challenge to have a better vision for the future, in order to see what you’ll become on your way to achieving this vision.
This is one of the most important lessons you’ll attain in life, wrapped in one single sentence.
This brings me to the following expression:
The greatest value is not what you get or obtain - the greatest value is who you become.
Don’t ask yourself what do I get from this job, ask yourself what kind of man do I become at this job?
It's not what you get that makes you valuable, it’s who you become that makes you valuable.
Set goals that will make you what you want, that will increase your value upon achieving them.
Always ask yourself - who will I become by doing so and so.
Don’t set your goals too low – by doing so, you won’t grow and develop.
Go where expectations are high... where requirements are high - in order for you to develop, grow, change, read, learn and expand your skills.
Be a part of a small group that does plenty, a group whose demands and expectations are well above average.
Why? For the sake of the challenge, so you won’t be the same person you were five years ago, so you can grow, develop and contribute back to the group.
If someone says: "I don’t need much", I would tell him: "Then you probably don’t deserve much either and that’s a pity...".
Don’t compromise and don’t betray yourself – don’t settle for something that will cost you in the future, always calulate your costs.
Take care of yourself and your values, since the greatest misery is your own - how does it start?
It starts by doing a little less than you’re used to, it’s the beginning of the infection that will make you feel a little less good about yourself.
Don’t let it happen because some things can’t be fixed or repaired.
Don’t betray yourself, don’t betray your values, don’t betray your virtues, don’t betray your friends and don’t betray your family - if you do, there's a chance they won't be able to forgive you after you realize the extent of your mistake.
Writing your goals:
In this section, you’re actually going to design the next ten years of your life.
You're going to set goals for yourself.
Setting goals is one of the most important skills worth developing, if you want to shape your future.
I'm going to give you enough "homework" that will not only keep you occupied your whole life, but also will help you create the life you always dreamed of and never thought possible.
Start immediately – the sooner you implement self-discipline in this, the faster you’ll enjoy the result.
I assure you, once the outcome is obtained - you won’t mind the hard work and it will become a habit.
The beginning
Take a sheet of paper and write a title at the top: "long-term goals”.
I'll ask you questions, you - write down your answers:
What do you want to achieve in a year - ten years from now?
Take 10-15 minutes, and write down at least fifty things you want within a year to ten years. These will be long term goals.
To help you get on with this list, let me suggest a few topics to stir your mind:
* What would you like to do and see?
* Who you want to become.
* (material) Things you'd like to have.
* Places you want to visit.
Now is a good time to get assistance from the list of questions asked, in the introduction of this Setting Goals section (at the top of the page).
Answer these basic questions, see how many goals you can write.
There's no need at this point, to get down to details.
We're only building an outline of your list at the moment.
Let's say your goal is to go to Thailand, just write that down.
You don't have to specify at this stage, how long will you travel, wheather you'll be staying at a hotel or a guest house... This will come later.
Remember – you need to write at least fifty goals.
Take more time if needed. I promise to wait patiently. :)
Sorting your Goals
Now that you're done with the first draft of your goal list, you're ready for the next step:
* Go back to your list and re-examine your goals. Write "1" near the goals you think you'll reach within a year.
* Write "3" near the goals you think you'll achieve within three years.
* Write "5" near the goals you think you'll carry out within five years.
* Write "10" near the goals you think you'll accomplish in ten years from now.
Once you've finished sorting your goals, you may reach the conclusion perhaps you need more goals to achieve within 3 years and less goals within one, or you need more goals to carry out within ten years...
Concentrate on "working on" one goal, while simultaneously preparing for more goals, otherwise you might experience an ordeal similar to that of the astronauts of spaceship Apollo:
After the astronauts retured from the moon, some suffered from psychological and mental problems. The reason being - after landing on the moon !!, where else can you go and what more can you do?
Later on, this was taken into consideration and astronauts were given new big projects to work on, after returning to Earth.
The way to enjoy life is to reach one goal and immediately begin acting on the next.
Don't linger too long in your journey to success.
The only way to enjoy another "meal" is to be hungry again...
Examine your Goals
An important thing is to bear in mind to write goals concerning each of the following categories:
1. Finances: financial goals such as goals to create income, profit and productivity.
2. Material: achievable material goals such as a condo, a yacht, new furniture, car or jewelry.
Don't overblow the goals on this category, but remember material goals are important too.
3. Personal development: Write down all your self development plans like adopting a healthy lifestyle, become more decisive, show more leadership, communicate more effectively, or even learn a foreign language.
Obviously there are other goal categories: concering your family, friends, community etc. – you have a lot of writing to do.
You can choose to do this or not, just remember that on both cases it will definitely show in your life and reflect your value in the market.
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Continue to Chapter 8 | The Art of Setting Goals - Part 3
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* Chapter 8 | The Art of Setting Goals - Part 1
* Chapter 7 | Interpersonal Communication - Part 2