I am a fan of setting goals in life. Another way of talking about Goal setting is to call it – having a vision for your life. I have been setting goals for my life, my family and my church, or work environment for the last 25 years and I am more a fan now than I have ever have been.
Reality is that life is a journey and we are all on that that journey
My question to you is – where are you going on that journey?
Do you have a specific destination that you are aiming for?
My experience is that people who are focussed and know what they want out of life, seem to get more out of life than those who just live in the context of day to day.
Do you set goals?
I am encouraging you to start – if you haven’t already. Here is some information that will help you in the process of Goal setting.
Some secular quotes on Goal Setting
Orison Swett Marden
All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.
Harvey Mackay
Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life.
Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal
J.C. Penney
Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.
Arnold H. Glasgow
Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.
Denis Waitley
The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn about them or even seriously consider them as believable or acheivable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.
Andrew Carnegie
If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.
From the Bible
Proverbs 21:1 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
In the Message paraphrase version:- the same verse is said this way
Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;
hurry and scurry puts you further behind
Proverbs Chapter 13, Verse 19 says, “A desire (or goal) fulfilled is sweet to the soul.”
Achieved goals are a source of inspiration and encouragement to us.
Proverbs Chapter 29, Verse 18 says, “Where there is no vision or goal, the people cast off restraint.”
This means where you have a goal it will change the way you live.
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps
Goal Setting
A goal is a clearly defined set of objectives that you want to achieve in a given time frame..
SMART GOALS
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Specific – is it clear what has to happen?
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Measurable – how will you know it has been achieved?
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Attainable – are you being realistic?
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Result-oriented – does this progress you towards your
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Time-limited – when should you have achieved it?
In order for something to be a goal:
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It has to be important to you, personally.
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It has to be within your power to make it happen through your own actions.
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It has to be something you have a reasonable chance of achieving.
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It must be clearly defined and have a specific plan of action.
Why Do We Set Goals?
1) If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time
2) It sets direction for our lives
3) Goals assist us to live our life in the context of the bigger picture than just day to day living
4) Goals give you a tool to assess the effectiveness of the way we live our life
5) Fulfilled goals are a source of inspiration to you
6) Goals get us out of a victim mentality that our success is reliant on someone else. It is if going to be then its up to me
Steps for Goal Setting
1) Write down your goals
In 1952, Harvard University discovered that only three of out of 100 graduates had written down a clear list of goals. Ten years later, their follow up study showed that 3 percent of the graduating class had accomplished more financially than the remaining 97 percent of the class.
Those three percent were the same graduates who had written down their goals.
2) Identify the different roles you have in life
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Christian
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Father
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Husband/boyfriend
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Family Finance Manager
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Personal Fitness Trainer
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Career Development Officer
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Education Co-ordinator
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Relationships
3) Identify the goals you have in each area
4) Specify as much detail as you can
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I want to own a motorbike
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I want to own a motorbike over 1000cc.
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I want it be black
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I want it to be a sport bike not a cruiser
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I want it to be not more than 3 years old
3) Set a deadline – must be time specific
4) Don’t have contradictory goals
5) List the obstacles – you must know the barriers to your success
6) Identify people groups to work with
7) Develop a plan of action – you must have a strategy
8) List the benefits – these will motivate you
Keys to Assist in the Attainment of Your Goals
1) Constant review
2) Right mental attitude
3) Vocabulary
4) Don’t be susceptible to the negative influences of other people
Negatives
1) Goals are not for me – I am not that organised
2) Fear of failure is the biggest negative
3) I don’t want goals to restrict me
Some Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Your Goal is vague and general. A goal must be clear, specific, and unambiguous so that you can form a clear image of the end result you’re targeting.
Mistake 2: The goal was given to you. There’s nothing wrong with this if you buy into the goal and embrace it as your own. But if you don’t passionately desire the goal because it’s something you really want, you won’t have the energy or staying power to achieve it.
Mistake 3: You went public with your goal and now face ridicule and criticism for your lack of progress. It may seem wise to go public with a goal thinking that will keep you on target, but it can be very discouraging to have people second-guessing you and holding up your setbacks for all to see.
Mistake 4: Failing to come to terms with fears associated with achieving your goal. We often fail to take into account all the changes that will accompany a goal. When we change something about our lives, we tend to focus only upon that which we’re changing. But subconsciously we know that everything changes. Failing to take the totality of change into account may sabotage the goal.
Mistake 5: Setting a goal that’s too challenging or too easy. The best goals are challenging enough to interest and energize us, but not so far out that we can’t see ourselves ever achieving them. Goals that are too easy are just as bad as those that are too difficult. Either way, we’re not motivated.
Discussion Questions for your own meditations:-
Agree or disagree: It’s better to set lower goals than to risk failure by setting higher ones.
What’s the difference between failing and being a failure?
What is your personal definition of success?
What would you do and how would you spend your time if you only had 6 months to live?
What would you really want to do with your life if you had no limitations?
What would you attempt if you were guaranteed that you couldn’t fail?
If this Blog has been helpful to you, please feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter. Email Subscriptions to my blog are welcome or you can contact me through Facebook (facebook.com/peterpilt) or Twitter (@PeterPilt). Have a great day.
Peter
Categories: Life, Motivational, Wisdom for life
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