Today I would like to take a moment to talk about of the most important aspects of personal development. It’s called goal setting.
Many people think they have set goals but in reality, they are just fantasizing about what they want in the future.
Ask yourself this question “What goals do I want to achieve in life?” Now ask yourself how many of these goals have been written down as if they are presently achieved with dates attached to them, are attached to what you are willing to give in exchange to achieve them, are committed to memory and read aloud every single day in the morning and just before bed?
If you have skipped any of the above steps, I regret to inform you that you are merely fantasizing about your future instead of proactively creating it.
I make it my business on January first to create a list of goals for the year which are then broken down by month, week, and day and in some cases, even the hour.
Here’s something to think about. My wife and I just celebrated the birth of our second child; a beautiful baby girl. With this new blessing comes a ton of new things like diapers, formula and last but not least baby furniture which requires home assembly.
Now at first glance, when attempting to put this stuff together, it seems quite overwhelming. There are countless screws, nuts, bolts, shelves, washers, etc.
That’s where the directions come into play. Every page includes a list of instructions with a picture that teaches you how to assemble the product in a certain order. When followed correctly, the end result is the newly assembled product.
I can personally say for myself that if I did not have a list of instructions, I would either give up on the assembly or just not even start it to begin with because the vision of all the pieces and no idea of how to put them together would just frustrate me to no end.
The same applies to goals in life. Sometimes, at first glance, goals can seem overwhelming and intimidating but when you break them down into smaller more “achievable” steps, things start to become much easier.
This also brings with it another benefit. You see, every time you achieve one goal, it serves a confidence builder for other goals.
So here’s my personal 10 step formula for effective goal setting.
1.) Make sure all goals are written down. Studies show that once something is written, it becomes 90 percent more realistic.
2.) Start with large goals that are then broken down into smaller goals – This makes things easier to digest and enables you to use the achievement of smaller goals as a crutch to achieve larger ones.
3.) Make your goals as specific as possible – This ensures that the universe will provide exactly what you want rather than something indefinite.
4.) State your goals as if you are already achieving them. For example, if you want to make $10,000 per month, say “I am making $10,000 per month as opposed to saying “I will make $10,000 per month”. This sends a message to the universe that says it must start providing you with you want ASAP.
5.) Attach a deadline to your goals – This ensures that they will actually be achieved rather than spending your whole life planning and not actually achieving.
6.) State what you are willing to give in exchange for your goals – This makes them realistic rather than just fantasy. Remember, there’s no such thing as something for nothing.
7.) Commit them to memory by following step 8.
8.) Read your goals aloud every morning and every evening just before bed – Studies show that the way we start our day dictates how we will finish it. Additionally, whatever we think about just before going to sleep will be planted into the subconscious over and over again while we sleep.
9.) Revisit your goals and ensure you are on track to achieve them.
10.) Make any needed changes. If something’s not working, change it. Sometimes, the quest to success involves changes on the roads map. It’s your responsibility to identify and implement them whenever necessary.