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#Post#: 17--------------------------------------------------
THE KEY OF A SUCCESSFULPART 2
By: Adeshina Oluwasegun Date: September 16, 2016, 1:41 pm
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Golden Rules of Goal Setting
Five Rules to Set Yourself Up for Success
Learn five techniques for setting effective goals.
Have you thought about what you want to be doing in five years'
time? Are you clear about what your main objective at work is at
the moment? Do you know what you want to have achieved by the
end of today?
If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without goals you
lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to
take control of your life's direction; it also provides you a
benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding.
Think about it: Having a million dollars in the bank is only
proof of success if one of your goals is to amass riches. If
your goal is to practice acts of charity, then keeping the money
for yourself is suddenly contrary to how you would define
success.
To accomplish your goals, however, you need to know how to set
them. You can't simply say, "I want" and expect it to happen.
Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration
of what you want to achieve, and ends with a lot of hard work to
actually do it. In between there are some very well defined
steps that transcend the specifics of each goal. Knowing these
steps will allow you to formulate goals that you can accomplish.
Here are our five golden rules of goal setting:
The Five Golden Rules
1. Set Goals that Motivate You
When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they
motivate you: this means making sure that they are important to
you, and that there is value in achieving them. If you have
little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the
larger picture, then the chances of you putting in the work to
make them happen are slim. Motivation is key to achieving goals.
Set goals that relate to the high priorities in your life.
Without this type of focus, you can end up with far too many
goals, leaving you too little time to devote to each one. Goal
achievement requires commitment, so to maximize the likelihood
of success, you need to feel a sense of urgency and have an "I
must do this" attitude. When you don't have this, you risk
putting off what you need to do to make the goal a reality. This
in turn leaves you feeling disappointed and frustrated with
yourself, both of which are de-motivating. And you can end up in
a very destructive "I can't do anything or be successful at
anything" frame of mind.
Tip:
To make sure your goal is motivating, write down why it's
valuable and important to you. Ask yourself, "If I were to share
my goal with others, what would I tell them to convince them it
was a worthwhile goal?" You can use this motivating value
statement to help you if you start to doubt yourself or lose
confidence in your ability to actually make the goal happen.
2. Set SMART Goals
You have probably heard of SMART goals [Add to My Personal
Learning Plan] already. But do you always apply the rule? The
simple fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be
designed to be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART
stands for, but the essence is this – goals should be:
Specific.
Measurable.
Attainable.
Relevant.
Time Bound.
Set Specific Goals
Your goal must be clear and well defined. Vague or generalized
goals are unhelpful because they don't provide sufficient
direction. Remember, you need goals to show you the way. Make it
as easy as you can to get where you want to go by defining
precisely where you want to end up.
Set Measurable Goals
Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you
can measure your degree of success. If your goal is simply
defined as "To reduce expenses" how will you know when you have
been successful? In one month's time if you have a 1 percent
reduction or in two years' time when you have a 10 percent
reduction? Without a way to measure your success you miss out on
the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually
achieved something.
Set Attainable Goals
Make sure that it's possible to achieve the goals you set. If
you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will only
demoralize yourself and erode your confidence.
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However, resist the urge to set goals that are too easy.
Accomplishing a goal that you didn't have to work hard for can
be anticlimactic at best, and can also make you fear setting
future goals that carry a risk of non-achievement. By setting
realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need.
These are the types of goals that require you to "raise the bar"
and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.
Set Relevant Goals
Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and
career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you'll
develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want.
Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you'll fritter
your time – and your life – away.
Set Time-Bound Goals
You goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know
when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a
deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will
come that much quicker.
3. Set Goals in Writing
The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and
tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you
write, use the word "will" instead of "would like to" or
"might." For example, "I will reduce my operating expenses by 10
percent this year," not "I would like to reduce my operating
expenses by 10 percent this year." The first goal statement has
power and you can "see" yourself reducing expenses, the second
lacks passion and gives you an excuse if you get sidetracked.
Tip 1:
Frame your goal statement positively. If you want to improve
your retention rates say, "I will hold on to all existing
employees for the next quarter" rather than "I will reduce
employee turnover." The first one is motivating; the second one
still has a get-out clause "allowing" you to succeed even if
some employees leave.
Tip 2:
If you use a To-Do List [Add to My Personal Learning Plan] ,
make yourself a To-Do List template that has your goals at the
top of it. If you use an Action Program [Add to My Personal
Learning Plan] , then your goals should be at the top of your
Project Catalog.
Post your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day
of what it is you intend to do. Put them on your walls, desk,
computer monitor, bathroom mirror or refrigerator as a constant
reminder.
4. Make an Action Plan
This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You
get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the
steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the
individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete
it, you'll realize that you are making progress towards your
ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is big
and demanding, or long-term. Read our article on Action Plans
[Add to My Personal Learning Plan] for more on how to do this.
5. Stick With It!
Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity not just a means
to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and
make regular time-slots available to review your goals. Your end
destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the
action plan you set for yourself along the way can change
significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity
remain high.
Key Points
Goal setting is much more than simply saying you want something
to happen. Unless you clearly define exactly what you want and
understand why you want it the first place, your odds of success
are considerably reduced. By following the Five Golden Rules of
Goal Setting you can set goals with confidence and enjoy the
satisfaction that comes along with knowing you achieved what you
set out to do.
So, what will you decide to accomplish today?
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