I did a short survey with my clients recently in the hope to understand their needs better so that I can serve and assist them further . Interestingly, goal setting came up as top five most interested topic that they would like to learn.
We don’t just set goal once a year as we start off to a brand new year. We need to constantly train ourselves to plan, review and adjust our goals on a consistent basis. It is important to cultivate a habit of visualizing the steps that we need to take to get from where we are to where we want to go. Therefore, it is not surprising that most people are keen to learn how they can effectively achieve their goals (example personal, career, health goals and etc).
The most effective method I have learned in setting goals is for us to start with the end in mind. An important question we could ask ourselves, “For this year to be magnificent, what would it look like?”
I have done an extensive research for my clients on the most effective yet simple method they can employ and found Brain Tracy’s seven-step model of goal setting to be most useful and easy to understand that anyone can follow to achieve any goal they have for themselves.
Here are the seven steps goal setting model :
Step # 1 is for you to decide exactly what you want. This immediately moves you into a separate category of people because most people have no idea of what they really want. Clarity is the most important factor in goal setting.
Decide exactly what you want in each area of your life. Instead of fuzzy goals like more money, better health and greater happiness, be specific about exactly how much more money you want to earn in a specific period of time and combine that with exactly what level of health and fitness you desire.
Step # 2 is for you to write it down. Most people spend more time making a list of groceries before they go shopping or planning a vacation than they do in planning their lives. But again, this is not for you. Success begins with writing things down.
Step # 3 is for you to set a deadline. If it is a large goal, set a series of sub-deadlines. A deadline acts as a “forcing system” on your subconscious mind and begins to move you toward your goal rapidly while it moves your goal toward you.
Step # 4 is for you to make a list of everything you could possibly think of that you will have to do to achieve your goal. The more comprehensive your list, the more motivated you will become, the more intense will be your desire and the more you will believe it possible.
One of the things that hold people back is even if they get to the point of a written goal; they do not take the time to lay out a list of all the little things they will have to do to get there. And with additional experience, you will add new items to your list until it finally becomes complete.
Step # 5 of goal setting is for you to take your list and organize it into a plan. A plan is really quite simple. It is a list organized by priority and importance. You decide what you will do first and what you will do later. You decide what is more important and what is less important. And most of all, you decide upon the one thing that is more important than anything else that you can do immediately to begin moving more rapidly towards your goal.
Step # 6 is for you to “take action!” This is the big killer for most people. They are procrastinators. They have great ideas combined with great hopes and dreams. They may even get to the point of writing down their goals. But when it comes to taking action, they always have a reason or excuse to procrastinate to put it off until a later time. However, as the Bible says, “Faith without deeds is dead.”
Step # 7 is for you to do something every day to move you toward your major goal. Never let a day go by without you engaging in some action that helps you move another step in the direction of what you really, really want in life.
Clarity precede mastery, by organizing, planning your goals effectively and take daily action towards your goal, you can transform your life, fulfill your dreams and live your absolute best life that many only think about.
Remember, you can’t hit a target that you can’t see. And if you don’t know where you are going, how could any road will get you there? The simple seven step act of deciding exactly what you want, writing it down, setting a deadline, making a list, organizing the list into a plan, taking action on the most important item on your list and then doing something every day towards your goal will change your life and your future in ways that you cannot even dream of today.
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