Archive for Smart Goals
Goal Setting Worksheets – More Benefits of Putting Goals on Paper
Posted by: | CommentsWell a few days ago I shared with you my post on Goal Setting Worksheets –Benefits of Putting Goals on Paper where I told you that time and time again you have heard me talk about the importance of goals setting and of course in that article I stressed that fact again, plus one more, the benefits of putting goals on paper. I told you that you need a road map or as I call it a Success Atlas. Goals are milestones along your Success Atlas and the benefits of putting goals on paper will be a clearer view of your road map to reach them. Putting your goals on paper enables you to walk you through the necessary steps for success.
In Goal Setting Worksheets –Benefits of Putting Goals on Paper I shared three benefits of putting your goals on paper and they were:
- Goal Setting Worksheets can help you see your future vista – like an eagle flying high in the sky you can see of the peaks, valleys and crevices that make up the terrain around you. From you future vista you can clearly see your goal like an eagle can easily see that meal – you both will be able to swoop in and snatch up your goal.
- Goal Setting Worksheets can help you covert your vista into your why. Why does the eagle swoop in from on high to snatch up its prey? For survival of course, or perhaps to feed it’s family. Either way the eagle knows why it has to achieve its goal. Do you? Do you know the whys for your goal? Putting your goal on paper will help you convert your vista vision into motivating whys.
- Goal Setting Worksheets will enable you to take your future visa (long term goal) along with your whys and break that big picture down into medium goals. The eagle when building a nest does not grab all the stick and leaves at once. It breaks down the building process into sections – you have to remember an eagles nest starts at four feet wide and three feet deep – the record nest known was twelve feet wide and fifteen feet tall. Now that is a big goal. So too do you need to break down your goal into manageable sticks and steps. Putting your goals in writing will help you ‘see’ the steps as you pen the goal out.
Okay enough of the cliff notes from the previous article if you want you can go read it for yourself here – Goal Setting Worksheets –Benefits of Putting Goals on Paper. Today I want to give your four more benefits of putting your goals on paper or more specifically on your goal setting worksheets.
- Goal setting worksheets will help you build your success atlas. When you sit down and put your goals on paper, breaking them down into smaller and smaller goals then into tasks and steps, you will begin to identify some interesting facts about your goal, fact which will include but will not be limited to:
- What skills you need to build or find
- What information you will need to acquire
- What funding (if any) you will need
- What specialized training you will be to get or freshen up if you already have it.
- Obstacles you might encounter – and possible solutions to avoid it.
- Any other requirements you will need
- Goal setting worksheets will provide you with a way to track how well you are doing thus providing you with some accountability to yourself. As we all know no matter how well we plan out our life, it always seems to have a way of throwing an unexpected turn in the road to success. These turns can cause you to lose sight of what you truly desire. Putting your goals on paper will provide you a place to come back and check frequently to get you back on the road to success and refocus you on your goal. If you are using my goal setting worksheets, you will have a place to check off your achievements; you will even be giving a place to score your daily performance – for you need recognize your accomplishments so the next time you are feeling like you are not making any head way you can come back to your sheets and see all the ground you have truly covered as witnessed by the person most interested in your goal… YOU! Oh, and if you are not getting the results you planned, then your sheets will give you quick notification of that and you can easily adjust your plans more forward.
- Goal setting worksheets and the success atlas they will provide will give you the clarity you need to keep moving forward. Time and time again I have seen the most positively intentioned person being down their road to success then reach the first turn, or more often the first obstacle and they fight and fumble their way through it. Then once on the other side they struggle to figure out what to do next. This causes them to loose time, depletes their energy stores and deflates their motivation, often to the point of not taking that next step. Putting your goals on paper will give you the clarity to know exactly what you are doing now and what you are doing next, then after that and so on until you reach your next milestone or the major goal.
- Goal setting worksheets will help you tackle the ugly beast known as procrastination. Breaking those large goals into smaller one, then those into even smaller one then those into steps and steps into tasks will enable you to build a realistic time frame for the accomplishment of each. One of the best ways to tame the beast of procrastination is by having clear time lines and deadlines of your goals, steps and tasks – they will provide the motivation that puts the beast of procrastination to sleep. All you have to do then is take action and hold yourself accountable to the deadlines you have set for yourself to reach the goal YOU deserve and desire.
Goal setting worksheets or just putting your goals on paper will enable you to bring out the dreams and desires you have bottled up inside of you. They can enhance your self confidence in your ability to reach your goal, keep you motivated and focused while trying to reach your goal, and finally will let you know when your falling a stray and help you get yourself back on track. Take your dreams and turn them into goals by planning them out. Dreams are good, dreams are great even. But dreams are not goals until you create your success atlas and begin taking the steps necessary to turn your heartfelt dreams into the life you dream, desire and deserve.
If you would like a few more great tips on goal realization and even get the personally designed goals setting works sheets that I mentioned in this post, CLICK HERE and I will happily send the Goal Realization Made Easy eBook to you right now. CLICK HERE now and get your copy today so you can start realizing all your goals as quickly as possible.
Think Successfully & Take Action
Tracy
Goal Setting Worksheets – Benefits of Putting Goals on Paper
Posted by: | CommentsTime and time again you have heard me talk about the importance of goals setting. Well, in this article I need to stress that fact again, plus one more, the benefits of putting goals on paper. You need a road map or as I call it a Success Atlas. Goals are milestones along your Success Atlas and the benefits of putting goals on paper will be a clearer view of your road map to reach them. Putting your goals on paper enables you to walk you through the necessary steps for success.
I mean if you think about it you really set goals every single day of your life. You set the alarm at the same time setting a goal of getting up to get to work, school or even the gym on time. You review your customer’s needs setting a goal to meet their needs, make money and grow your business. You can take these same small scale principles and apply them to goal setting on a medium or even much larger scale.
We all have desires and dreams we want to attain. We sit day dreaming while strolling through the park, walking down the beach or down a sidewalk in the sitting. Envisioning all the great and wonderful things we would like to have in our lives. Money, love, happiness, a thriving business, healthy and happy children the list can be as long as our imagination. But the problem is that alone is not enough to keep us motivated and focused to move forward – especially if we meet with resistance to meeting the goals we have set.
After going through ANY mental goal setting exercise you need to commit your goals to paper, putting them in a journal or writing them down on a goal setting worksheet. Write down all your thoughts (good and bad) about your goals – allow the pen to flow and begin to create a road map, a blue print and a Success Atlas that will become clear and specific, that will provide you with the focus, motivation and direction that you need. Putting goals on paper, creating your Success Atlas will the next step you need to take, give you the focus and motivation to take it, then show the next and the next and so on, and so on.
Not sold yet? Well how about when someone is getting married and has one of those big beautiful weddings. Do you thing the goal just happened? Of course it didn’t. Couples will spend on average one hundred hours planning a wedding. They will put down all their plans (goals) on forms (goal worksheets). Everything from what color the bridesmaids are going to wear, to who is sitting next to whom at the reception. Because something as simple as Uncle Irritating sitting next to Grandma No-Patience can ruin a wedding just as fast as planning and outdoor wedding during the wrong time of year. All these steps need to be thought through, mapped out and committed to paper.
Here is another interesting fact I have come to learn. Many of those same people that spend that hundred hours doing all the goal setting for their wedding, getting all the benefits of putting goals on paper, spend ZERO time setting goals for their lives. I do not want that to be you!
Goal setting worksheets are great tools for putting your goals on paper. They can help you through every nuance of the goal setting process. They can help you plan better and even aid in seeing those little things that you might have missed without them.
Here are three great reasons for using Goal Setting Worksheets and put your goals on paper:
- Goal Setting Worksheets can help you see your future vista – many people call this the big picture. Imagine if you were sitting on a high vista overlooking your perfect life. How would is look to you? Where will you be? What will you be doing? Putting your goals on paper can help you start focusing on this future vista and steer you along life’s path and many decisions so you can arrive there.
- Goal Setting Worksheets can help you covert your vista into your why. If you do not have a important why for reaching your goal(s) then the odds are weighted heavily against you. It is not enough to own the beautiful home you need to know why you want it. Is it a sense of security? A place you can come to escape from the hectic pace of the outside world? Know your why and your why and your odds of achieving your goal shift into your favor.
- Goal Setting Worksheet will enable you to take your future visa (long term goal) along with your whys and break that big picture down into medium goals. Then you can break those medium goals down into short term goals. Then turn your short term goals into tasks and those tasks into steps. I have had many a person say they have a goal to ear six figure incomes. A very attainable goal, but so many think they can reach that goal in a year or even less. Depending on where they are THAT could be far less attainable. They need to take this long term goal and break it down into medium goals – say half way from where they are to that big goal. Then break it down in half again, then again. Until it is at a point where they can look at the task and say to themselves “I can do that.” Then they just need to set about doing it.
These are only three reasons why you could be going through your goal setting exercises and just a few of the benefits of putting your goals on paper. There are many more and actually I will put a few more together in my next post. So, for now, sit down write your goals out, look at your vista vision, figure out your whys and start breaking that vista vision down into mid-term goals. Break those mid-term goals into short term goals. Break those down into task and the task into steps. Now schedule your steps and take action. You will surprise yourself and everyone around at how fast you take off towards the dreams you desire and deserve.
If you would like a few more great tips on goal realization and even get my personally designed goals setting works sheets, CLICK HERE and I will happily end the Goal Realization Made Easy eBook to you right now. CLICK HERE now and get your copy today so you can start realizing all your goals as quickly as possible.
Think Successfully & Take Action
Tracy
3 Ways to Turn Obstacles into Milestones
Posted by: | CommentsI have found that there are two ways in which to view the world around you. One can have a positive outlook or one can have a negative outlook. Those struck with a negative view of the world that surrounds them take on a victim’s attitude. Life for them is a never-ending stream of pitfalls, perils and problems. Through the ‘woes-colored glasses’ of the negative attitude, one sees a world filled with inequality, injustice and intolerance. This outlook on the world around them taints their point of view – they do not expect much from the circumstances and people in their life, and thus they do not receive much from the circumstances and people in their life. Worse yet, when things do not go the way they would prefer, they simple tuck their tails between their legs, submissively accept the idea that “that is the way life goes” and believe there is nothing they can do to change it.
On the other side of the attitudinal coin, you will find those with a positive outlook on the world around them. Their view allows them to see a world of opportunity and possibility. While they are aware of the fact that they must work to receive what they want – they know deep inside that everything happens as part of the grand design or process that will eventually result in the success and happiness they desire and deserve.
People from both sides of our attitudinal coin will encounter obstacles, but generally only those with a positive outlook will be empowered enough to see their obstacles as stepping stones or better yet milestones. Do you know the number of times the average person, (whom has a propensity to lean towards a more negative outlook); will try to achieve a goal that is important to them? You may be surprised at the answer. On the average, they will try less than one time. Many never even try once, held back by the internal limitations set by their negative leaning attitude. Eighty percent of one’s limitations are within one’s self. All this leads to an even more interesting point of fact. Successful people fail far more than unsuccessful people do. However, successful people know and utilize three key ingredients to turn these obstacles, failures and frustrations into stepping-stones, milestones and signposts directing them towards their goal. These three ingredients are:
- Learn from your past
- Face your future mistakes
- Cut your losses
Learn from your past
Too many people do not take this important advice – often to the detriment of their lives and their career. Most of us are aware of the wealth of information available via the Internet, course materials and our network of friends, relatives and associates. However, one source of information often forgotten is the pool of knowledge within ourselves gained from the numerous mistakes we have made during the course of our lives and careers. What are the top three mistakes you have made in the past six to twelve months? What could you have done to avoid those mistakes, knowing what you now know? If you had it to do over, what would you do differently? Whom could you consult? At what point in the process of making the mistake could you have corrected it? What were the indicators of the mistake? How soon did they appear? What corrective Cialis Online action or change in direction can be taken now, or the next time a similar mistake is on the horizon?
These are but a few of the questions you can ask yourself in order to learn from your mistakes. In today’s world changes are happening at an ever-increasing speed, you will need to ‘see’ the changes needed and respond accordingly. Learning from your mistakes is an essential skill that will enable and empower you to become a master of change rather than a victim to it.
Face your future mistakes
The more you learn from you past, the better you can plan for your future. As your ability to learn from a mistake increases, you will view future pitfalls, perils and problems as stepping-stones, milestones and signposts redirecting you towards your goal. One important factor here is that you MUST be willing to face your mistakes. Failure to accept the fact that you made a mistake could deal a fatal blow to your success. Statistically speaking, seventy percent of all our decisions will turn out to be wrong. Given the current circumstances and available information they may seem right today, but in the fullness of time and as situations change they become mistakes we must adjust to.
Cut your losses
If seventy percent of our choices turn out to be wrong how does anyone ever become a success? By facing their mistakes and cutting their losses. Here is a key question to help you in this area. Knowing what I now know, would I get into this (business, relationship, endeavor, etc.) today? If the answer is no, then the decision and planning to be made is; how do I get out and how fast? Once you know that you have made a mistake, learn from it and correct your course accordingly. How do you correct or get out of the current situation, and how fast? It is when people and businesses refuse to accept that a mistake as has been made that the consequences continue to build, one upon the other, until it becomes unbearably wounding, and expensive, both personally and professionally.
Success Actions
- What is the largest mistake you have made recently?
- What could you have done to avoid the mistake?
- If you had it to do over, what would you do differently?
- Whom could you consult?
- How quickly could you correct it?
- What were the indicators of the mistake?
- How soon did they appear?
- What corrective action or change in direction can you take now?
- What other lessons can you derive from this mistake?
- What is the one largest milestone (obstacle) that you are facing today?
- What could this milestone teach you?
- If you have faced a similar milestone in the past – how did you overcome it?
- Do you know someone else that has overcome this type of milestone? If yes, consult them for advice to help you set your course
- Define your obstacle in as many different ways as possible
- Brainstorm as many solutions as you can. For any problem, no matter how big, or how complex it may be, there is a solution. All you have to do is find it! For an info on ‘Brainstorming,’ check out my Brainstorming post that will take you though a process and show you how to arrive at your solutions alone or with a group of ‘brains.’
- Set a goal to insure this obstacle becomes merely a milestone – use it to pave the way, not block the way, to your success. To be a goal setter, and more importantly a goal achiever, you have to have a written set of goals. Check my post on the 101s of goal setting.
- Be willing to cut your losses and change your direction on your course to your ultimate success. There is no shame in the making of a mistake if you are able to accept the responsibility, realize you are not perfect and get on with your life.
Think Successfully & Take Action
Tracy Brinkmann
One of Today’s TOP Motivated Coaches & Author of Success Atlas Programs.
The Top Ten Ways to Stay Focused on Your Goals and Objectives
Posted by: | CommentsAs a speaker in the area of goal setting and achievement I am often asked my opinion on what I believe are the keys to reaching one’s goal and objectives. While the answer to this question alone can take up a half-day seminar, allow me to spend the next few paragraphs covering the top ten.
However, before I get started, please realize the one thing that above all launches you towards your goals faster than all the top ten lists you will ever hear or read is consistency. All of your goals, dreams and aspirations are going to require not only effort but also a sustained effort. The best analogy I can give you is pushing a car. Most of you during the course of your life may have had to push a car that ran out of gas or broke down. You strained your muscles to get that car in motion. The sweat poured from your bow and finally the wheels began to turn. Once the 1200 pound car was in motion, the pushing became a bit easier. All you had to do is continue to put forth a little effort and you’d be at the gas station shortly. (Barring any hills of course). But if you would at any time stop pushing, even for a moment, you would have to put forth EXTRA effort again to get those wheels rolling.
Achieving your goals is much like pushing a car; you cannot work hard for a day or two and then stop. Pick up your goal again later and work for a day or two and then stop again. You need to put for the consistent effort that will get those wheels rolling. Then once you have that 1200-pound monster rolling forward at a good speed all you need to do is keep putting forth a little consistent effort. With this type of consistency you will reach your goals far faster than with the start and stop method so many people practice these days.
Here are ten of the ways you can focus that consistent effort to get even more out of the effort you put forth. I have found these ‘techniques’ very useful and honestly believe that if you put them to work for you that you too will reap their rewards.
1. Write your primary goals down. There is something that happens when you put pen to paper and write out your goals. It seems to activate your mind and your goals become ‘written’ into your sub-conscious, making your more aware of situations, people and events that will bring you to your goals faster.
2. Re-write your top tens goals daily. Each day re-write your top ten goals without looking at your previous lists. This process accomplishes two things.
a. Deeply imbeds your high priority goal into your sub-conscious.
b. Weeds out those goals that are really important TODAY. Those goals that are not truly high on your long-term priority list will not consistently remain in your top ten lists. This will help you focus on what is truly important rather than those whims all fall victim to.
3. Narrow your focus – by focusing on only a few goals at a time. Pick those goals that are truly yours and your hearts deepest desire. Then focus all your efforts like a laser beam upon their completion. Take the top ten and zero in on those three to five goals that mean the most to you. The three to five goals that you know you have the deepest desire to achieve.
4. Develop an action plan. Once you have determined what you want to accomplish you must now begin to lay out how you will go about accomplishing it. What skills do you need to develop? What contacts do you need to make? What steps do you need to take to get your from where you are today to where you are trying to get? Be aware that your plans may change as you go along gaining new insights and information. But you need to have a plan in order to know what comes next. The knowledge of what your going to do next will do wonders to keep you focused.
5. Envision your goal already achieved. The great achievers of yesterday and today all had one key-ability – the ability to see their goal as already accomplished. Be detailed in your vision of your goal; feel the pride of its accomplishment. What will your friends and associates say once you have reached your goal? The more detail and emotion you can insert into the vision of your accomplishment the more that vision will drive you towards its accomplishment.
6. Empower yourself with affirmations. When take the time daily to write down your top ten goals, write them as present tense personal affirmations. I.e. “I weigh 160 pounds,” rather than “I want to lose weight.” Or “I earn $10,000 a month,” rather than writing “I want to earn more money.” Then read these goals aloud. Stand tall; hold your shoulders straight and your head high. Then in a firm positive voice read your goals aloud. This will ignite the passions and pride within you. The passion to achieve your goal and the pride of what it will feel like to reach it.
7. Take daily action, no matter how small. Do not let a day go by that you do not take some sort of step towards your goal. This is where your consistency will pay big. Do not let the 1200-pound car stop rolling or your will have to push even harder just to get it moving again. Break your large goals down into smaller tasks and work one those tasks daily until complete.
8. Track your progress. You cannot effectively see that which you do not track, and you cannot change that which you cannot see. Create ways to see how far you are towards reaching your goal. Create charts and timelines so that you will see when you are falling behind or pulling ahead – make adjustments to your plans as necessary. A program like Microsoft Project is great for this, but use anything that will motivate you by allowing you to see where are along your road to success.
buy cheap Nitroglycerin online style=”font-family: Arial;”>9. Celebrate Milestones. Another great reason to track your progress is so that you can set and celebrate your milestones. All large goals are made-up of smaller goals and milestones that you need to recognize and pat yourself on the back once you complete them. As you reach each of the milestones, applaud yourself. Pause to feel the accomplishment. As you savor this triumph you will believe more strongly that you will in fact reach your goal.
10. Network and surround yourself with a group of like-minded people. Surround yourself with those that will not only encourage your accomplishments but challenge you towards them as well. None of us will accomplish any big goal alone. You are going to need assistance from others.
Any time that I have put all ten of these techniques to work for me at the same time – I have reached my goal far faster than I could have imagined. Any one of these alone are a way to reach your goal faster but I would highly encourage you to put all ten of these steps in action today. If you do I know I will be hearing about your success in the very near future.
Thinks Successfully & Take Action
Tracy Brinkmann
Today’s Top Motivated Success Coach
& Author of Success Atlas Goals Programs
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