Goals, who needs them? What are they and who uses them? How do we set them and do they work? I want to talk a little bit today about your goals. They are instrumental in your personal development. I’ve included some inspirational quotes that I hope will help you in achieving your goals.
“It’s harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb. Continue to seek new goals.”
~ Pat Summitt
Subscribe below to join my email list.
Achieving Goals
Who writes down goals? Well, the best answer is, successful people. Did you know that 96% of all the wealth created in the world is created by 1% of the population? These are the people that are extremely successful in building businesses and making money. By comparison, I recently heard that only 1% of people write down their goals. One could deduct that the 1% who are writing down their goals are also the 1% creating 96% of the wealth. For example, in my post last week on becoming an expert, I listed some habits of successful people. One of those habits is that successful people are goal-oriented. Taking this all in, I think it’s time we started writing some goals.
“One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.”
~ Michael Korda
What are goals? How do we decide what our goals are? Simply put, goals are just things that you want. Decide on some things that you want and write them down. Now you have some goals. For example, you might want more money, a bigger house, or fame. Maybe you want a better relationship or be in a relationship. Whatever you want, write it down.
Stay On Course
Your goals can be described as a target that gives you something to aim at. Also, they can be thought of as your internal GPS. They keep you going in the right direction and not veering off course. They get you where you want to go. Another way to think of goals is to picture a plow horse. The farmer always puts blinders on the horse when they hook them up to the plow. The blinders are simply small squares of firm leather attached to the bridal at the side of the horse’s head. Since horse’s eyes are on the side of their head, they have peripheral vision. They can easily be distracted by something off to the side and stray off course. The blinders help the farmer to plow straight rows. They keep the horse on track, just like your goals.
“If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”
~ Source unknown
“It’s important to set your own goals and work hard to achieve them.”
~ Yuichiro Miura
We have already established that goals are things that you want. They are your dreams. They need to be written down. Goals that are not written down are simply a wish. They will never be achieved. When setting goals, keep in mind that they should be big but also realistic. You have to convince your mind that your goal is attainable. An unattainable goal is worthless. For example, if my goal is to live on another planet, that is currently unattainable. I wouldn’t work very hard to attain that goal. Your goal needs to be big enough to scare you. It must make you grow in the process of making it come true.
The End Date
Goals must have an end date. By setting an end date, you will stay on track to accomplish your goal. It helps you do a little bit every day to keep moving forward. You will also be able to track your progress towards reaching your goal. For example, by December 31, 2020, I have earned $1,500,000 profit in my businesses. I can now see how close or far I am to my goal. This allows me to look at my plan and see if it’s working. I recommend people to set long-term goals, medium goals, and short-term goals. A long-term goal can be five or 10 years out. This is the main goal that we know will take some time to achieve. Our medium and short-term goals will keep us on track to achieving our long-term goals.
“You should set goals beyond your reach so you always have something to live for.”– Ted Turner
“The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
~ Michelangelo
Now we have decided on the things we want, written them down, and set an end date. Next, we need to read them every day. I prefer to write my goals on an index card and carry it in my pocket. This way I can read them wherever I am. Remember not to write down too many goals. You will keep getting distracted from obtaining your main goal. It is better to focus on one or two goals that will change you.
How Do We Achieve Our Goals
How are we going to accomplish our goals now that we have them written down? The most important question is not how, but WHY. Once you know WHY you will figure out how to turn your goals into reality. Just keep your eyes open and pay attention to your thoughts. They will open your mind up to all the possibilities in front of you. What happens when we reach our end date and we have been successful? One answer is to set bigger goals with a new end date. What if we fail to reach our goal? If you failed to reach your goal, then look at your plan and your work ethic. Possibly, you did not work hard enough or your plan was flawed. If this happens, change your plan. Don’t change your goal.
“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.”
~ Author Unknown
“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in you. Dream deep, for every dream, precedes the goal.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore
Methods
One method of staying on track with your goals is called, “The Seinfeld Method.” In this method, you get a large yearly calendar and hang it on a prominent wall. Establish your goal and your plan. Every day that you do something in your plan and work toward your goal, put a big red “X” on that date. The purpose is to establish a chain and never break the chain. Another method is to put two jars on your desk. One jar is filled with marbles, paperclips, etc., and the other is empty. Every time you do something towards accomplishing your goal, move the object to the empty jar. This is a great method for accomplishing daily goals. A lot of salespeople use this method when they have a goal of making X amount of sales calls a day.
The Journey
What I become from the process is what I like most about setting goals and working towards obtaining them. Will you become a better person by focusing on your goals? What kind of person would you be after working on your plan? Like me, you will change. By focusing on your goals you will begin to get a direction in your life. It will give you a purpose and you will find you are better because of it. This to me is the most important aspect of goal setting, what you become.
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”
~ Bill Copeland
“If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals.”
~ Lou Holtz
Have you written your goals down and carry them with you? Do you have them written on the bathroom mirror? Leave a comment below and let me know if you have any tips on attaining goals. Subscribe to my email list by clicking on the blue-button above and receive my checklist to keep you moving forward in attaining your goals.
Final Thoughts
If anyone would like to support this blog please click on the product icons if you need to purchase anything from Amazon. You can purchase whatever you want and I earn a small commission as long as you enter through my links. You will be supporting my blog and it will not cost you anything extra. I appreciate it and I am grateful to all my followers and readers.
“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”
This article may include affiliate links. www.inspirechief.com is a participant of the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. http://www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.
