PERSONAL SUCCESS THROUGH GOAL SETTING [BY BALWANTSINGH BISHT]

 

Personal Success Through Goal Setting

Setting goals and objectives is a process which has very wide application in business, and it was certainly a part of my own business training which I had to put into practice regularly in the years that followed. Some of the better businesses and organizations will also incorporate personal goal setting into staff development, as part of the personnel (human) resources routine. But what about you as an individual? Can you use goal setting as a tool to help you achieve success? 

GOAL SETTING TO YOUR PERSONAL SUCCESS

Goal setting can, indeed, be a very useful, sometimes powerful assistant to your personal success. If you incorporate goals and objectives into your personal planning, whether short or long term, then your road to success will have a better foundation. Success? Success at what? That is entirely up to you. If there is something in life you want to succeed at, then there will no doubt be some goals you can set to help you along the way; like stepping stones across a river when success is the opposite bank.

GOAL SETTING TECHNIQUES

GOAL SETTING TECHNIQUES

 In reality, you can apply goal setting techniques to any part of your life, whether it is to do with work, personal relationships, where you want to live, or a personal hobby or interest. So long as you set realistic goals at each stage, then they can be a very strong personal incentive, which will prepare you for the next stage. Eventually you will be able to look back and see how far you have come, and you can wave goodbye to those stepping stones and go on to new ones on another journey to success.

REALISTIC GOALS

GOAL SETTING-REALISTIC GOAL

 If you settle down and think clearly about what you want to succeed in, and then what you need to achieve in order to get there, you will quite naturally give a structure to a plan which you will follow; a structure that will incorporate goals you will need to achieve along the way. As with business goals and plans, your personal goals need to be realistic. If you have never driven a car and decide you want to be a Formula One race driver, then it does not make a lot of sense to go directly to Ferrari HQ and say “Here I am, can I race for you in next week’s Grand Prix?” If you are determined enough, you may become an F1 driver, but there are a few little goals to achieve first. That applies to just about anything.

SET A SERIES OF GOALS

 You need to pinpoint the key achievements along the way to success in whatever it is you wish to succeed in, set an appropriate series of goals, and then tick them off one by one. It is important to think clearly about your personal goals, as they are just that, personal. They are not your husband’s goals, you parents’ goals, or your brother’s goals, they are yours. Keep focused on what you want to achieve, not what others would like you to achieve from their own viewpoint. Use the opportunity to incorporate lifestyle goals into your plan, such as living by the sea, having a nice house, anything that is important to you.

PUT THE GOALS FOR YOUR HAPPINESS

 Even happiness benefits from goal setting; you can think about everything that would make you happy, and then set goals to achieve each of those elements. Having decided your goals, then put them together in a plan that is realistic, otherwise you may be despondent after missing a goal which was impossible anyway. Set a reasonable timescale, and then try to aim for it step by step. If your chosen area of success is a competitive one, then remember that most people will just give up. But you will not give up, will you? 

The 12 Commandments of Goal Setting

Many professionals have a basic idea of what they want to achieve in their careers. They may want to close more sales, earn a higher income, or move into a different job. However, somehow they do not achieve the success they desire. Why? Why is it that intelligent, motivated, hard-working individuals are not achieving the success they deserve? It is because they haven't set clear goals. They may have a general idea of what they want to accomplish, but the mind does not work effectively with generalities.

GOALS IN PRESENT TENSE

 If you want to earn a higher income and you earn one more dollar, have you achieved your goal? No, of course you haven't. Because you were not specific about what you wanted to accomplish, your creative mind could not assist you in reaching your true objective. In order to be effective, goals must be written down in the present tense using clear, specific, vivid words. For example, if your goal were to earn a salary of $50,000 per year, you would write. I now earn $50,000. per year in a job that is fulfilling and allows me to express myself creatively. 

STEPS FOR SETTING GOALS

Completing the following steps will help you set goals effectively so you can achieve positive results in your career.

1. Decide what you want to accomplish. The goal should be very specific. If you want to close more sales, how many more sales do you want to close? What do you want your closing ratio to be? If you want to move into a different job, what are the characteristics of that job?

2. Determine a deadline for accomplishment. A goal must have a deadline. If you do not have a date on it, the goal is only a wish or a dream.

3. Determine that the goal is believable to you. You must feel that the goal can be realized. If you believe it is impossible to achieve, you will never take the action necessary to make the goal a reality.

4. Where are you now? Take a current inventory. You will never know how far you have to go if you don't know where you already are. 

5. What obstacles do you need to overcome? Is there something that may make it difficult to achieve your goal? Be aware of the obstacle so you can make plans to overcome it.

6. What knowledge will you need to acquire? Will you need to earn a professional designation or take certain courses? Will you need to research new markets? 

7. What organizations and groups should you associate with? Are there certain groups of people that can make it easier for you to accomplish your goal? How can you become affiliated with them?

8. What are the benefits to you? Write down as many benefits as possible. The more benefits you can come up with, the more likely you will be to stick to the goal until it is achieved.

9. Develop an action plan. Determine the specific steps that will be necessary to achieve the goal. Start at the accomplishment of the goal and work backwards.

10. Visualize yourself accomplishing the goal. See yourself in clear detail as if you have already achieved the goal. If you want to close more sales, see yourself closing more sales easily. Do this over and over again until it becomes part of your subconscious mind.

11. Take daily action towards the goal. Dreams and goals require action. The best goal in the world will never materialize unless consistent action is taken.

12. Resolve to never quit. Decide that you will never give up, even when times get tough, until your goal is reached. Taking the effort to complete the steps in goal setting is not easy. However, when you follow these steps, your success is almost assured.

The Key to Getting What You Want

The most critical attribute for realizing our dreams is integrity. In a conversation about dreams, integrity is essential and can be summarized this way: Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honor your word and agreements and you will be living with integrity, where dreams really do come true. Simple, yes, but not always easy. Vastly overscheduled, often the person it's most difficult to keep our commitments with, is yourself.

A SET OF CONCIOUS PRINCIPLES

 As you practice upholding your values, you are given opportunities to show up or to sell out. When you are challenged, do you lose sight of what matters to you? Do you have an internal pulse, a set of conscious principles that you live your life by? If you are committed to a life of joy and abundance, filled with love, generosity and contribution, integrity is a must. Integrity creates trust and accountability. Surrounded by crowds, you can feel lonely if you're not true to yourself. Without integrity, you can have great wealth and still feel worthless. And lacking integrity, you won't trust yourself or have faith in your dreams.

INTEGRITY FOR SETTING GOALS

When we leave things unresolved or incomplete, we are out of integrity. You can recognize something as incomplete by how you feel about it. Is the matter settled? Do you worry about it? How is it impacting other areas of your life? When you are complete with something you don’t even think about it. There is no agitation or energy wasted. It's up to you to decide if something is incomplete or not, but it's difficult to focus on future dreams when you are consumed by your past. Incompletions can be notorious and contagious as one leads to another. Buried under burdensome annoyances we can feel lost, afraid or confused. 

CONFIDENCE AND SELF ESTEEM

Take Jake for instance. He didn’t pay his taxes for two years. The IRS put a lien on his assets, so he was labelled a bad credit risk. He couldn’t buy a house or rent an apartment. Eventually he lost his credit cards. He was caught in a downward spiral that also undermined his confidence and self esteem. Linda let her parking tickets pile high and never got around to paying them. She became afraid to drive her car because she might get towed. Concerned about driving to work, she eventually lost her job. A small detail led to a bigger concern, which led to an even worse problem. 

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

Carol had a room in her home that she called the “black hole,” filled with incomplete items. Since she and her husband were trying to sell their house, she knew it was time to tackle that project. She came up with a list of over one hundred “items to do.” They included returning things she had borrowed, writing letters, even mailing back an inexpensive bracelet she had stolen from her local drug store when she was a teenager. It took some time and effort, but with each item she handled, Carol felt lighter and freer. Within a few weeks of completing her list, they easily sold their house. 

SCRUTINIZE YOUR LIFE

Completion creates freedom. First StepsThis powerful process of exploring what's been left unsaid, undone or incomplete in your life is one of the most awesome things you can do to free yourself and have more access to your dreams. If undertaken to the best of your ability, this may be the most profound thing you have ever done. Look at all these important areas and use this formula as a guide to scrutinize your life. 

THE AREAS TO EXPLORE YOUR GOAL

The areas to explore (but are not limited to) include your body, mind, home, work, finance, and people (living and dead).

1. Write down what you feel incomplete about with anyone or anything.

2. List what you need to do to complete it.

3. Complete as many items as possible. How do you complete something? You may need to write a letter or make a phone call. You may need to forgive someone or just declare “it’s over.”

CREATE A PROJECT PLAN

 On some items, you might need to create a project plan or you might not even know yet. Just do your best to get rid of anything that is weighing you down. Removing clutter will give you greater clarity and energy for the things that are important to you. As you complete what you can, feelings of pride, accomplishment, and peace of mind, can motivate you to take on even the tough things. Free to move forward, now you can tap into the flow of life. The more your life is in order, the faster and easier your ability to manifest dreams will become. It’s just that simple.

Setting Your Goals: Easier Said, Easily Done

The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all the different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you set focus on the acquisition of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life. 
SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM GOALS
Setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. Charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals. 
SMALLER AND MANAGEABLE TARGETS 
The basics of goal settings will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals. A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
 Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them. Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind holding you back towards completing your simplest goals? If there are any part of your behavior that is being a hindrance or puts your plans into disarray? If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Solutions may include a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions.
CAREER REQUIRES EDUCATION AND SKILL
 Careers are made by good time management practice. Failing in a career is often attributed to bad time management. Careers require a lot from an individual which often makes the career the life of the individual. Plan how far do you want to go into your career. Education is key in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree or require a certain specialization or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education. Your family should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members.
EARNING POTENCIAL
 Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential. Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning. As the saying goes -‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’, or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter.
REVIEW YOUR PLAN
 Giving yourself a little pleasure: should be included into your plans. To start achieving your lifetime goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily. Then create a things-to-do list for the day. Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies. The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them.