by Scott Allan
One of the biggest challenges of goal-setting is maintaining a consistent level of organization and self-discipline. Goals are like the plants in your garden: They need regular maintenance. By breaking down the goal into sizeable chunks, it will be easier to track your success.
These smaller steps could include making phone calls, arranging a meeting, or doing research on a particular subject.
Deadline
When you attach a deadline to your power goal, make the deadline reasonable. If your goal is to write a novel and you give yourself until the end of the week to finish it, you are going to disappoint yourself. The deadline should be realistic, flexible, and reasonable.
The deadline is a point of reference for completing a goal. Commit yourself to completing your goal on time, giving it your best shot. Push hard so you can meet your own demands.
You can now attach dates and time limits to your sub-goals, as well, and make a list of tasks to complete these goals. Referring to your list of small steps and tasks, as well as sub-goals, work out how much time you will commit to each step. How long will it take you to write a paper, for example? Do research? Make phone calls? Take a few minutes to write down your estimated timeframe for each goal.
Take Immediate Action
Now that you’ve committed your goals to paper, added detail and created a workable timeframe, it’s time to take action.
In this step, you are igniting your plan. Get started right away!
If you put your goals on paper and then stick them in a drawer someplace, that’s probably where they will stay. Take action right away. Do not convince yourself that you have all the time in the world.
Taking action creates positive results and progress. Action breeds more action, and before you know it, you have started some serious momentum toward accomplishing your goals.
Review and Follow-up
The review stage for monitoring your progress is a vital step. Reviewing your goals once a week, once a month, and yearly is the key to keeping them current and ensuring that you move in the direction you want. When you review the status of your active goals, be sure to…
Determine the next actions necessary for that week or month.
Write down, record, and update any new information, ideas, or insights that contribute to the success of that goal.
By now, your goal portfolio is taking shape. It’s a lot of work writing everything down and keeping it organized, but the work you do in the preliminary stage will save you lots of time later. The more planning you do, the easier it will be to achieve your goals.
All my goals have had a deadline. I knew what I wanted from the beginning, and I didn’t quit. I knew I would succeed if I stayed committed. It is your level of commitment, persistence, and patience—three very powerful skills to master—that play a key role in the development and creation of the life you want.
If you feel like a mountain climber standing at the bottom of a summit, looking up at the insurmountable obstacle before you, now is the time to use your visualization techniques. You know what you want and you know how to get it. Take the first step and you will be one step closer to victory. Don’t turn back. Just keep climbing.
Every step is another victory. Everything carries challenges that seem impossible in the beginning.
Remember, success builds more success. The accomplishment of one goal will lead to the achievement of another. It’s like building a house. Before you put the roof on, the rest of the house has to be constructed first.
Think Beyond the Safety Net
One of the biggest errors made when creating goals is tending to go after the easy catch. Instead of setting lofty goals, people set too many limitations. They set easily attainable goals instead of trying for something difficult. They fail by default by setting their standards at a “safe” level to avoid failure or self-disappointment.
Instead of shooting for the stars, they shoot for the nearest cloud and hope they can land safely. If you think only within your own realm of what is possible, your fears will take over and convince you that you’ve never really accomplished much in the past, so why should you bother now?
Don’t listen to the voices that attempt to discourage you. You’re capable of anything, as soon as you make the decision and commit. Deep down you know you’re capable of anything. Your soul knows this, too, and it wants to shoot high. It doesn’t have the same limitations as the mind.
Think of the grandest vision you have for yourself, and focus on that. There will be obstacles to overcome and challenges to face, but you have the support of the universe at your disposal. Tap into that resource and use it efficiently.
Creating Your Personal Doctrine
“The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.”
— Earl Nightingale
In the previous chapters, you have built the foundation for your future. Now, you’ll put everything into a written statement—a personal philosophy for your life’s journey.
A personal philosophy statement is a declaration or personal creed. It is a highly focused set of unbroken standards that will be the foundation for the beliefs, values, and principles that govern the discipline of your daily life.
This philosophy of life is a focused statement that carries you toward the achievement of your goals. It acts as your guiding compass.
This is a contract with yourself, a written doctrine that serves as the code of ethics for your personal character development. This also establishes a set of concrete values.
The framework of your personal philosophy statement serves to uphold your deepest values. It governs everything you aspire to achieve under a set of clearly defined goals.
Your great purpose for living is put into action in everything you do, and your personal philosophy establishes the laws by which you will live.
Your thoughts are channeled through a system of integrated thinking, and the vision you build through the product of imagination stays within this focused arena. It becomes the deepest expression of who you are and clarifies the meaning of your life. When executed with commitment and responsibility, it carves a direct path to mastery and excellence, and works to support all fields of life.
The philosophy of life, or personal mission statement, is the foundational center from which everything flows. Your vision for who you want to be, the differences you want to make, the contributions and services you want to deliver—everything flows from the core of this personal philosophy.
Consider writing your philosophy utilizing these key areas:
Contribution
This is the area in which you can make a difference to people and organizations in your life. It defines how will you contribute and be of service toward:
Your family
Your friends and personal relationships
Your employers and professional communities
The global community
Write out a statement for each heading and clearly define how you are going to contribute to each of the areas listed above.
Core Values
By developing a self-awareness of the values you cherish, you will identify who you are and what you believe. Your values express personal uniqueness and help you make future decisions.
Your vision is supported by your values. To get started, review the list below. Create a list of your own core values, and prioritize them in order of importance. Once you have your priority list, choose the one value that has the greatest importance to you.
Honesty, integrity, forgiveness, surrender, understanding, sacrifice, excellence, trustworthiness, empathy, humility, tolerance, loyalty, nobility, trustworthiness, spirituality, wisdom, self-discipline, peace, equality, traditionalism, adventure, success, financial independence, wealth, security, gratitude/thankfulness, respect, reliability, awareness, consciousness, persistence, success, health, passion, mastery, leadership, kindness, imagination, happiness
, uniqueness, popularity, winning, adaptability, change, friendship, love, empowerment, character growth, patience, self-expression.
Goals
Take some time to look over the goals you have set for yourself. Write down your first primary goal. Then, choose two more goals.
Primary Goal 1:
Primary Goal 2:
Primary Goal 3:
Are these goals in alignment with your vision and values?
Vision
Clearly define the vision you have for the life you desire to create. Find a quiet place, and take twenty minutes to imagine your life and the person you’ll evolve into over the years. Add detail to this vision and see everything within your mind’s eye. Tap into your deepest imagination and maintain that vision for as long as you can.
Now, write down what you visualize as your future reality. Write it down in the present tense as if it’s already happening.
Empowering Beliefs
What are the beliefs that contribute to your purpose and are in alignment with the values and principles you have established? Here are a few examples of beliefs I have selected:
I believe in the strength and goodness of humanity.
I believe in forgiving others for their mistakes and imperfections.
I believe the universe is a sacred place that provides answers to any questions we have.
I believe I can do anything, and that the only limitations that exist are in my mind.
I believe I am here for a reason, and that those reasons are unfolding in the thoughts and actions I engage in every day.
Life Roles
Each of us has several roles that make up our commitments and responsibilities to family, work, and relationships in general. These are the roles that define our level of service to the environment we have created. Some people have one or two main roles, while others have eight or more. Regardless of how many roles you are responsible for fulfilling, each has a level of importance.
Here is a sample list of roles you may be familiar with:
Husband, father, wife, mother, friend, community spokesperson, company president, employee, teacher, coach, writer, musician, student, doctor, volunteer
Take a moment to write down the roles you are responsible for and include your function in each role, what the role means to you, and how you contribute to each role.
Action List
What actions can you take to ensure that your life stays on track?
The actions I will take are:
Creating a daily/weekly/monthly action list
Reading affirmations that empower my spirit
Keeping my workspace organized and clean
Avoiding distractions and activities that lead to lethargy
Concentrating and staying focused on my goals twice a day
Accomplishments/Victories
What are the results you hope to achieve? By following the course of my personal philosophy statement, and staying focused on the values, principles, goals, and vision for my life, I hope to:
Make a difference in the lives of those around me.
Become more professional in my career.
Develop a higher level of spiritual awareness and consciousness.
Become financially independent.
Strengthen my role as a parent through understanding my children’s emotional needs and wants.
Develop a deeper relationship with my wife, my children, and my friends.
Accomplish my greatest dream.
Now, make a list of the accomplishments you are going to achieve through living your life according to your personal philosophy statement.
Your Personal Philosophy Statement
Using the information you’ve already outlined, you are going to create your personal philosophy statement. Before you do, take some time to think about these questions and write about them in your notebook.
How would you define the person you want to evolve into by the end of your life?
What brings you the greatest sense of joy and fulfillment?
What are three things you’ve always wanted to do with your life?
How are you going to make a difference in the city/town/community you live in?
What is the vision you have of the life you will be living twenty years from today?
What habits do you need to change to put you in alignment with your personal philosophy statement?
What are the master roles in your life, and how will you work to empower these roles in the future?
How would you define the meaning and purpose of your life?
What is your primary life goal?
Now, utilizing everything you have brainstormed in the previous exercises, write out your personal philosophy statement. Rewrite it several times, until it clearly defines everything that encompasses your life as a whole. In the weeks and months to come, feel free to revise your statement when necessary.
Stick to Your Guns
“When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing–then we truly live life.”
— Greg Anderson
Your goals are now in writing and explained in concrete detail, with a deadline, and backed up by a solid plan of immediate action to start the momentum. You know what you want and you are filled with a burning passion to charge forward. You are even waking up early to get a head start on the day and you feel like nothing can stop you. You know exactly what you want and you’re going to get it.
Then, after a short while, something changes. The excitement you felt a couple months ago has diminished and you feel yourself being pulled in other directions. The goal you were once so focused on has become nothing but a distant blur. You have stopped reviewing your goals and have fallen back into a pattern of sloth and helplessness. Everything seems lost.
Staying on Track
It appears that the world and everyone in it has their own agenda. You feel derailed and cheated. This is part of the ongoing challenges you will face. You must learn to deal with it as it happens. Family matters must be attended to, your boss wants a report on his desk by yesterday, and it seems as if no matter how hard you try to stay focused on the big picture, other forces with hidden agendas are pulling you off course.
Well, this is the reality of life and it doesn’t just step aside while we pursue other interests, galloping into the sunset, seeking our glory and fortune. You have to mold yourself into the reality of the world around you because the world is unforgiving when it comes to our own personal needs. If you find yourself losing interest or drifting away from the excitement of the goals you have set, the important thing is to stick with it, especially when the going gets tough.
There will be days and weeks when you have had so many setbacks that you’ll want to throw in the towel and walk away. Those who give up often fail to realize they were already within sight of the finish line, but too blinded by other distractions to notice.
There are so many things that demand our attention and test our patience and strength of conviction. This is reality, and losing your focus is all part of the process.
There are ways to get through the tough times. The trick with goal management is to envision your victory first. Think about it every day. Imagine it. Feel it. Meditate on it and think with deep focus about what it is you’re trying to achieve. Someday, when you look back on the hard times, you can say, “I am here today because I didn’t give up.” Others will look back and say, “If only I hadn’t given up.” Choose which side you want to be on.
No matter what frustrations you face, remind yourself that this is your plan, your life, and your future. You are making it happen with the victory of living each day to its fullest. Days of futility will be remembered as tough but educational. It is through the hard times that our success is born.
Staying on the right course means more than just managing your goals; it’s about managing yourself as well. If you can manage your affairs, stay persistent, keep your prioriti
es straight, you will excel at everything you focus on.
Remember, success is the result of facing the obstacles that block your path. Those who never give up and stay on course in the face of adversity will experience more than they have ever dreamed. Here is a list of suggestions for sticking with it.
1. Stay persistent in the face of failure
The greatest battles in history have been won because the victors refused to give up. Failure was not an option. If you fall down once, get up. If you fall down, get up. If you stay down, you’ll fail, and what could have been your success will become someone else’s victory.
The key to success is persistence, and every successful entrepreneur will tell you that success is the combined effort of dozens of failures. When you want to succeed so badly that nothing else matters, quitting is not an option. You will find a way to make it work. You pay the price for the required sacrifice and push on. Don’t give up when the finish line is right in front of you.
2. Stay consistent with learning
The consistency of practicing a skill or habit leads to the mastery of new abilities. Work consistency into your daily life. Make it a priority and practice what you want to perfect. Remember, the key to mastering anything is to perform the action again and again, not just when you feel like it, but in a consistent pattern that builds the habit. This leads to the mastery of a skill. Consistency plus persistence equals success.
3. Make the right friendships
If you want to stop gambling, don’t hang around the casinos looking for new friends. If you want to quit smoking or drinking, stay away from bars and all related activities that promote these habits. In other words, surround yourself with the support that is necessary for your success, as well as the success of others. Keep your support group close, and if you don’t have a support group, find one.
Having people in your life to share thoughts and ideas with is a powerful method for staying on track. People, who understand what you’re trying to do and want to contribute to your mission, or join you to succeed on your journey, will become powerful allies.