2008 is now history. All the plans for the year have either been achieved or deferred. When you sit to review the year, what are the achievements you have made? That, I am sure, is the question on your mind right now. I am also sure that you will realise that you have achieved much. You may not have bought that car you so much desired but you may have touched some lives. You may not have done some outstanding things by your own assessment but you have changed that little nagging bad habit that you have had for a long time. What I am saying is that you have achieved something and you should commend yourself for the little you have done. You should also thank your God that has given you the opportunities and enablement throughout 2008.
Even if you have not achieved much, the good news is that you can start afresh again in 2009. As the saying goes, he who fights and run away lives to fight another day. So you have not really failed. 2008 is actually a stepping stone for you to discover the opportunities available for you in 2009. Those goals you were not able to achieve in 2008 are now areas you should explore in 2009. It is never too late to start. So brush up those your goals of 2008 that you were not able to achieve, review them then take action at achieving them. That is the first step to take in preventing the repetition of whatever challenges you had in 2008 at achieving all your goals.
Now to progress in our series on achieving success in life and business, we shall review our last few postings on goals. We have looked at what goals are, what the importance of goals are, and reasons why some people do not set goals. From those readings I believe you have come to the conclusion that the journey to real success will be rough if you do not develop the habit of goal setting. If you have not started the practice of goals setting, this is a clarion call on you to commence. It is never too late to start. But if you are in the act of setting goals, then I say more grease to your elbow.
I will appreciate if you share your experience at goal settings with the readers of this blog. You contribution will, in no small measure, help someone to reach his destination of success faster and smoothly. I look forward to reading your comments.
In the next few postings, we will look at the act of goals setting. The components of goals setting, the steps involved in goals setting, and the generally principles to employ in goals setting. Subsequently we will consider all other things that are necessary for the achievement of our goals. Please come along with me in this journey to achieving success in life and business.
I love to see you succeed.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
7 Reasons Why People Don’t Set Goals
We have seen that goal setting are automatic characteristic of human and have also considered the benefits of goal setting, why is it then that most people don’t set clear, written, measurable and time bounded goals? We will discuss seven reasons why this is so.
Some people don’t set goals because they are simply not serious. They only talk and are not doers of what they say. They may have intentions, hopes, wishes or even prayers but these do not count, only the action they take counts. They want to improve their lives, they want to be more successful but they are not willing to make the necessary effort. One person who will take action is worth ten brilliant talkers who do nothing.
Another why some people don’t set goals is that they have not yet accepted responsibility for their lives. The irresponsible person is the person who is still waiting for real life to begin. Such a person gives different excuses for his failures instead of taking responsibility. He is always out in search of shortcut to everything. He expends his energy on irrelevant things that do not contribute to his progress.
Some people have some deep-seated feeling of guilt and unworthiness and this has prevented them from setting goals for their lives. Such a person has low self-esteem and is deficient mentally and emotionally. This may be due to upbringing in a negative environment or developing a feeling or attitude of “what’s the use?” or “I’m not good enough”.
A person who does not realise the importance of gaols will not set goals. If a person grows in a home where no one has goals or even socializes with a group where goals is neither discussed nor valued, he can easily reach adulthood without knowing that his ability to set and achieve goals will have more of an effect on his life than any other skill. If people realized how important goals are to a happy successful life then more people would have goals than do today.
Some people set goals because they don’t know how. Many people think that they have goals whereas what they actually have is a series of wishes or dreams. These are not goals rather they are merely fantasies that are common to everyone. A goal is distinctively different from a wish because it is clear, written, and specific. It can be quickly and easily described to another person. You can measure it and you know when you have achieved it. It is quite possible that in the whole of your education, you may not have been instructed in goal setting. The good news is that you can find a truck load of resources on goal setting.
Fear of rejection or fear of criticism is responsible for some people not setting goals. People are afraid that if they set a goal and are not successful, others will criticise or ridicule them. As a result they decide not set goals. To overcome this you should keep your goals confidential to yourself. If people don’t know your goals they cannot laugh at you even if you fail. However, you may share your goals with those that may help you in achieving them especially goal oriented people.
The most prominent reason why people do not set goals is the fear of failure. They discover that fear hurts and tried to be careful so that they don’t fail as a result they do not set goals. What they also fail to understand is that it is impossible to succeed without failing. You can learn to overcome fear of failure by being absolutely clear about your goals, and by accepting that temporary setbacks and obstacle are inevitable price you pay to achieve any great success in life.
There may be more reasons why people refuse to set goals. If you can overcome these above then you can go ahead and set your goals firmly resolved in your mind to achieve them.
Some people don’t set goals because they are simply not serious. They only talk and are not doers of what they say. They may have intentions, hopes, wishes or even prayers but these do not count, only the action they take counts. They want to improve their lives, they want to be more successful but they are not willing to make the necessary effort. One person who will take action is worth ten brilliant talkers who do nothing.
Another why some people don’t set goals is that they have not yet accepted responsibility for their lives. The irresponsible person is the person who is still waiting for real life to begin. Such a person gives different excuses for his failures instead of taking responsibility. He is always out in search of shortcut to everything. He expends his energy on irrelevant things that do not contribute to his progress.
Some people have some deep-seated feeling of guilt and unworthiness and this has prevented them from setting goals for their lives. Such a person has low self-esteem and is deficient mentally and emotionally. This may be due to upbringing in a negative environment or developing a feeling or attitude of “what’s the use?” or “I’m not good enough”.
A person who does not realise the importance of gaols will not set goals. If a person grows in a home where no one has goals or even socializes with a group where goals is neither discussed nor valued, he can easily reach adulthood without knowing that his ability to set and achieve goals will have more of an effect on his life than any other skill. If people realized how important goals are to a happy successful life then more people would have goals than do today.
Some people set goals because they don’t know how. Many people think that they have goals whereas what they actually have is a series of wishes or dreams. These are not goals rather they are merely fantasies that are common to everyone. A goal is distinctively different from a wish because it is clear, written, and specific. It can be quickly and easily described to another person. You can measure it and you know when you have achieved it. It is quite possible that in the whole of your education, you may not have been instructed in goal setting. The good news is that you can find a truck load of resources on goal setting.
Fear of rejection or fear of criticism is responsible for some people not setting goals. People are afraid that if they set a goal and are not successful, others will criticise or ridicule them. As a result they decide not set goals. To overcome this you should keep your goals confidential to yourself. If people don’t know your goals they cannot laugh at you even if you fail. However, you may share your goals with those that may help you in achieving them especially goal oriented people.
The most prominent reason why people do not set goals is the fear of failure. They discover that fear hurts and tried to be careful so that they don’t fail as a result they do not set goals. What they also fail to understand is that it is impossible to succeed without failing. You can learn to overcome fear of failure by being absolutely clear about your goals, and by accepting that temporary setbacks and obstacle are inevitable price you pay to achieve any great success in life.
There may be more reasons why people refuse to set goals. If you can overcome these above then you can go ahead and set your goals firmly resolved in your mind to achieve them.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
4 Reasons Why Goals Are Important
The successful people in life set goals and they create a plan to achieve them. They realise that they have to focus on where they want to go first then manage their time, money, and effort towards actions that take them closer to realising their goals. They are able to better prioritise their daily activities, weeding out the things that don’t bring them closer to fulfilling their dreams. It is a great habit to have and truly vital if you are going to learn to focus on what is truly important in your life.
Before we go ahead to discuss how to set our goals and develop plans to achieve them, it is important to know why we should set goals in the first place. What benefits we stand to gain when we set goals. This will give us a compelling reason to stick to the process of bringing those goals to reality. It is not easy to follow all the steps in achieving our goals but if we have a big enough “why”, we can be motivated through the entire steps and endure any difficulty on the way.
1. Goals are guideposts in our lives. Our goals help shape our decisions regarding what our course of action will be. If we know we want to save enough money for our kids’ education, we will find ourselves cutting back on frivolous expenses in order to use the money to build up their education fund. Why? Because the reason we are doing it is front and centre in our mind. We have a purpose, a plan, and ultimately goals that we want to achieve. Goals keep us focused on what we need to do.
2. Goals keep us disciplined and keep our eyes on the prize. By having our goals front and centre, we will be able to avoid the temptations of instant gratification and opt for behaviours that will lead to long-term prosperity. When we have clear written goals, we’re going to think about our goals often enough to avoid buying things that we do not need in order to save and invest our money.
3. Goals have the power to motivate. The goals we set for ourselves are what will determine our future. Those big dreams of ours are what are going to keep us motivated to make everyday sacrifices in order to make those dreams of tomorrow a reality.
4. Goals determine the level of success you can achieve. Goals bring to the present the future we desire and as such we are able to work towards bringing that future to reality. With clear goals we can achieve so much. Goals to a great extent help achieving whatever success we want in our life.
With these benefits of setting enumerated above, it becomes imperative that we take the issue of goal setting seriously. If you desire a beautiful future, set it as a goal. If you want to be wealthy set it as a goal. Whatever good things you want in life set them as goals. And you can be sure to attain all of them as you so desire.
Before we go ahead to discuss how to set our goals and develop plans to achieve them, it is important to know why we should set goals in the first place. What benefits we stand to gain when we set goals. This will give us a compelling reason to stick to the process of bringing those goals to reality. It is not easy to follow all the steps in achieving our goals but if we have a big enough “why”, we can be motivated through the entire steps and endure any difficulty on the way.
1. Goals are guideposts in our lives. Our goals help shape our decisions regarding what our course of action will be. If we know we want to save enough money for our kids’ education, we will find ourselves cutting back on frivolous expenses in order to use the money to build up their education fund. Why? Because the reason we are doing it is front and centre in our mind. We have a purpose, a plan, and ultimately goals that we want to achieve. Goals keep us focused on what we need to do.
2. Goals keep us disciplined and keep our eyes on the prize. By having our goals front and centre, we will be able to avoid the temptations of instant gratification and opt for behaviours that will lead to long-term prosperity. When we have clear written goals, we’re going to think about our goals often enough to avoid buying things that we do not need in order to save and invest our money.
3. Goals have the power to motivate. The goals we set for ourselves are what will determine our future. Those big dreams of ours are what are going to keep us motivated to make everyday sacrifices in order to make those dreams of tomorrow a reality.
4. Goals determine the level of success you can achieve. Goals bring to the present the future we desire and as such we are able to work towards bringing that future to reality. With clear goals we can achieve so much. Goals to a great extent help achieving whatever success we want in our life.
With these benefits of setting enumerated above, it becomes imperative that we take the issue of goal setting seriously. If you desire a beautiful future, set it as a goal. If you want to be wealthy set it as a goal. Whatever good things you want in life set them as goals. And you can be sure to attain all of them as you so desire.
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