HOW TO SET GOALS—STEP 1 (Determining your “Big Picture”)

When setting goals, it is important to dedicate some time to think about what you really want to accomplish both in the short and long term.  In order to attain a goal, it has to be clearly thought out, visualized and be able to be achieved in the time frame you determine.  For example, my goal for the next year is to achieve an MBA in Finance.  In order to do so, it is imperative for me to find an accelerated program that will allow me to do so.  In keeping with this notion, I have to realize that since the program is accelerated, I will need to devote more time in order to study and maintain the grade point average necessary to obtain my degree.  Additionally, in order to devote more time to my program, I would have to detract time from another activity I am engaged in.  So, I would have to think about an activity I can eliminate in order to assure that I have the free time to dedicate to the MBA program.  In assessing my time, I realize that I devote an additional ten (10) hours per week to volunteering with domestic violence survivors.  That ten (10) hours can be redirected to the fulfillment of my goal.  My thought process would then be geared towards determining whether I really want to obtain the MBA in the pre-determined time frame.  In taking all of this into consideration, I decided that this venture was what I really, really wanted to pursue. 

This is a real goal that I set for myself during the past calendar year and I’m well on my way towards achieving that goal.  You can use this example to set a goal in your life since I clearly delineated my thought process and created a roadmap for you to follow.  The aforementioned example illustrates a practical application of a regimented goal-setting session.  This is an example of beginning goal setting with the end in mind.  It is a conceptualization of “the big picture.”  It is my “big picture” for the next year.  It is a professional goal that will lead me to the next big thing in my life.  You can begin by setting a short-term goal which is your goal for the next year or it may be for a shorter period of time.  Generally short-term goals are goals that can be attained in a year or less.

Since I am well-versed in goal setting methodology and have mastered the art of goal setting and attainment, I generally set multiple goals for different areas of my life.  It has been my custom to direct my life in a matter that is regimented and goal-oriented.  I generally think about my long-term goal and set it at the same time because my short-term goal is the goal that I achieve on the way to by bigger goal which is my long-term goal.  My current long-term goal is one that is a five-year goal.  In five years, I envision myself as the administrator of a tuition-free STEM elementary school for marginalized students.  In order to achieve that goal, it is necessary for me to obtain a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.  Another part of realizing that goal is for me to first become the administrator of a STEM nursery school.  I am currently in the process of doing so.  Currently I am raising funds to be able to assure that the students are not charged a tuition while enabling them to have access to the finest nursery school education money can buy.

As you can see I have two short-term goals that I’m working on simultaneously in order to assure that my long-term goal is achieved in an expeditious manner.  My goals are interrelated and I use them as concrete examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals that you can use as a reference point for setting both personal and professional goals.  Currently, my personal life in on-track.  I have found a peace like no other and am able to do only the things that contribute to my peaceful existence while avoiding the things that interfere with my internal peace and calm.  This came with a great deal of work over the years.  I managed to finally get to that place where I am comfortable with myself and all that I have become so I’m focusing on adding value to the lives of others.  My value comes in the form of working with domestic violence survivors who are invested in living violence-free lives and in the form of working with marginalized children who deserve to have a fair chance at having a future full of hope and promise.  This is evident in my goals and I have become an expert at making goals and attaining them.  Moreover, I have become the master of leading an exemplary personal life that is both fulfilled and idyllic.  With that being said, I will reveal as much of my goal setting methodology as I can articulate in a step-by-step manner while assuring that this blog is not too lengthy.

❶ Determine your “big picture” first and never lose sight of it.  When thinking about goals, think about your ultimate goal (s).  Ask yourself what is that thing that you would like to achieve before a milestone that you set.  This requires a great deal of thought, reflection and inner soul searching.  I remember setting goals early in life and not being able to attain them because I did not have the tools now at my disposal.  As I got older, attaining goals became easier because I did set realistic goals and assured that those goals were S.M.A.R.T. goals.  My goals early in life were extremely unrealistic and as a result they were not attained but as I got older I really focused on what I REALLY, REALLY wanted and not on what I thought I wanted. 

When trying to think about what I REALLY, REALLY wanted I would lay across my bed with my eyes closed and I would envision what my goal would look like.  I painted pictures in my head and if the pictures were exactly what I wanted I was motivated to set that as my “big picture.”  I then began to make plans to grab hold of my “big picture” and frame it for posterity.  This worked for me but in coaching others for over a decade, I realize that different individuals conceptualize their “big picture” in different ways.  For others, determining their “big picture” involved actually cutting pictures out of a magazine and creating a vision board. (The exact method for creating a vision board will be covered in the next blog installment).  These are but two methods of creating a “big picture.” There are others and you may have personal methods for doing so.  Please feel free to comment in this blog if you think of other methods since this blog is meant to be interactional and I welcome interaction by as many of my readers who choose to make comments or ask questions.  REMEMBER THE BLOG IS CALLED ASK DR. MAXINE AND NOT PREACH ON DR. MAXINE.

Goal Setting Secrets

GOAL SETTING SECRETS

There are many little known secrets to goal setting and attainment.  Some of the secrets seem rudimentary in nature but their practical application can be illusive at times.  These secrets are very important you wish to achieve your goals.

❶ Get organized.  When you set your goals, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the scope of your goals and the multitude of tasks you need to accomplish in order to achieve them.  This is natural for anyone who is serious about achieving a goal.  Being constantly overwhelmed and experiencing a feeling of helplessness is counterproductive to achieving your goal.  Getting the things we truly deserve in our personal and professional lives require a great deal of organization.  It is imperative for us to spend some time during our day to get organized.  Personally, I use a to-do list daily to capture the many tasks that I complete on a daily basis.  I generally create my to-do list the night before during my quiet time.  It can be completed while watching T.V. or doing some other passive activity that does not require salient thought.  Organization is the key to getting more out of your day.  Plan!!!! Plan!!!! Plan!!!! In planning you will realize that there are unplanned events during the day.  Allot time for those unplanned events.  This will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.

❷ Set S.M.A.R.T. goals.   When setting goals, it is imperative to set “SMART” goals.  “SMART” goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bounded. An example of a general goal would be a goal “to get fit”.  This is not a SMART goal because it is not specific enough, there is no way of measuring the results because it is too general, one would have trouble completing it because it is not well-defined and there is no time frame for its completion.  A SMART goal would be to “Join a health club by the end of the month and workout five days a week for the next three months.”  In the latter example, there is a specific goal, one that is measurable by weight loss or some other means, one that is both achievable and realistic and there is a clear time frame for that goal.  In planning for that goal, you can meet with a fitness instructor and design a plan for getting in shape over the next three months.

❸ Visualize your goals.  The ability to visualize your goals is key to goal achievement.  It is important for you to link your goals to motivational pictures.  This is best done by creating a goals board.  The board is a place for you to create a visual representation of the goals you wish to achieve.  Place the board in a location where it can be frequently viewed and you are well on your way to goal achievement.

❹  Take enormous action.  When it comes to achieving your goals, action definitely speaks louder than words.  Writing your goals down and tracking them is not enough to achieve your goals.  Those are just the beginning steps.  Experience has taught me that oftentimes people fail to reach their goals because they generally procrastinate and find excuses for their lack of action.  Goal setting is not just about conceptualizing your goals, it is a systematic method for achieving goals that extends well beyond writing your goals down.  It is imperative to take enormous action in order to achieve those goals.  This enormous action comes in the form of daily working at achieving your goals.  Let’s say your business goal is to expand your customer base by 20% within the next three months.  In order to do so, it is necessary to assure that your advertisement reaches more people, explore the internet as a means of increasing business and to create a new and fresh advertisement campaign.  In order to reach this goal, it is necessary to do several task on a daily basis.  For instance, you can make a vow to speak to at least three people about your business on a daily basis or you may choose to give out ten business cards daily.  Whatever your actions are, they have to be on a grand scale and you have to be consistent in working on achieving your goals. 

❺  Plan your day and become the master of your to-do list.  After you have created your action plan it is imperative that you devise a system that allows you to complete the essential tasks of your goal in a timely manner.  One of the best ways to do this is to plan your day carefully and to create feasible daily to-do lists.  Your to-do list enables you to feel motivated as you achieve your goals.  One of the best ways to create a to-do list is to utilize a flexible day planner.  A flexible day planner will allow you to organize your day without becoming overwhelmed as a result of the many tasks you need to complete.  The flexible day planner can be easily ported as you go through your day.  You can take the day planner everywhere and as you complete your tasks, you can keep track of the uncompleted tasks easily.

❻  Manage your time wisely and fast-track your goals.  The notion that time management is vital to goal setting and attainment is one that is not foreign to many of us.  Many of us seem to know how vital it is to achieving our goals but many of us fail to master time management.  Effective time management is the foundation on which goal setting and attainment is built.  In order to measure your time utilization, you need to track the way in which you spend your time and the amount of time you spend completing each task on your way to achieving each goal.  Not only will you be able to see how much time you spend on each individual goal but you can get a good idea of the total time you spend working each day.  Keep in mind that many people set goals each day and use to-do lists to accomplish them but those people still fail to achieve their goals.  Why? Unwise time management.  Many of those individuals fail to spend enough time on their goals thus making those goals illusive at best.

❼ Create a goals journal.  It's easy to lose track of your goals especially if you are working towards a difficult long-term goal.  A Goal Journal is easy to create and it gives an objective method to track your progress and plans. In addition to tracking your progress, it allows you to modify plans when things are not going so well and it holds you accountable for achieving your goals. 

A daily journal allows you to focus on your goals and allows you to set and achieve milestones.  This is extremely simple and all it takes is about five to ten minutes before you go to bed.  In that time, you can write about the process made towards achieving your goal, your feelings associated with your quest towards a well-defined goal, the events that occurred while trying to accomplish your goal and the choices you had to make along the way.

❽ Review your goal frequently.  Many people fail to check their goals on a regular basis.  Some individuals do an annual check but that is not sufficient to keep you motivated and on the way to achieving your goals.  You should include a regular review of your goals in both your action plan and your daily to-do list.  Ideally, a goal review should be done daily and the planning of the necessary goal-related tasks should be included in your daily to-do list.  This allows you to achieve your goals in a more effective and efficient manner.  It is important to remember that if you don’t think about your goals and plan for them, it will be impossible to achieve them.  In reading this mini manual, it would appear that the task of strategic goal setting is quite cumbersome and time consuming but the opposite is true.  It does not take much time out of your daily schedule to focus on your goal and work towards achieving them.  Let me break it down for you in terms of actual planning time.  Your daily to-do list requires about five to ten minutes to complete and can be done in your leisure time while watching T.V.  Your goals journal requires about the same time and can also be done while you watch T.V.  Actually working towards your goal varies greatly and is dependent on the nature of the goal you wish to accomplish.  You should plan to dedicate at least an hour a day working on your goals.  Treat goal attainment in the same manner as you treat your gainful employment.  Work at goal achievement every day and you will reap the rewards of having set attainable goals and achieving them.  Remember if you don’t think about your goals, you will never achieve them.  Never forget failure to plan equates with planning to fail.

Plan!!!! Plan!!!! Plan!!!!

An Alternative to New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions

The new year is here and we are all enthralled in making our New Year's resolutions. Each year we resolve to:

 
• Lose Weight
• Quit Smoking
• Learn Something New
• Eat Healthier and Diet
• Get Out of Debt and Save Money
• Spend More Time with Family
• Travel to New Places
• Be Less Stressed
• Volunteer
• Drink Less

Those resolutions are slowly abandoned because we revert to the old methods of trying to achieve our goals rather than taking a new approach. As an expert in the field, I have been working with individuals from all walks of life who have been able to transform their lives and achieve their goals. Here's a simple, step-by-step goal setting tool that can be applied to any individual or business.

STRATEGIC GOAL SETTING

Anyone who has ever attempted to set goals knows how difficult it could be to set realistic goals and to be able to attain them. In order to do so, it is very important to have a fool-proof strategy. K.I.S.S. is a strategy that makes setting and attaining goals very easy. The acronym K.I.S.S. stands for “Keep It Simple Silly” and it embodies a strategy that is very simplistic in nature but is extremely powerful. This strategy is tried and true and it can be best conceptualized as involving several keys and goal setting secrets. It is a solution-focused method and as such it allows the user to attain goals in a shorter period of time than other methods. The keys to using this method are as follows:

❶ Set goals that you can visualize. This is the most important step in goal setting and attainment. To be able to fulfill a goal, it is important for you to have a clear picture of your goal and all that it encompasses. You should have a clear conceptualization of where you are at the current time, where you would like to be at a predetermined time in the future and the direction you need to travel in order to get to your goal. When you can clearly visualize that, then you will be able to achieve your goal. The visualization of your goal makes that goal more believable and thus more achievable. The key here is to never underestimate the power of visualization. It may be very helpful for you to actually get pictures that represent your goal. Use those pictures to create a goals board. A goals board is a collage of pictures that represent your goals and midway milestones. It is best to place your goals board in a location where you are likely to see it frequently. In so doing, you have a constant reminder of the goals you are working towards. This may seem silly but it really works.

❷ Create an action plan. Action plans are at the heart of goal setting and attainment. In order to achieve a goal, you must be able to visualize that goal and create a roadmap to achieving that goal. Your action plan is that roadmap. It outlines all of the necessary steps that must be taken in order to attain a goal. It also outlines the obstacles you may face on your way to realizing your goal(s).

❸ Micromanaging your goal-related tasks. In order to achieve your goals, it is important to work towards that goal on a daily basis. It is essential to focus on the tasks that need to be done in order to achieve your goal in a timely manner. In this vein, it is imperative that you create a timeline and adhere to that timeline. The timeline should include milestones since achieving your milestones serve as a motivational tool. Milestones also track your progress towards your goals and they serve as encouragement as you achieve your goals. They are reminders of how much you have achieved on your way to realizing your goals. As you achieve more milestones, goal-tracking enables you to realize that you came too far to turn back.

❹ Keep track of your time. Time tracking is another important part of achieving goals. It is important for you to manage your time wisely. Wise time management enables you to maximize your time use. In order to achieve your goals, it is important to get the vital things done first. One of the keys to goal achievement is the ability to work wisely. Working wisely allows one to work less and achieve more. One take-away from the time tracking step is the fact that time tracking is an important step in wise goal achievement—it is one that must not be taken lightly.

❺ Journaling. A goals journal is an integral part of setting realistic goals and attaining them. The journal serves multiple purposes. One of the most fundamental purposes for keeping a goals journal is to examine your feelings about your goals and to record your progress towards attaining those goals. It allows you to focus on your goals, to enjoy the small steps towards attaining them and serves as a motivational force for goal achievement. It can also serve as a means of self-discovery while working towards an achievable goal.

❻ Reviewing your progress. It is important to review your progress on a regular basis as it creates a framework for viewing your achievement as you work towards a realistic goal. Additionally, it allows you to make note of the completed task and serves as encouragement on your way to goal attainment. Reviewing your progress allows you to stay positive, proactive. focused and motivated.

❼ Establishing positive habits. Habits are fundamental to goal establishment. They allow us to stay on track and lead to the development of a systematic approach to achievement. One of the essential habits that needs to be established is a daily routine. Daily routines enable us to keep on task and to achieve our goals in a timely manner. In establishing positive habits, you can view your thoughts and behaviors and make the necessary modifications. The establishment of positive habits serves as a means of fast tracking your goal achievement.

DISCLAIMER

K.I.S.S. Goal Setting provides a strategic method for defining and achieving your goals. It presents specialized self help content that is solely the opinion of the author and garnered from practice. It should not be considered as a form of therapy, advice or treatment of any kind. It is meant to assist in modifying the way in which business goals are viewed. For individualized vision definition, the author recommends one-on-one business coaching.

The author does not assume any responsibility or liability and attests that the information contained in manual is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties [either expressed or implied].

The purchaser or reader of this self help publication assumes responsibility for the use of any of the techniques contained within this booklet as well as the information presented.