Achieving Personal Goals

Forget about tomorrow??? Uh, hold on there just a minute.
 
I thought all the smart people in the Achievement and Productivity fields were saying things like “Begin with the end in mind” and “plan ahead”? Doesn’t that mean to be forward thinking, plan tomorrow’s agenda, and all that stuff?
 
Well, sort of. One of the key challenges to achieving our goals is frustration and let’s face it, frustration kills motivation. One very effective way to deal with frustration, though, is by focusing on the long term view, which eases the pain of the “day-to-day” frustrations, delays and setbacks. When I have my eye on my long term dream of (“your goal here”), I know that a single setback won’t deter me.
 
So no, I’m not exactly saying “forget about tomorrow”, just DON’T let the tomorrow become the horizon for your strategic focus.
 
Here’s the key takeaway: Most of us tend to overestimate what we can do in the short run, and underestimate what we can do in the long run. By focusing less on the short run and keeping our eye on the eventual target, it helps keep things in perspective and makes today’s setback not so painful and, consequently, not so frustrating and de-motivating.
 
I work in an IT dept, and the standard of most software projects is that they tend to run over schedule and over budget. Part of that’s because it’s a very complex process, but it’s also owing to the notion that we tend to look at things “generally”, i.e. with less than perfect clarity. From a distance they look easier/less challenging than they are after we get into the details.
 
So what?
 
So, by planning to get too much done tomorrow, and falling short – consistently, we end each day frustrated, disappointed, and certainly having to revise our plan for tomorrow to add today’s unfinished tasks. Sound familiar?
 
The lesson here, I think, and the wisdom of recognizing this tendency, is that it tells us it’s useful to keep a longer term view of things. The unexpected can always derail a short term plan (can you say “recession”?), but a 6 month, 3 year or 5 year plan is much more likely to be successful because it levels out the unexpected delays, and in business it eliminates ALOT of the competition who, as we discussed above, got frustrated and moved on to the next, easier target.
 
Next post: The Science of Career Motivation

Posted in Motivation | No Comments »

This is a big learning point for me and just one example, but it’s verrrry typical, so thought I’d share it here.
 
I recently posted an job on eLance looking for someone to research a topic for me, for a speech I’m going to give. I get several interesting replies (and a couple of weird ones), narrowed them down and pick one. This particular researcher, who had experience and was interested in my topic, took several days then completely flaked out – no where to be found. Which led me to say “well, I screwed up, I should have offered more $, required more references, screened them better, etc”.
 
Ever do that? It’s certainly my pattern, borne of a lifetime of always trying to get things perfect, always looking for the flaw in the plan. But wait, he said ….. maybe there’s a better way!
 
I’ve recently been introduced to the idea of looking those moments not as failures, but simply necessary, unavoidable steps on the path to achievement. What a difference that makes! I don’t feel so bad about myself or foolish now for not getting it right the first time, it’s easier to learn something from the situation (start checking their references!) and make necessary adjustments so it goes better in the future, etc.
 
As I write this I realize it probably sounds so simple as to be profound, and I suppose it is, but don’t let that hide the important message:
 
Mistakes are essential, unavoidable, important aspects of any learning process. Our biggest challenge now is to just make them QUICKLY, so that we can learn from them, adjust and do it better next time.
 
I’m not sure if this will be a useful post to anyone or not, but if just there’s one reader who is ready for the message and gets it, that’ll suit me just fine.
 
So go achieve your next goal, start taking action, and know there will be plenty of lessons learned (not “screw ups”) along the way!
 
Next Post: Forget about tomorrow!

Posted in Failure | No Comments »

Basically we’re all CEO’s of our lives. I’m in charge of me – I’m responsible for finance, career training, fitness, time management … everything. We all are.

The question is “Am I running Me, Inc. like a good CEO would”? Am I getting the best advice possible, surrounding myself with experts in the areas I’m trying to improve, getting advice from people with proven track records in their respective fields and talking to people who can raise me to a higher level?

Or am I trying to figure it out alone?

As we plan for and work toward the goals in our lives, we should each make the choices a great CEO would make by seeking out advice from smart, educated, successful people who are passionate about their field of specialization (call them advisor, counselor, mentor or whatever you like) to help guide us in the area(s) we need improvement. We don’t have to “figure it out” for ourselves!

One bit of good news is that there are plenty of affordable ways to get that advice. Here are a few of mine, and I’d love to know about yours.

Option A: Find someone with formal training, plenty of experience and a passion for their field to assist you.

Option B: Figure it out yourself in your spare time. ???

You decide.

Tomorrow: “I Love to Screw Things Up!”

Posted in Tips | No Comments »

Without fail, one of my biggest challenges to staying on track with various goals is to put too many things on my plate. Ever do that? It never fails that instead of motivating me to get more done, it just distracts me. Doing a Daily Agenda helps, but the longer the list the more I think I need to do three things at once (that’s really the issue!).

Better to take one thing at a time, ignore everything else and concentrate on that one thing until it’s done (or it’s just time to stop). That fact, that we’re not good at multi-tasking and we’re far more efficient when we focus our effort and concentration on one thing at a time, is present in just about every article published on productivity yet it still creeps back into my “bad habits” from time to time.

Clearly personal development is a journey, not a destination. We just have to take it one day at a time and not let up. And one thing at a time!

Having a Daily Agenda – $100
Tying the daily tasks to my goals – $75
Following the plan – $50
Focusing on one thing, and only one thing, at a time – Priceless!

Posted in Focus | 1 Comment »

 
Welcome to the Achieving Personal Goals blog!   This blog is a part of the main Achieving Personal Goals web site, which I created for 2 reasons.

• One, because I had trouble finding what I thought was a really good website with a great collection of information and resources focused strictly on goal setting.
• Two, because I love the topic of setting goals as a simple, repeatable, proven process anyone can follow to make whatever improvements they choose in their lives, and as a way to realize the gifts and talents we each possess.

Like most blogs, this is where I get to diverge a little and throw out those “hey, that’s interesting” thoughts that I think you might find interesting or amusing, and at least related to setting goals, and I encourage you to leave your observations, insights or ideas as well.

If you’re in the process of setting out to improve some aspect of your life, or fix something that’s not the way it should be, this is the right place. There are also a number of great resources for information you can read, listen to on CD in your car, mp3 or other digital media in order to keep the right information, the right messages in your thoughts as often as possible.

Most of the topics I write about here will be related to setting and reaching goals, with occasional thoughts on personal development and achievement in general.

As of today (October 29, ‘09) it continues to be a work in progress, but we’re getting there. Be sure to check back from time to time as I add new features/sections. I hope you find it helpful, and please feel free to share your comments, suggestions and ideas!

Thanks,
Mike

Posted in Welcome | No Comments »