Achieving Personal Goals

OK, here goes. I have a confession to make ……

I have a vice. No, it’s not drugs, or alcohol, or gambling. For me, it’s probably more powerful than those things.

I am a Self-Help Junkie

I am interested in, and fascinated by, the field of Self-Help

Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich). I’ve got most of their books, and I even read them!

Now if you’re skeptical, let me suggest that at it’s core, self help is a simple concept. The basic premise of self help is this: Success leaves clues.

Man has been on the planet for centuries, and the answers to most of mankind’s problems have been worked out centuries ago. There are no “new” fundamentals (one of Jim Rohn’s quotes)

But I’ve recently come to understand something that is kind of a dirty little secret in that industry, it’s something no one wants to say, but it’s true …..

About half of what is published in the Self Help literature doesn’t work. That …. is a fact.

Now you disagree with that statement, I would just ask you to let me make my case.

Consider this example:

One guy is a perfectionist. Give him a problem and he’ll analyze it, study it, develop a comprehensive plan to attack it, have the plan reviewed and updated. Everything but actually get started doing something.

On the other hand is impulsive guy. He can’t wait to get started. His idea of a plan is 2 points jotted down on the back of a napkin, and that’s 1 point too many. Forget planning, full speed ahead.

Perfectionist guy needs to hear messages like “fortune favors the bold”, “seize the day” and take action.

Impulsive guy needs to hear messages like “look before you leap”, “failing to plan is planning to fail”, etc.

Buy wait a minute – This is confusing! Those two messages are diametrically opposed.

And if you ask me which principle is correct, I will tell you…. IT DEPENDS!

It depends on what problem you have, on where I am on the continuium. What problem am I trying to solve?

If you are a perpetual procrastinator, you need the advice to take action.

If you tend to hop on every bandwagon that comes along and get started before you are even sure where it is you are heading, messages about planning, strategy and foresight are required.

But we tend to pick up a self-help book, read it and probably like it’s ideas, but if they’re not the solution to a problem we have, they won’t produce any change.

So you see, it’s really not that one approach or the other is wrong.

It just depends on where you are, what you need.

One size does not fit all; one piece of advice does not solve every problem.

The wisdom is not just in the message, but it know which message you need to embrace

That’s why it can be helpful to have a trusted friend, or spouse, or coach, or counselor, who can help us identify clearly which problem should be solved, so we come up with the right solution.

THAT’S PART ONE OF THE SELF HELP FORMULA

Even when we know ourselves, and we seek out and find the right message to change a situation in our lifes for the better, we still have to turn that idea into a habit.

And habits require repitition.

And we generally don’t stick with anything long enough to make it into a new habit.

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” Henry David Thoreau

So my message to you is this:

1. If you choose to embark on a journey of self-improvement, be careful and choose the right messsage for the change you are seeking, and

2. Understand that having the right information is only part #1 of the solution. Part #2 is spending the time and energy necessary to make that thought, belief, or behavior a habit in your life, so that you can reap the benefits you were seeking.

I’ll leave you with this thought:

Comes from Oliver Wendell Holmes, the famous lawyer who served as an :

“The great thing in the world is not so much knowing where we stand, as in knowing what direction we are moving.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Justice on the Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932)

If you want to change the direction of an area of your life, get the right solution to your problem, and repeately hold the thoughts and behaviors in your life until they become habits, and self-help can enable you to make meaningful changes in your life.

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I was listening to Darren Hardy’s excellent book (audio, in my car) “The Compound Effect” when the pieces of the process of goal accomplishment really seemed to fall into place. Obviously from my interest and effort into this website, I spend alot of my time thinking about and practicing the habits, processes and ideas of goal setting. As I was listening to the Compound Effect though, all of a sudden each of the pieces seemed to fall perfectly into place, and a way I hadn’t quite seen before.

I know that all sounds a little vague, but the following outline is the progression of the steps that seemed all the more clear to me. These steps, executed consistently, will reliably, predictably lead to achievement. And isn’t that the purpose of having goals in the first place?
 
We see each of these ideas in the outline I will reveal below, and on their own each is completely valid. Just like saying “without gasoline, the car just won’t run” is true, but it’s also true that you better have 4 tires with air in them too. And the driver must also know how to drive a stick shift, and must also know how to reach the intended destination. You get the idea.
 
So talking about a key principle or tactic is clearly relevant to achieving goals, especially if it’s a principle that you’ve overlooked, have not been implementing, or weren’t aware of. If it’s the missing piece to your puzzle, then you may feel like you’ve struck gold, that this is the most important piece of information you’ve ever received. To some extent, that’s true – but it also may be unique to your situation.
 
But what if that totally valid, legitimate piece of information is not the, or one of the, missing pieces of the puzzle for you. What if you’ve got a full tank of gas, but the emergency brake is set and you don’t have the knowledge to release it. What if the tank is full, but you’re in San Francisco trying to get to Pebble Beach without a map?
Even more valuable than a single, key piece of information, is to have the entire process laid out, and having it include not only WHAT to do (fill the tank with gas, put the car in gear, drive to your destination) but also HOW to make each of those elements happen.
 
Once everypiece of the puzzle is followed, then the beauty of the “compound effect” begins to take effect. I genuinely believe this is the key missing element for most frustrated achievers, because it’s effects are not readily apparent even though you may be following your plan perfectly. Albert Einstein called the principles behind the compound effect the most powerful force in the universe, and the examples are evident everywhere.
 
Now the “formula” for achievement is complete, and a complete formula invariably leads to the intended outcome.
 
In the same way that a recipe for chocolate cake that omits one key ingredient (butter?) cannot produce a good cake, a formula for success and achievement that omits one of the steps, or doesn’t include directions for HOW to perform each step, may leave you trying to figure out why your cake tastes … well, bad.
The steps below are the comprehensive outline for not only WHAT to do if you want to make an important change in your life, but also HOW to make that change occur. It’s the completed puzzle. If you omit part of the process, just like your chocolate cake when you forget to add water, you aren’t going to get hte end result you were expecting.

1. I’ve Got A Problem: Recognizing there’s something in your life you want to change (financial, weight, relationship, fitness, career, etc)
2. Begin With the End In Mind: Getting specific about exactly what outcome you are seeking Motivation: Understanding clearly what the benefits, the payoff is
3. Skills/Strategy: Figuring out how to get there
4. Choices: Staying aware of what you need to do each day to make that happen
5. Consistent Awareness: Keeping it on your mind continually
6. Actions / Behavior: Until it becomes a Habit
7. Secret Ingredient: Record your activity

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People who experience success in any endeavor share one basic quality — they get things done. This requirement supercedes talent, birth right or other natural advantages, intelligence and good fortune in determining the what you earn and the success you experience.

Of course, it’s a simple concept, but the fact remains that there are not a lot of people who consistently produce results on their own. In Seth Godin’s recent writings on his blog, he references the importance to “just ship”. Get it done, get something out the door. Improve it later, produce a next version that’s better, whatever … but it seems the fear of producing a final product keeps us from getting things done, but without getting things done, shipping our product, or art, or creation whatever it may be, there can be no achievement.

The key to making this happen? Forming the habit of taking action on your ideas and intentions immediately. Here are some suggestions for ways you can develope the habit of taking action:

1. Remember that ideas alone don’t bring success – Ideas are important, but they’re only valuable once they’ve been implemented. One average idea that’s been put into action is more valuable than a dozen brilliant ideas that you’re saving for the right time or the “right opportunity”. If you have an idea that you really believe in, do something about it. Unless you take action it really doesn’t even count. Goals are never achieved until ideas are implemented.

2. Don’t wait until the time is perfect, because it never will be – If you wait until conditions are perfect, it’s likely you’ll never get started. There will always be something that isn’t quite right, and frankly this is frequently just an excuse for inaction. Either it’s too hot or too cold, you’re too busy or not prepared, the market’s up, the market’s down, the economy is not right… you get the idea. The fact is that there is no perfect time to start, and successful people are able to deal with the wind as it is currently blowing and set their sail so that it doesn’t matter. We have to get started and deal with problems as they arise. It would have been best to start yesterday, but second best is to get started today. The achievement of your goal is waiting.

3. Get serious about what needs to be done, immediately – It’s fairly typical to busy ourselves with some small, insignificant tasks before we start the day, or before launching on the current project. This is really just a distraction that will cost you time if you don’t set those things aside and get busy taking action on what needs to be done, now. The 80/20 rule always applies – 80% of our results are produced by 20% of our actions. So ignore the 80% of “trivial” tasks that fill our day and get busy doing the 20% of the things that matter. Demonstrate yourself as a leader, the kind of person who recognizes and gets started doing the important tasks, right now.

4. Become one of the doers – Make it your habit to just get busy doing things, rather than thinking about them. Need to exercise? Have a great idea for a presentation? Wish you could meet someone you admire at work? Just pick up and do it. The longer you think about it, the harder it becomes to take action and the more likely something will interrupt your awareness and the opportunity will be lost. By taking action, now, you’ll get more done and will see new and interesting ways to proceed that you would have never considered if you hadn’t gotten started anyway.

5. Remember: Action cures fear. – Brian Tracy has said many times to “Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.” You likely know this is true, but may not want to admit it. I’m in a public speaking group, and you can see it in the eyes of our members as they work through the first few speeches, then reach their 15th, 20th or more. What once was overwhelming actually begins to become fun. We will always have some anxiety before we start, but by taking action what once seemed overwhelming becomes easily manageable. Action is the best, and really only, cure for fear. The first time is the hardest, but once you get started you’ll see that your confidence builds and the emotions become manageable. Heed Mr. Tracy’s advice: Deal with fear by taking action on it, and the fear will certainly fade away.

Any goal you set will require that you take action and product something. Realize your goal sooner, get started taking action today.

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