Restated in a slightly different way, [read more]]]> Setting goals, making plans, keeping focus, visualizing the outcome, all the things that we know about the value and benefits of setting Goals comes down to one simple principle. It is:

• Where we want to go tomorrow, drives what we need to be doing today

Restated in a slightly different way, where we want to be TOMORROW will be determined by what we do TODAY.

It’s like a rule of human behavior: future intent determines present action. Where we want to be is the key factor in driving what we need to be doing today. That’s why if you want to know how someone really feels about something, pay attention to what they do, not what they say. If their actions don’t reflect a geniune intent to make something happen, we can be certain that it won’t.

The reason reading blogs and websites like this one is important is that this kind of idea, this line of thinking or belief, is critical to making the right choices. Once we understand what the rules are, once we believe in the right principles, taking the correct action becomes easy.

Remember though, we do still have to take the right action! I think the missing ingredient from The Secret was the fact that, as Einstein once said, “Nothing happens until something moves”. I’m not aware of any repeatable scientific evidence which shows that sitting and wishing for something is sufficient to make it happen. But when we marry the right thoughts to simple regular action, the results become virtually inevitable.

Thinking makes it so. That’s why successful people are able to remain successful. They think better than others do. How they think about money, service, work, planning and setting goals leads them to make better decisions and get better results.

But how exactly do goals [read more]]]> What’s the point of goal setting? We know we want some outcome, some change in the results in an area of our lives. For example we may want to look better, be more successful, be financially secure, free of debt, etc.

But how exactly do goals play a useful role in achieving that desired outcome?

The answer may seem obvious, but maybe not. Many of us set goals instinctively, without necessarily being clear why. Knowing why, though, can help us realize the greatest possible benefit from the use of a goal.

Knowing how goals help us reach our objective can enable us to make the best use of them. So here it is:

Goals provide focus.

Goals help us put on the blinders, eliminate the “clutter” we have to deal with day in and day out, so that we can control the outcomes in our life. Setting a goal is a way of telling ourselves “I’m going to give this task a certain amount of my time and energy today, over and above the other demands for my time and attention”.

Most of us have countless demands on our time and attention, particularly if you are ambitious or are inclined to always be seeking improvement. It is only by setting a goal that we are likely to eliminate the non-essentials sufficiently to bring our attention and energy to a single point. That is, to focus.

• Success demands singleness of purpose. – Vince Lombardi
• We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are plenty of other leaders who have shared the same belief, but I suspect you don’t need to be convinced. In the same way a golfer targets a green, or a batter never takes his eye off the ball, focus provides the concentration and intensity necessary to produce the desired results.

Achievements in any area of human endeavor generally require 2 things from us:

1. Focus
2. Action

I’ve talked at length about the importance of taking action in producing desired outcomes in our life. But if you’ve ever seen the person who was extremely busy, but didn’t have all that much to show for their efforts at the end of the day, you have an example of the benefits of focus. Focus is that magical ingredient that ensures that an objective receives sufficient action until the finish line is reached.

By deciding where to direct our attention and energy (Focus), we can begin to direct the outcomes in our lives. Setting a goal is the process that makes that happen.

Short term goals are actually an essential part of any goal setting plan. But they tell me catchy headlines attract readers, so I thought I’d see for myself ….. [read more]]]> Of course not, but I really needed to get your attention so I had to come up with something provocative.

Short term goals are actually an essential part of any goal setting plan. But they tell me catchy headlines attract readers, so I thought I’d see for myself …..

The are two key things to know about short term goals:

1. They are important to creating and maintaining motivation
2. They are essential to accomplishing any goal that takes more than a couple of days to complete.

I’ve said it multiple times throughout the pages on this site, because it’s so important, and I’ll say it again: The key to achieving any significant goal is to stay motivated, staying focused to the task at hand. One of the important aspects of motivation is staying aware of the benefit you are seeking, whether it’s debt relief, financial freedom, weight loss …. whatever. If you can keep that carrot dangling in front of your nose, metaphorically speaking, there’s a good chance you’ll stay engaged for the long haul.

The other important element of motivation is to have rewards or accomplishments identified within reach along the path. Similar to the example of the farmer who tied a carrot to a stick and dangled it just 12 inches in front of his mule to keep him moving forward to try to reach the carrot, it works when we need goals or objectives easily within reach to help us maintain our momentum and progress.

David Allen wrote the best seller “Getting Things Done”, and one of the key principles in that book is the idea of the “next action”, which is analogous to a short term goal. Allen says we should always be absolutely clear about the next thing we need to do for a project or goal, so we don’t end up procrastinating as we summon the mental energy to sift through all the facts to determine what’s we need to do at any time.

That’s exactly what short term goals do. First we identify our major milestones, then we break those down into short term goals that are easily reachable and leave little doubt about what we should be doing at any point in time. The tasks to accomplish a short term goal should also be expressly stated, or so obvious that it’s not necessary.

Short term goals aren’t dumb. They’re smart. Very, very smart! (Did anyone remember the 4 episodes of Colonel Flagg on M*A*S*H? If so, let me know.)