Over the last 11 years, I have heard dozens of gurus teach their formula for setting goals. Many of them overlap, but all of them are different. I have assembled my own formula, that has worked very well for me. It's an 8 step process.
8 Step Process for Setting Goals & Achieving Them
1. YOUR GOAL MUST BE BELIEVABLE
Napoleon Hill coined the phrase, “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.” There are 3 parts to this. Conceiving, believing & achieving. Conceiving is easy. This is just coming up with the goal, and seeing it in your minds eye. Almost everyone can do this. The next step is believing. If you believe it, you can acheive it. If you don't, you won't.
Now having said that, it's important to note that there are different levels of belief. It's not necessary to have perfect belief, or perfect faith, in order to achieve. If you can just muster up a sliver of faith, the tiniest little smidgeon of faith, or to even give room for the possibility of faith, that is sufficient. Jim Rohn calls it, “the faith to believe.” I love that.
One of the biggest factors of the level of success we will enjoy in our life, is our belief, or our faith. A wise man once said, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” In other words, only that which we believe, we can achieve.
2. YOUR GOAL MUST BE FOCUSED & SPECIFIC
In my seminars, I will often stretch both of my arms out to each side and ask the audience to focus on both of my hands at the same time. They find that the task is impossible. When you set your goals, set focused goals, not “either/or” goals. You don't want to have a goal that states you are going to own either a Porsche or a Lexus. This will create confusion. You can have two goals to own a Porshe and a Lexus, but don't set one goal to get “either/or.”
Additionally, your goals must be very specific. Zig Ziglar refers to people without focused and specific goals as, “wondering generalities.” That term always makes me laugh. Don't be laughable. Be specific. Instead of having a goal to lose weight, have a goal to lose 13 pounds.
3. YOUR GOAL MUST BE WRITTEN & IN PRESENT TENSE
A goal not written is not a goal, it's a wish. A former client of mine had always wanted to go on a cruise. I asked him if he had ever written his desire down on paper. “No,” he replied. “I don't need to write it down. I know it's something I want to do.” I went on to explain that the reason he was 67 years old, and had never been on a cruise, is because his desire to go on a cruise was a wish, not a goal. Had he written it down, and followed this 8 step process, he would have taken that cruise long ago, and perhaps several of them.
When you write a goal, write it in present tense by saying, “I am,” instead of “I want to,” or “I'm going to.” The words “I am” are very powerful. When we use them, the subconscious mind receives them as a command, and begins to move.
4. USE POSITIVE EMOTION PROVOKING ADJECTIVES
There are certain words that provoke positive images and emotions in our minds. Some examples would be adjectives such as “happy” and “grateful.” Instead of just stating your goal, insert one or two of these types of words. For example, “I am so happy and grateful now that I own a new, black Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum Edition.”
5. YOUR GOAL MUST BE MEASURABLE
In order for a goal to be effective, it must be measurable. For instance, a dollar amount is measurable: $100,000, or a $1,000,000. Pounds are measurable: 5 pounds, 15 pounds, 20 pounds. Square footage is measurable: 4,000 square feet, 7,000 square feet.
6. YOUR GOAL MUST HAVE A TIME ELEMENT ATTACHED
The mind works great with deadlines. One of the most powerful effects of a deadline is cognitive dissonance, which helps us achieve our goals. Generally, when there is a deadline to be met, 80% of what needs to happen, will happen in the last 20% of the allotted time. Without a deadline, the bulk of the magic (80%) will never happen. It's critical that you have a time element attached to your goal.
7. YOU MUST LOOK AT & VISUALIZE YOUR GOAL EVERY DAY
By the time you and I entered first grade, we had experienced 40,000 “no” messages compared to only 5,000 “yes” messages. This created a negative subconscious in each of us, and is why most of us have a natural tendency to go negative. You can combat this negative programing by drenching your mind with positive messages, such as looking at your goal.
After you have written your goal, put it somewhere you will see it several times a day. Or take it with you whereever you go so you can look at it when you have free time (red lights, bathroom breaks, waiting in line, eating, etc.).
Take time each day to visualize your goal as though you have already accomplished it. See it, feel it, smell it, and experience it. The more vividly you can visualize your accomplished goal, the faster it will show up in your life.
The more you look at and visualize your goal, the more you magnetize your mind. The more you magnetize your mind, the more rapidly you are able to attract what you need to attract in order to reach your goal.
8. TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY AND DAILY
A good practice to adopt for goal setting, is the habit of taking immediate action. So, after you have written a new goal, take action… immediately! Just do something. And, make it a habit to do something every day which will lead you to your goal.
Every time you take an action toward your goal, you grow in faith and confidence. Conversely, when you neglect to take action, your faith is diminished, and you feel poorly about yourself. Jim Rohn taught that people don't do well, because they don't feel well. And the converse of this is true as well. People do well, because they feel well. So take action immediately and daily, feel well and do well.
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