By Herbert Harris, author of The Twelve Universal Laws of Success
1. It should be written, committed to, and shared.
Writing your goals helps crystallize exactly what you want to accomplish. Write each goal in one or two sentences. If it takes an entire page to write your goal, chances are that you will not be able to attain it. A short, simple, concise goal statement is easier to think about, remember, and act on.
Once you have written your goal statement, read it aloud at least three times per day. Think about it constantly. You must be committed to accomplishing each goal. Make a binding agreement with yourself that nothing and no one will stop you from attaining your goal. Give your time, efforts, expertise, resources, and anything else necessary to accomplish your goal.
Share your goal with someone special who understands and believes in what you are doing. Stay away from people who will discourage or criticize you. Be sure that the people with whom you share your goals will not be jealous or envious. They should have important goals of their own to accomplish, and be well on their way to accomplishing them. The purpose of sharing your goals is to establish accountability, and to obtain cooperation, assistance, and encouragement.
2. It should be realistic and attainable.
One of the easiest ways to set yourself up for failure is to select improper goals. No goal is impossible, but it may be unrealistic at your particular state of development or at a given time. Make sure that your goals are realistic and attainable for you, based on where you are right now.
3. It should be flexible and reflect change.
Your goal is a statement and projection of your vision. However, as you begin to pursue your goal, external conditions and circumstances which are beyond your control may appear. When this interference occurs, do not become discouraged or abandon your goal. Make the necessary changes and modifications to your goal, or to the manner of pursuing it.
4. It should be concrete and measurable.
Your goal must be definite and specific. Clearly define it in terms of your senses: How does it look, feel, smell, taste, and sound. See your goal in terms of size, color, location, movement, and any other characteristic or property that can be perceived by the senses.
If your goal is not concrete and clearly defined, you will probably not be able to attain it. Your goal is the outcome desired as a result of your organized efforts. When the desired outcome—your goal—is unclear, then the energy and activities necessary to produce that outcome cannot be focused or directed effectively.
Your goal must be measurable to determine its dimensions. When a goal is measurable, you have a standard by which you can analyze it and estimate completion. If it is not measurable, it is extremely difficult to project when you will attain it, how far you have to go, or how much energy it will take.
5. It should be extended to cover certain time periods.
Set a definite time period in which to accomplish your goal. A definite time period gives you a standard by which to measure and regulate your performance.
Take special care in establishing a proper time for accomplishing your goal. This time period should be realistic in light of your particular level of skill, the time and resources you have available, time constraints of the goal itself, and benchmarks of past performance by yourself and others.
Putting a time component into your goal gives you a means by which to examine your performance and project your completion. If, based on monitoring your own performance, the projected time for completion is unreasonable or unacceptable; you can increase your efforts, modify your timetable, or even alter your goal accordingly.
6. It should be set in advance.
Your goal is a destination, the desired outcome of your endeavors. If it is not set in advance, then you cannot make plans, nor take effective steps to attain it.
When you set your goal in advance, you give a particular orientation to your life and bring focus to your energy and to your thoughts.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GOAL SETTING AND TIME MANAGEMENT COME TO OUR LIVE ONLINE SEMINAR DECEMBER 14 & 16 2009
Herbert Harris
LifeSkill Institute, Inc., PO Box 302, Wilmington, NC 28402
910-262-2680 Toll Free: 800-570-4009 Email: lifeskill@earthlink.net
