Priority and Goals - The Importance of Direction By Brook Noel

When seeking out a goal, it’s important to completely understand where you are, what obstacles you have been battling, and what strategies you can use to overcome them.

Identifying goals and priorities is vital to a successfully balanced life. A few years ago I was keynoting at a mental health conferences in Washington state. I asked the roomful of professionals to find a pen and a piece of paper and answer the following question within 30 seconds: What are the three driving motivators (priorities) for this season of your life? Amazingly, only five-perfect of the attendees were able to complete the task.

Most people have been asked to do this at some point — either in school or at work or as part of a self-improvement program. Still many people get flustered when the topic of goals comes up. Fear of setting goals too high, fear of commitment, and not knowing what course to chart are just a few reasons people shudder at the concept of goals. Yet goals remain an important part of the value system.

Imagine leaving Los Angeles with the instructions to go to New York. Obviously, it would be easier to accomplish this with a map. Without a map, the trip would be nearly impossible, or require much more time and effort than the simple process of purchasing a map. Goals work the same way. They allow you to identify where you are and the path to get from one point to the other. The most common pitfall of people designing goals is the failure to use their designs as a map.

When goals are recorded and then set aside, this is as useful as putting a map in your glove box, yet expecting to know which road to take. Goals need to be consulted regularly, just like a map, and if you get off course, you need to re-evaluate and make a new plan.

To design a goal map, first identify an area of your life where you seek advancement. Use that area to work through the goal process that follows. For this example, I’ll use the goal of starting a part-time business for extra income. Here are the steps needed to make the map.

Identify the exact goal. In one sentence, clarify the goal you are aiming to accomplish as specifically as possible. Example: To open a part-time tax business that brings in $300 a month in extra income (gross).

Identify a completion date. My business will be established in eighteen months.

Identify the evolution of the goal. What major points and steps happen during this time period?

A. The basics of establishing a business, permits, licensing, updating certification, financial.

B. The marketing and announcement of the business.

C. The grand opening of the business. Using this evolution assign each major step a date.

Fill in the blanks. Now take an in-depth look at what is needed to get to point A, from point A to point B, etc. Write these steps down in specific detail and assign each a date.

The basic template construction of your goal is complete. Type this up, print it out, and keep a copy in your planner. Check your progress against this goal regularly. If you get off track, don’t give up, just sit down and retrace your steps, adjusting the plan as necessary.
_________
The Change Your Life Challenge - Take control of your home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more with this 70 Day Program. Sign up for the free Challenge Weekly Newsletter and the motivational daily Good Morning.

Five Steps to Accomplish Your Goals By Christy Geiger

Do you find yourself amazed at how quickly the months pass? Do you find yourself in a small panic over all you know you have to do and how little you feel you are actually accomplishing? Join the crowd!

We live in a busy world where our time, priorities and energy are constantly challenged. The reality is that there is simply not time for everything and we don't have enough energy to complete everything.

What do we do? There are 5 simple steps to create greater success by managing our time and getting things done in business and life that are important.

1. EVALUATE - What do I really want? Where am I headed? What am I doing now?

2. GET REAL - What is really important that will impact and support your long term goals the best? What is not important? What is distracting me? What is not really supporting my long term goal?

3. PLAN - What do I need to do to accomplish my goal? What are the KEY action steps? How will I do this? What schedule or strategy will keep me focused?

4. FOCUS - Who do you need to be and what structures do you need to have to accomplish this (mindset, attitude, accountability)?

5. MONITOR / EVALUATE - Am I doing little, unimportant things? Am I procrastinating? What is working/ what is not? How could I streamline what I am doing?

What happens with good intentions and goals …

Plans begin as ideas in our head; we desire to have or do something. The key to the success of the idea is a plan. You know the saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Sometime our ideas will make it to paper in the form of a SMART goal and sometime not.

If we do write a goal people sometimes we will create some action steps, but rarely do they take the time to thoroughly think through what actions are actually needed at each stage to accomplish the goal completely.

Sometimes people will start planning and get overwhelmed at how much work it will actually take or get overwhelmed with the process and give up.

Often our goals remain our dreams because we fail to carve out time to make them reality. A management tip is to create a plan from start to finish. With this plan, decide if you have the time, energy, resources and desire to bring it to completion.

Next, estimate HOW LONG each task will actually take. It is common to underestimate how much time each step will take and therefore it never gets done.

Remember, if you are going to add something to your schedule, you must also plan to say "No!" to something else to make time to accomplish your goal.

Step 1: EVALUATE …

To create an effective plan, begin with a careful evaluation. Most people are constantly evaluating their present state without much problem.

We are constantly assessing, "What do I really want right now?" We look at things around us and talk about what we would like to be different in our life.

We talk about our goals, New Year's Resolutions, current intentions, etc. We often state them as fact and sincerely intend to accomplish those in our life. We see how they would make a positive difference and desire for them to happen.

There is a small percentage of people who also evaluate the questions, "Where am I headed?" and "What will it take for me to get there?"

Evaluation is a tool that allows you to anchor where you are now, determine where you want to go and create markers along the way to ensure you stay on course.

Without a longer term vision, we tend to react to current situations, "I need to make more money, I need to lose weight, I need to get this business off the ground, etc." This leads to wandering through life without focus or purpose.

Evaluate the present and then also evaluate the future and what it would take to get there.

Step 2: GET REAL ...

Then, get real. Does this fit in with where you are headed with your long term goals in your life? What is doing this going to get you?

What is the cost (consider time, money, energy, emotional, etc.) Are you willing to pay it? If you do really want this, what is going to be important that you do? What is distracting you from making this happen?

Identify Key Result Items:

* Write exactly where you are headed and what this is going to get you.

* Identify what you will have to do and write that down.

* Identify what you will have to say "no" to and commit to 3 things you will have to stop to make this happen.

Identify what this will "cost" and write down how you will "pay" for it. (This is not just financial, it may be something intangible like - COST: time with the family, PAYMENT: work later during week, but home Friday for dinner and family day all Saturday.)

* Identify 5 main distractions and how you can eliminate those.

Step 3: PLAN …

Next, plan what it will take to make this happen. You already have some Key Result Items from your Get Real Exercise. Take those and add to the list other ideas of what you know you will need to do to accomplish your goal.

What are specific action steps you will need to take? Stop a minute and in your mind focus on your long term goal. See it in full and complete form. What is there? What are you doing? What do you notice about yourself and your actions?

Now, in your mind walk backwards what did you do to get there? For example, if part of my long term goal is to have a thriving independent business, I may visualize myself in an office with the flexibility to be remote.

Part of what I would need to do is establish an office, design portable systems, have a virtual assistant, have tools and resources for office work, etc. This becomes one Key Result Area: A functional Office. Then I walk backwards and plan steps I would have taken to create this functional office.

Put dates on each broken-down action step and estimate what it will take to make each step happen (time, cost, etc.). Allocate completion targets accordingly.

Step 4: FOCUS …

Now that you have your plan flushed out and in place, who do you need to be to accomplish this?

Going back to your vision of your completed goal, what mindset and attitude did you have throughout the project? How did you do this? What schedule or strategy kept you focused? What systems of accountability did you have in place? What kept you on track and focused?

One of the most common errors people make is IF they get their plan complete, they begin work and get caught up in the rush of life again and start reacting and forget about their plan.

When you created your plan you were looking at the big picture. When you are working in the trenches of life, you are limited to see what is in front of you, unless you stick to the plan.

There is nothing wrong with evaluating and refining your plan as you go, but only when you are looking at it in perspective of the whole picture and not the short term moment.

The story is told about the caravan crossing the Sahara desert. The desert was barren and large. Many parties got lost crossing the great plains as they could not see their destination over the horizon.

A team went in and put in markers for travelers to focus on as they crossed so they would use each marker as a point of reference until they could see the city.

This allows many parties to cross the treacherous desert in the most direct and efficient path. This is your plan. Plan it well, establish milestones to focus on, trust them and stay the course!

Step 5: Monitor …

Step back occasionally and evaluate what you are doing. Go back to step one. How are you doing? What is working what is not? Are you on track or off course?

Make adjustments to get on track, re-design what is not working to new solutions and refine the plan in area that would increase efficiency or results toward your goal. Keep your long-term goal in mind and check to make sure your short term goals are supporting the long term goals.

Notice your behavior. Accomplishing big goals is hard work. Plan first and keep your eyes on the pre-set short term goal that position you to reach your bigger vision.

Bottom line …

None of these strategies are rocket science. The challenge is to maintain the discipline, focus and clarity to implement these basic strategies.

Evaluate your long term goal, be realistic, plan, set structures for focus and have check points to monitor. Invest your time in your plan and maintain the course once it is set.

If you are serious about these goals, take action today. Insure your success by developing an accountability system for yourself. Hire a coach as your strategic partner to run with you. Find a buddy in a similar situation.

Whatever it is, build environments to support your vision. Take the time to plan and design structures for success and you will see a difference! Here's to you and your success! Have fun!
_________
Christy Geiger is a strategic planning coach and the owner of Synergy Strategies, a business and life-coaching company that works with IBOs and professionals to implement their thousands of great ideas in ways that will maximize time, energy and effort! Through solid vision, goal and strategy planning, clients are able to maximize their personal effectiveness and accomplish their mission! Visit www.synergystrategies.com

Keep Your Goals In Plain View By Josh Hinds

If there's one thing I can't stress enough, it is the importance of keeping your action steps (those daily tasks we use to get us closer to our overall goals) in plain view. You see, simply having recorded goals is not enough to assure you of success. You have to have regular sessions with yourself to review whether or not you are on your way towards achieving them.

Regularly reviewing your goals & action steps ensures that you're making progress with regards to reaching your intended destination. Achievement in most anything is going to take some level of effort. When you don't see immediate results there's always the danger of procrastination setting in.

Setting designated times with yourself to refresh your goals does wonders for beating down the procrastination monster that wants to rob us of our dreams.

Here's an action plan you can put to work now: Try to take about 15 minutes or so each day to review your "projects/to do list" (remember this is the list of goals that support your longer-term goals, they might also include short term goals).

Take a second to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Give yourself a little pat on the back for the items on this list that have already been accomplished. Then re-write a new list. Include the items that have not been completed, or any items that you need to add. Keeping a new list ensures that things don't get cluttered.

Another thing you might consider is saving the previous days "Projects/to do list". It can serve as a nice reminder of your previous achievements.

Regularly reviewing your supporting goals & short term goals will help tremendously in keeping you grounded on the tasks that need to be done in order to get to where you want to be with regards to the goals you have set for yourself.

I've said it once and I'll say it a million more times I am sure :-) Rome wasn't built in a day, but it was built. Make persistence your partner, and each day you'll find that you're getting that much closer to where you want to be, both professionally and personally.

Here's to your success, Josh Hinds

(c) All rights reserved.

It's Time to 'Get Cracking' on Your Life Goals By Gary Simpson

"One day I'm gonna..." Fill in the rest of the sentence. I'm sure you can!

Lots of people are going to do lots of things - one day. Well, why not make that day today? Don't you think it's time to get cracking on your goals as soon as possible? Let me ask you another question...

What earthly benefit could there be in waiting for "one day?" Will you still be waiting "one day" in five years or ten or even twenty years time? Look back on your history. There is the answer.

There is a saying that goes something like this: "The person who wanted to think it over for a day or two was beaten by the person who thought it over on the spot." This is just another way of saying: "Strike while the iron is hot."

Time is not going to wait for you. It will just make you older. The very real possibility is that you will keep putting your goals off because you will entrench that attitude in your mindset.

Get cracking on your life goals - now! There will never be a better time than right now to do it.
________________
Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice." You can add value to your life by undertaking the "Journey, Life, Destiny" Personal Development Home Study Course.

Getting Goals Done -- With Some Handy Web2.0 Tools By Josh Hinds

Two things need to be addressed right off the bat before I get to deep into this. First, what is web 2.0? now that's a question/buzz word not easily defined without me getting in danger of rambling endlessly in techno babble. And that's something I'm sure you would appreciate me sparing you of anyway, right?

So, here's the short version... Taken right from the definition I got when I plugged the question in to google:

Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users. Ultimately Web 2.0 services are expected to replace desktop computing applications for many purposes.
source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Good, I'm glad we got that out of the way :-)

Now let's get down to the meat and potatoes of why I'm writing this, shall we? This leads me to the second point I mentioned above -- being how in the world this web 2.0 thingy fits with achieving ones goals.

Here's something I want you to repeat after me, out of sight, out of mind. Hopefully you really said that outloud, and here's why... because it's quite important, that's why!

If you don't believe me, consider for a moment just how many times you've fell short on accomplishing something because before you knew it, you had moved on to other tasks. Suddenly whatever it was that you just knew you were going to achieve, was replaced with something else. Some other "must get done" task snuck up and took the place of your original goal, right?

If you were really honest with yourself in reading that, I would venture to say that you could identify at least a few instances in your life where just such a thing has happened to you can't you? Hey, this isn't unique to you, it happens to everyone. And here's something to consider, the faster we move in our lives, the more likely it is that more and more of the things that pop-up are going to try and take the place of the things we would like to achieve - and the goals we set.

There are simply too many things that bombard us day in and day out. If we don't take an active role and work to ensure that we stay on track, keeping the things we want to see manifest in our lives, and actively work to keep them clearly in the forefront of our daily lives, we are not likely to make near the progress we could otherwise.

Using Lists to Get More Goals Done...

Hopefully, you didn't discount what I said above. Effective goal setting and goal achieving doesn't have to be terribly complex. I've seen many people that are highly effective goal setters (and achievers) that found that something as simple as using a notepad worked for them.

Simply put, they understood the importance of keeping what they wanted to accomplish at the forefront in their lives. Plain and simple. Oh yeah, and of course taking ample action to move themselves towards the end result they desired. See, we're not talking rocket science. Heck, we're not even close to coming near to a conversation about the theory of relativity.

So now that we've identified the key ingredient of what I believe is essential to effective goal setting (keeping things in sight, so they stay in mind) I'd like to share a few specific things that I do to make my goal setting system work in my own life.

Let me add right here that just because something works for me, doesn't mean it will necessarily do the trick for you, remember, we're not robots walking mindlessly here :) So with that said, by all means give yourself room to tweak any of the ideas you read here. Mix and match the ideas and find what works best for you. Nothing here is written in stone.

Hey What about the Web2.0 Meat and potatoes...

Ok, I'll try my best to make this short and snappy. In fact, I'll write it in a quick outline format so you can digest the ideas quickly and use the bits and pieces that might work for you.

The Web sites / and software:

* I use the Firefox web browser (for reason's I'll mention below)

* RememberTheMilk.com

* tadalist.com

When you visit the web sites you'll notice that all three of the items I use are available free (at least at the time of this writing).

Before I get down to the nuts and bolts of how I use them together, lets take a minute to explore what each of these are (in case you're not familiar with them).

1. Firefox is a web browser. I don't mean to insult your intelligence here, but it still amazes me how many folks out there still think internet explorer is the only game in town. You can learn more about the FireFox browser, as well as download it at http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

2. RememberTheMilk.com - here's the description from their site:

Remember The Milk is the easiest and best way to manage your to-do lists online. Here are just a few of the reasons why it's so cool:

Features galore. Sharing, publishing, notes... we've got it all.

Get reminded. Receive reminders via email, instant
messenger, and SMS.

screenshot of RememberTheMilk

3. Ta-da Lists - here is the description from their site:

Ta-da makes it easy to...
* Keep track of all the little things you need to get done
* Make lists for other people (co-workers, friends, family)
* Share lists with the world ("My favorite movies of 2004")
* Subscribe to your lists in RSS so you're always on track

Screenshot of Ta-Da List

So now that we've covered what the items above are, and what you can do with them, let me share with you a handy way to use them together, and at the same time make sure you keep things "in sight and in mind".

First, I set my home page in the Firefox browser to open up multiple sites when the browser opens (or when I choose the "home" icon.

To do this go to: Tools ---> Options --> Then make sure the
"general" tab/button is chosen. Then you will see: Home Page and Location(s). This is where you enter the web address that you want to set to be your home page (or starting page).

What you may not realize is you can actually include more then one web site in that space. Here's an example of how to do that:

Example looks like this:
http://www.rememberthemilk.com | http://www.tadalist.com

In the example above, notice we used the "|" symbol (without the "" of course) to choose more then one site. Then choose the "Ok" button and you're all set!

See how simple that was? Now since I'm on my computer and particularly on the internet a lot of the time anyway, I no longer have to worry about remembering to look over the goals and action tasks I have set for myself.

Sometimes it's the simplest of ideas that makes all the difference with regards to reaching the goals you set for yourself. Give this idea a try and here's wishing you all the best in your goal-setting journey.

To your success, Josh Hinds

© 2005

Is Your Short Term Goal Setting In Line With Your Overall Life Goals? By Josh Hinds

So what the heck are life goals, you ask. You see, many of us have goals, and while that's wonderful we have to make absolutely certain that they are in line with our life goals.

Life goals are basically just a fancy name for more long-term goals. Our larger dreams, the things that get us so excited we long for their achievement. Since our long term goals are where we ultimately want to end up, it's rather important that our shorter-term goals, or those action steps that support our long-term achievements are working together.

Here's an example:

If your dream is to become a graduate of your local college and go on to get your MBA, but your short term goals are not leading you to spend more time studying then you can just about bet you're going to have some type of struggle between what you desire and actually achieve. Essentially you're planning long term for one thing, yet taking steps in an all-together different direction.

A much more effective solution would be to work backwards where after outlining your longer term goals you start looking towards more immediate steps you can take that will lead to the overall outcome.

It's my hope that you got one thing from what I said above, that life goals are not to be taken lightly. They should be totally in line with your values, the things that you personally believe to be important. When we are careful to align our long term plans with our natural abilities I believe that we can actually steer our lives on the course we want it to take.

Personally my life goal is to create opportunity for those around me. To positively impact those I am fortunate enough to come into contact with. After identifying my life goal I have a standard with which to measure my short-term goals.

For instance, if I have an idea or goal I'd like to work towards I look at it objectively to see that it fits into and will help me reach my long-term goals, if it doesn't then the idea is discarded. I record the idea along with the reason I passed on it, and simply move forward with my daily routine.

You'll put yourself at a distinct advantage when you make sure your short-term actions lead you towards your long-term objectives.

-- Here's to your success, Josh Hinds

(c) All rights reserved

Success - Achieve Your Goals By Stuart Laing

When Jim Carey was a lad he used to dream about being a famous well paid actor. So in order to make him feel closer to his dream he took to writing himself million dollar cheques.

And before Donald Trump knew what business was, he stuck a picture of the Empire State Building on his bedroom wall.

Then the fast forward button was pressed forward a couple of decades.

Guess what happened?

Jim Carey was still writing himself million dollar cheques. But by now he was able to cash them without the bank manager alerting the fraud squad.

And Mr Trump still had his picture of the Empire State Building. But it wasn’t pinned above his bed any more. It was hanging behind the owner’s chair of the aforementioned building looking down on the rest of New York.

And my point?

Simple!

They knew how to set goals. They achieved spectacular results.

A coincidence? I think not!

Okay, they might not have been the most accurate or detailed goals, but they did the trick, and they highlight the point of this article rather well, which is: If you want to achieve anything meaningful with your life, it’s vital that you learn to set yourself goals.

Goals are the bridge between what you want and what you wanted. They give you direction and focus. They allow you to concentrate on the things that you want to bring into your life.

Without goals, people drift. They fall into low paid jobs, form unhappy relationships and they certainly don’t buy the world’s tallest building. Then they spend their lives wondering why other people appear to have it all.

Cue a life of wandering about in aimless circles without a detailed idea of where they’re going or how they’re going to get there. And how much happiness or satisfaction will that bring them?

So if you want to avoid these old age regrets, I want you to think of your life as a journey. And the things that you want to achieve are different locations that you want to visit during the course of your journey.

All we need now are some directions. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t begin a normal journey unless you knew where you were going, would you!

So why should life be any different?

After all, it’s the ultimate journey.

And goals are your detailed ordinance Survey map!

They will guide you where you want to go, as long as you keep referring to them.

Goals give you two things;

1. Long term vision (the world’s most expensive real estate, the million dollar payday), and 2. Short term motivation

They show you the quickest and easiest way to get from A to B to C to D etc. And when the going gets tough and you start to have second thoughts, they will give you the reason to keep going.

And that’s not all. They help you to;

1. Focus your attention on what you need to do and when
2. Organise your resources
3. Measure your progress
4. Boost your self confidence allowing you to achieve progressively larger and more demanding goals.

Goal setting will allow you to improve every area of your life. And, once you know the basics, it’s easy to harness the power of goal setting.

Rule One: Make them real

Whatever happens, use your goals to create something that will inspire and motivate you.

Do whatever you like as long as it gives you some tangible evidence of your goal. Write them down, use a photo, make yourself a prop, do a dummy run (e.g. write yourself a fake cheque) etc.

But whatever happens, don’t keep them in your head. Vague, unwritten goals don’t work. While they remain in your head, they’re all too easily forgotten or overlooked.

If Jim Carey hadn’t written himself that cheque, he might have forgotten to go to drama school and there would have been a film called “and Dumber”.

If Donald Trump hadn’t had that photo of a tall building, his dreams might have been overlooked and much of America’s real estate would have had a different name.

So get your goals out into the physical world, where they can’t be denied or forgotten. Give yourself a visible reminder of what you want to achieve.

Rule Two: Take Action

Making your goals real is the first step towards turning them into reality. But that only takes you 1% of the way to your final destination.

Okay, that might inspire you to join the local drama group or call your lawyer to incorporate a real estate company, but that’s as far as it goes.

Action accounts for 99% of your success.

Great ideas + No action = Nothing

Poor/Reasonable Ideas + Action = The Chance Of Success

So with that in mind, make a point of taking some positive action towards your goals each and every day.

Action builds commitment, it makes obstacles shrink and it gets you moving to your intended destination.

Bon Voyage!

Stuart

(c) Copyright Priceless Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
___________
Stuart Laing is author of "7 Days To Explosive Success", the blueprint for anyone who wants to achieve more with their life. To get this free 7 Part course and hundreds of articles on both business and personal success, visit www.pricelesspublishing.co.uk

Secrets of Setting Goals and Stategies for Achieving Them By Ann Marie Parisi

Webster’s Dictionary defines goals as the end toward which effort is directed.

Do you have a goal(s) in your life? Have you reduced your goal(s) to writing? Studies have been done by respected universities which indicate 90% of us never set goals; of the 10% who do, only 3% actually write them down. This latter group consists of some of the most successful people in all fields of endeavor.

Goal Setting requires first of all specificity. In other words “to be a success” is not a valid goal. Rather goals should sound like this: “By 2010, I will have my own Carvel Franchise in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst Section” or perhaps: “By next year this time I will have completed my first novel and submitted the manuscript to 10 publishers.”

Goals need proper maintenance, small adjustments that build on the main goal.

Immediately and audaciously begin to take action. Refine your goal(s) more and more. Post visual images of your goal in prominent locations, like your bathroom mirror, your pillow, refrigerator, your work area, your car, your brief case, and any where else you might regularly eye it.

Write down the benefits of achieving your goal: I will be happier, healthier, wealthier, etc. when you achieve ‘your particular goal.’ Act as if you have achieved your goal and are just filling in the details of how you got there. Keep a smile on your face. Reward yourself for each positive step you take, and don’t beat your self up over miscues/minor failures. They are a part of the ‘rungs of the ladder’ that lead you to the top.

Consider every obstacle you might encounter, along the way. Develop strategies for handling each circumstance. Common obstacles you are likely to confront are naysayers, lack of capital, small failures, digressions, competition, poor time management, etc. Know beforehand how you will overcome any obstacle that comes your way.

Gain as much knowledge as you can about your goal. If your goal is to be an Indy Car Driver, learn every detail about the car, the track and the competition. If your goal is to be a sports agent learn every detail about your competitors (fees they charge, who their clients are, what their shtick is, where they hang out, when and how they approach clients).

Develop support groups/mentors, who can provide you honest advice and counsel, help you overcome obstacles and keep you motivated.

Construct a plan of action, and meticulously work the plan. A popular adage says: “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” One common error is, mistaking activity for accomplishment.

Be committed. To paraphrase W. H. Macy, don’t be committed like a kamikaze pilot on his 12th mission.

Seek and seize opportunity. The mass of men call this luck; they believe success is serendipitous. As Zig Ziglar says: “Arise each morning when the ‘opportunity clock’ sounds” and greet God boldly with the words: “Lord we are going to have a great day.” Who could be a better partner than the Lord?

Remember you have the same number of hours in a day as any doctor, lawyer, entrepreneur, or for that matter, your average billionaire like Bill Gates. Use those hours wisely, “Age quod agis” – “do what you are doing,” always remaining focused. Understand you aren’t making sacrifices by giving up some habits and activities you enjoy, but rather that you are now investing your time and talent in yourself instead.

Don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Make them happen. Ed McMahon isn’t going to knock on your door. If you want to succeed you must proceed without hesitation. Until you are truly committed and begin the journey to success, there is a good chance you may draw back. Don’t! Move forward and “seize the day.”
_____________
If you would like more information or personal assistance on setting and achieving goals contact Ann Marie or Al Parisi at lunchbagnotes.net. Ann Marie is a teacher and author and speaker. She resides in Agoura Hills, California, with her co-writers and speakers, her brother Anthony and dad, Al.

How to Bubble Map - drawing your ToDo Lists

A common complaint I hear from folks about goal setting is that often people end up falling short of reaching their goals. Certainly in some instances lack of planning and giving ones self ample time to reach the goal is the culprit.

That's not always the case however. Very often it's a simple case of "out of sight, out of mind" that stops many well meaning goal achievers from getting the results they hope for.

Personally, I'm really big on keeping lists. If you haven't read the Book, Getting Things Done by David Allen, I'd recommend you doing so. You don't even have to buy it, most libraries have a copy... however, it is well worth the price in my humble opinion just to have it in your personal success library.

With that said, lets get back to keeping lists. Basically, we're talking about keeping a to do list (the book gets a lot more in depth on this, and other areas, but for the purpose of this post lets stick to the simple to do list).

In its simplest form, a to do list is writing down all the things you want to achieve, and simply marking them off the list as you complete them.

However, here's another interesting approach I read about called a Bubble Map, basically, rather then writing out your to do list, you draw them :-) Personally, I think I'll stick to my old written method, but hey, don't let that stop you from giving it a try! You may just find it works like a champ for you.

Here's how Bubble Mapping works as shared on the LifeHack.org site....

Taguchi-san has invented with an alternative way on representing a todo list. It is called Bubble Map. He uses a bubble (a circle) to represent an instance of task. He draws the bigger bubble if the task is a higher priority, respectively smaller bubble if the task is less important:

* ... This often happens to me (and you?), so I looked into the
* problem deeply. Then I realized that a ToDo “list” does not
* represent the importance of each item. Yes, you can “A, B, C”
* the list, but your brain just does not catch how important each
* item is. In my opinion, it’s just counter-intuitive.

* So a few weeks ago, i began “drawing” my ToDo list. Each
* bubble represents a ToDo and the bigger the more troublesome it * is to your mind. I named this map, “bubble map”. My bubble map *yesterday is something like below.

* The beauty of this method is that it truely (=intuitively)
* represents your mind share of each ToDo item…
(found via LifeHack.org)

Interesting idea don't you think?

Yours in goal setting, Josh Hinds :-)

NLP Well Formed Outcomes By Adam Eason

One of the fundamental and basic aspects of modern personal development is the idea of having well formed outcomes in your life. It is very well documented these days, but so very few people actually do use them, and even fewer people create them properly and in a way that is useful.

Having NLP's Well formed outcomes for your life can create well being in business, our personal lives, in relationships and so much more. So please be as flexible as you possibly can be while reading this; and I don't mean read it while doing the splits!

In NLP (neuro linguistic programming), goal setting becomes more than just goal setting. We go beyond that and step into the realms of “desired outcome development.” By that, we are going beyond setting goals and moving into the realms of setting outcomes.

As you think about any area of your life that you would like to update or change or plan better for, or if you have an unfulfilled dream or something you are working towards, then creating an NLP well formed outcome can begin to get your unconscious mind and its related processes driving you towards that without you even having to know how.

How do goals and outcomes differ? Goals are general and outcomes are specific. An outcome represents a goal developed with specificity that enables us to have a very clear understanding of what to do.

A well formed outcome enables us to create specific pictures, sounds, feelings and words. Then that image, that outcome activates our abilities and resources for achieving that outcome. The NLP well formed outcome model should have the following characteristics;

1. The outcome should be stated positively in terms of what we want: The human mind does not directly process a negative.

2. The NLP outcome is described in sensory based language: In terms of sights, sounds and sensations; what will we see, hear and feel with that outcome. See how we are forming the outcome, crafting it?

3. Ensure that the NLP outcome is self-initiated and self-controlled: It needs to be something that is not reliant on others in any way. Changing others directly lies outside of our control – changing them indirectly by changing ourselves – we can do that!

4. Make your desired outcome appropriately contextualised: When, where, how and with who do you want this outcome? Detail the context.

Many people that I work with and encounter operate in a stimulus/response mode. Something happens, they respond. Something else happens, they respond. Instead of reacting to various stimuli involved, with outcome based thinking, you are looking at how to control your own world instead. Outcome based thinking allows you to decide what you want and shows you how to achieve it.

Outcome based thinking with NLP is the ability to visualize the precise outcome of a process before beginning that process. It is the ability to set goals and keep them in mind all through the negotiation process.

World class athletes from all over the world use outcome based thinking to achieve top performance in their field. The best golfers visualize a shot before they hit the ball, the best football players imagine scoring a goal before it happens.

Here are a set of very useful questions to ask yourself when forming your desired outcomes in life to ensure that they are really going to serve you well.

Questions to ask oneself for effective outcome based thinking. This can be applied to many situations and circumstances as someone looking to create a desirable outcome. I recommend that you take time write down the answers to these questions and then use the answers to provide you with a skeleton to then hang around the details of your well-formed outcomes for life.

Firstly; What exactly do I want out of the process? Think of the successful conclusion that you expect.

Secondly, if other people are involved in any shape or form ask yourself; What does the other person want? If you don't know, then think about what are they likely to want?

Thirdly, What is the least I will accept out of the process? Think about the minimum of things that you want to occur in your sessions for you to be satisfied.

Next up, think about (briefly, don't loiter on this) What problems could come up in the process? Make a note, if not in writing, then in your mind of everything that could arise.

Then, ask yourself; how will I deal with each one and, if possible, use the problem to benefit the outcome? Make a list of possibilities or the things that could crop up, or differences in contract expectations.

Then put together your solutions for remedying that before it occurs. Being prepared to deliver your solutions if and when they arise.

Finally, ask yourself; How will I bring the process to a conclusion? Run this over and over in your mind. You can also ask that wonderful question; how will I know when I have achieved this outcome? Make a note of that. Whenever I ask myself that question in relation to a well formed outcome, it sends a HUGE smile across my face.

Knowing the outcome in advance is exceptionally powerful. So go and begin to design your future, make them as sensory rich as possible. Create them and allow your unconscious mind to deliver the results.

I was listening to a recording recently by a highly acclaimed coach talking about "the horizon." He explained that the horizon does not really exist; that it’s just a mental construct. He made the point that, no matter how fast or how far you travel, you do not and cannot actually reach the horizon. Wherever you are, your brain creates a new horizon ahead of you. Really interesting thought. This notion can be applied to how we go about driving ourselves to create our well-formed outcomes.

So, like the horizon, our NLP well formed outcomes are mental constructs, and not actually aspects of reality. However, and I am getting excited by telling you this, they can be an excellent marker to help us set a direction and keep motivated to creating wonderful sensory rich well formed outcomes. What our outcomes and dreams are not useful for is measuring progress. Let me explain.

People with dreams and NLP well formed outcomes, in my experience, fall into two categories: those who are happily achieving those dreams and fulfilled by them, and those who are lacking fulfilment and dissatisfied with their life.

The main difference between these two groups is that the people who are happy and fulfilled measure their progress by comparing where they are against where they have come from. The people who are stressed and dissatisfied measure progress by comparing where they are against their dreams. Having dreams that are unfulfilled can hinder us and damage our motivation to create powerful well formed outcomes.

So before you go off and start writing your NLP well formed outcomes about making your dreams come true; just think about that idea for a moment; The happy, fulfilled people look at how far they’ve come.

The unhappy, dissatisfied people look at how far they have to go to reach their dreams.

When you bear in mind that the dream, your NLP well formed outcome is in fact just a mental construct that cannot be reached, you can understand why they may have been feeling unhappy and dissatisfied.

So here are some steps to take to avoid dissatisfaction:

Firstly; think of something that you have been working towards for a while or something that you wish to work on. It could be something to do with your health, your finances, your relationships, a habitual change, something you want to overcome, a skill you wish to acquire, or something that you want to do.

Secondly, think of your dream, your desired outcome for this particular area. If you are exploring wealth, your dream might be financial freedom or owning a flashy new car. If you are focusing on health, your dream may be to be a certain size, to stop smoking or to run a mile in a certain time. Hey, it may even be how to stop clinging on to the safe place you might be in life.

Thirdly, have a really good think of where you started. Where were you at when you first decided you were going to do something about it? Really assess that. Get it clear in your mind/

Fourth, now compare where you currently are to your dream or your desired outcome. Now get a sense of how you feel about that.

In the vast majority of cases, people almost certainly find that there is a gap between where you are and your dream, of course, otherwise it would unlikely still be a dream. For some people, thinking about this gap is a disheartening experience. This is the habitual behaviour of unfulfilled people. So resolve to stop doing it today! Please! Just stop it.

Next up, compare where you currently are to where you started. Get a sense of how this feels. Now we are talking.

If you have made any progress at all, it will typically be more and more enjoyable to compare where you are with where you were. This is the habitual behaviour of happy, fulfilled people, of happy high achievers and those developing personally as they want to. This is really crucial in creating well formed outcomes for your life.

Many people have learned to compare themselves to the dream or the desired outcome. But once you know how this works, you can compare yourself to where you started, and feel good about the progress you have made, however minor it may be. The great thing is, that gives you energy and motivation to continue with your journey towards your NLP well formed outcomes.
__________
Adam Eason is an author, consultant, trainer and motivational speaker in the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential. His website is filled with information, stimulating articles, resources and uniques products and can be found here; http://www.adam-eason.com

Setting Goals - How to Reach Your Dreams by Cathy Warschaw

"The shortest distance between two points is a straight line." This statement perfectly explains the benefit of setting goals. Establishing goals for yourself, professionally and personally, can help you reach the objectives that are important to you.

How to do I set goals?

The first step you should take is to determine what is important to you. It could be health, career, and family life - it can be many things - but put these items in order of priority. This step will prevent the possibility of being sidetracked by distractions and give you something to focus on; otherwise, you risk floating in a constant chaotic state without achieving anything.

Next, phrase your goals in a positive manner and write them down, i.e. try - "Learn to fluently speak and understand Spanish;" versus - "Not sounding like a moron every time I speak." Get the difference? The words you use to define your goals also determine your feelings towards them. So use positive words!

Define your goals in very specific terms. Be sure to identify any milestone and final dates, as well as, how you will measure success. This action is critical because it not only gives you a timeline to follow, but also a marker of achievement.

Remain conscientious that the goals you set are realistic and attainable. Nothing hurts worse than failing to reach a goal that was too big in the first place. It's fair to say that wanting to be the next Julia Roberts in three years is not a very realistic goal, but perhaps, promising yourself to go on an X-number of auditions is reasonable. Let your common sense be your guide in keeping your goals within reach.

Conversely, don't establish goals that are too low. Many of us fear disappointment and failure so we set goals that offer little challenge or effort to achieve. Don't allow yourself to fall victim to this common practice; identify objectives that are slightly out of reach, but not impossible.

I've achieved my goal - now what?

Once you've achieved a goal, reward yourself for a job well done! Then take time to reflect on how you reached this goal so you can tap into that energy and knowledge for future objectives.

If, however, you found that this goal was bit easy, be sure to make your future goals a little more difficult. Or if you discovered difficulty with a particular skill, consider improving it as your next objective.

But I didn't reach my goal!

Don't allow yourself to despair if you did not achieve your specific goal. Embrace your experience as a learning lesson and develop ways to overcome obstacles for the next challenge. Remember - "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

And the bottom line is...

Anything worth attaining is worth the effort.

"Changing Lives...One Career at a Time."
___________
Contact Details: Warschaw Learning Institute 8424 Santa Monica Blvd. #A-170 West Hollywood, CA. 90069, USA www.warschawlearninginstitute.com information@warschawlearninginstitute.com (323) 822-0917

Goals Help In Getting Out Of The "Pits" - Shirley Bullington

Have you ever encountered a person who feels like they are just "unfocused". Or maybe this is happening to you. Studies have shown that many people (including very successful ones) feel this way.

We often get the feeling that we're stuck in a rut, going through the daily grind, just to stay where we are. Sort of like being on a treadmill: at the end of the day we're spent, but what have we accomplished?

While most of us are not happy or satisfied with this feeling, some experts contend that this is really a good thing. How can that be? That seems totally against everything we've been taught.

The fact is, it's the people who are not dissatisfied about being in a rut that are the ones who will never get out of it. If we are thinking about our goals, we will stand a much better chance of achieving them.

Three things to think about are:

1. What are we doing to achieve our goals? Are your goal-achieving activities consistent? Do they fit you and your personality?

2. Have you eliminated the waste in your life and your mind? What's taking your time and energy but not helping with goal achievement?

3. Practice numbers 1 and 2 above!

Remember, though, that great achievements take time. Oh sure, we hear about this guy or that gal that came in and became the top salesperson of their Company in a few weeks flat. Does that ever happen? Sometimes. But, I would suggest that usually that person has spent time and effort elsewhere preparing for this position.

Success rarely happens overnight. For example, was Tiger Woods successful the first time he picked up a golf club? I doubt it.

But back to that pit. If you feel like you really are stuck and can't get out, try doing something radically different. Make some new goals, imagine what life will be like when you're achieved them, get rid of what isn't working.

Think big and write down new goals or re-affirm your old ones. Also, remember to practice realistic patience.
_________
Shirley Bullington has studied with several personal improvement trainers and loves the subject of goals and goal setting. She operates http://www.rgoals.com which is a goal and goal resource site.

Are Your Goals Exciting? - Jim Donovan

With fall upon us, now is the perfect time to think about your future and begin to design the kind of life you'd like to be living. Unfortunately, too many people leave their lives to chance and happenstance, not taking the time to write down their goals and create plans to achieve them. This can be a huge mistake.

Not having written goals would be like going on vacation without a destination, something most people would never consider doing. Yet, those same people will leave their futures in the hands of circumstance.

Having written goals will change your life. Spend some time thinking about what you'd like your life to be like. For the sake of this exercise, let's set goals you'd like to have accomplished one year from now. Of course, you can set shorter and longer goals as well.

What would you like for your relationships? How about your health, career, and finances? How about your mind and emotions? What would you like to experience? What would you like to do, be, or have? Invest some time now to identify these things and write them down. This will greatly increase the likelihood of your accomplishing them.

If you want to know more about this, there are lots of books, including mine, to help you. That's not really the topic of this story, however, I'm asking you now to revisit your goals, particularly your short-term ones.

Do they make you want to jump out of bed each day eager to get going? Recently, I was feeling "less than great." I was even bordering on becoming depressed, something I rarely experience. I felt unmotivated, and wound up being pretty sick for several weeks.

Upon closer examination, and because I agree with Socrates that, "An unexamined life is not worth living," I realized one of the things that I had done was to reset some of my short-term goals to be "more realistic."

What I had noticed about myself was that in the interest of being realistic, I had lowered my expectations. While this may seem like a reasonable thing to do, in reality, it left me totally uninspired and feeling pretty unmotivated about my goals. For example, if you have a goal of making enough money to "pay the bills" how exciting is that? Is that going to make you jump out of bed in the morning saying, "oh wow, I can't wait to get going, so I can make money and pay the bills!" I doubt it.

When I understood what I was doing, I immediately set new goals. I set goals that were way beyond my reach. Goals that were huge enough to really get my juices going. Now, when I think about my new, bigger goals, I get excited just imaging what it would feel like reaching them and what my life would be like having accomplished them.

Now, let's start setting some new goals for the coming year. Following is a simple exercise to help you become clear about your goals and begin creating the life you've always wanted.

1. Write what you do want. Be specific. List everything you want to do, be, have, and share for the upcoming year and beyond. Rather than writing "be thinner," for example, write "I feel & look great weighing 175 pounds." Instead of writing, "More money," be specific. How much more per month?

2. Write each goal in the form of a positive affirmation, in the present tense (I am, I have, etc). Set goals in the key areas of your life - spirituality, health, relationships, social, career, things, and money.

3. Next to each one, write why you want this and how you will feel when you have accomplished it.

4. Write at least one small action you can take right now to move toward your goal.

Each day, read your list of goals, concentrating on the feelings associated with having them. The more you can feel the feelings your goal will produce, the faster you can draw it to you. Your sub-conscious mind does not know the difference between that which is real and that which is vividly imagined. Fake it until you make it.

After you reread your goals, seeing yourself as having achieved them, and are feeling the good feelings associated with having them, ask yourself, "What is the next action I can take to move toward this?" Do this daily and watch your life change.
___________
Jim Donovan is the author of the International bestsellers, Handbook To A Happier Life and This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal. He has just released "How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Book".

Ten Steps To Achieving Your Goals - Zig Ziglar

You've got (less than) 90 days to accomplish your goals for 2005!

We're now into the final quarter of the year, and that means there’s less than three months before 2005 is history. How are you doing on accomplishing the goals you set for this year?

Right about now, many of our readers can use a little goal-setting boost, and so here's Zig Ziglar's 10-step formula for accomplishing goals.

1. Make the commitment to reach your goal. "One person with a commitment is worth a hundred who only have an interest." Mary Crowley.

2. Commit yourself to detailed accountability. Record your progress toward your goals every night, and list the six most important things you need to do the next day. Daily discipline is the key to reaching your goals.

3. Build your life on a sold foundation of honesty, character, integrity, trust, love, and loyalty. This foundation will give you an honest shot at reaching any goal you have set properly.

4. Break your intermediate and long-range goals into increments.

5. Be prepared to change. You can't control the weather, inflation, interest rates, Wall Street, etc. Change your decision to move toward a goal carefully--but be willing to change your direction to get there as conditions and circumstances demand.

6. Share your "give-up" goals (i.e., give up smoking, being rude, procrastinating, being late, eating too much, etc.) with many people. Chances are excellent they're going to encourage you.

7. Become a team player. Remember: You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

8. See the reaching. In your imagination see yourself receiving that diploma, getting that job or promotion, making that speech, moving into the home of your dreams, achieving that weight-loss goal, etc.

9. Each time you reach a goal your confidence will grow so that you can do bigger and better things. After accomplishing any goal, record it in your journal, Weekly Planner or Palm Pilot.

10. Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals --what you will become is the winner you were born to be!
_____________
Zig Ziglar offers a weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter by going to www.zigziglar.com.

P.S. Check-out the Zig Ziglar Product Blowout Package
Take advantage of Zig's 4 Best-Selling packages (including Family, Sales, Motivation and Christian Motivation Packages), all 4 at tremendous savings! Learn more about the Zig Ziglar Product Blowout Package.