Goals – The Roadmap to Success – 1st section

“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” Robert Heinlein (1907 – 1988)

Everyone, and I mean everyone, should be aware of the importance of goal setting for any level of success. There are countless stories of success all derived from setting goals and then striving for them. However, in the real world, barely three percent of individuals have clearly written, specific goals with deadlines for their achievement. Why? I think it has something to do with the content in the first section of this message. (See: Fear)

Most people never even bother with putting their goals down on paper. This is the Grand Master of all mistakes on the road to the successful attainment of goals. It’s almost a guarantee of failure with respect to goal setting success. Of those who do take the time to write goals down, those who fail to reach their goals generally do so for one of four reasons:

1) Establishing goals based on outcome rather than performance. This is very important. Take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible – there is nothing as disappointing as failing to achieve a personal goal for some reason that is out of your control such as bad business deal, poor officiating, inclement weather, an injury, or just plain bad coincidence. Goals based on outcomes are extremely vulnerable to failure because of things beyond your control.

By basing your goals on personal performance or skills or some knowledge to be obtained, you keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction from them. For example, bodybuilders often achieve their personal best shape for a particular competition, but not receive one of the top three placement positions because of the subjective nature of the competition. If this person had set an outcome goal of being in the top three, then this will be a defeat. If they had set a performance goal of achieving a particular level of muscularity, body fat percentage, etc then they would have achieved the goal and could draw satisfaction and self-confidence from its achievement.

Another flaw is where outcome goals are based on the reward of achieving something, like perhaps a financial amount or the recognition of colleagues. In the early stages these will be highly motivating factors; however as they are achieved, the benefits of further achievement at the same level reduce. You will become progressively less motivated.

2) A failure to set specific goals. Here, clarity is king and brings one definiteness of purpose. You must set specific, measurable goals. If you achieve all conditions of a measurable goal, then you can be confident and comfortable of its achievement. If you consistently fail to meet a measurable goal, then you can adjust it or evaluate the reason for failure and take appropriate action to improve your skills.

3) Setting unrealistic goals. Goals may be set unrealistically high for the following reasons:
· Other people: Other people (family, the media, the culture) can set unrealistic goals for you, based on what they want. This is likely done in total disdain and disregard for your goals, desires and ambitions.

· Insufficient information: If you do not have a clear, realistic understanding of what you are trying to achieve and of the skills and knowledge to be mastered, it is difficult to set effective and realistic goals.

· Always expecting your best performance: Many people base their goals on their best performance, however long ago that was. This denies the expected lackluster performance that can occur for several reasons, and ignores the factors that led to that best particular performance. It is better to set goals that raise your average performance and make it more consistent.

· Lack of respect for self: You must respect your right to rest, relaxation and pleasure in life or else you risk certain burnout.

4) Setting goals too low. Consequently, goals can be set too low because of:

· Fear of failure: If you are frightened of failure you will not take the risks needed for optimum performance. As you put into operation the techniques of goal setting and see the achievement of goals, your self- confidence should increase, helping you to take bigger risks. We covered this earlier. Know this: Failure is a positive thing which can show you the areas where you are able to improve your skills and performance.

· Taking it too easy: It is easy to take the reasons for not setting goals unrealistically high as an excuse to set them too low. If you’re not prepared to stretch yourself and work hard (get out of the comfort zone), then you are extremely unlikely to achieve anything of any real worth.

Setting Goals at the Right Level

Practice will teach you to set your goals at the correct level. You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far that there is no hope of achieving them: no one will put serious effort into achieving a goal that they believe is unlikely. Please don’t be fooled by this. Just because a goal may seem out of reach doesn’t mean it really is out of reach. Such a belief can be changed by the proper employment of imagery and visualization.

Personal factors such as physical or mental stress, prior commitments and the need for rest, etc. should be taken into account when goals are set. Afterward, review the goals you have set, and then measure them against the points above. Adjust them to meet the recommendations and then review them. You should now be able to see the importance of setting goals effectively.

Thinking a goal through

By asking yourself the following questions when you are thinking about how to achieve goals, you can better focus on the smaller steps that lead to their achievement:

· What skills do I need to achieve this?
· What information and knowledge do I need?
· What help, assistance, or collaboration do I need?
· What resources, knowledge or material do I need?
· What can block my progress?
· Am I making any assumptions?
· Is there a better way of doing things?

Next time: The seven steps to goal setting success.