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What is
the single most important tool which will cause your future to
become filled with all your hopes, dreams and desires? The Power
of Goalsetting in your daily life.
There are two ways to look at the Power of Goalsetting. You
can look from the perspective that setting Goals is like having
the strongest allegiance you could ever imagine having.
OR you can groan when you hear "Goalsetting," thinking
it is for someone else, can't possibly work for you.
Before you say either "Never worked for me, never
will" or "I have goal setting software I use everyday, I
have my five-year plan mapped out to the Nth degree, I know
exactly where I will be at 11:05 am on June 14, 2003. I know
who I will be with and how I will get from here to there down to
the tiniest segment of time." take the time to read, ask
questions and reflect. Make your intention in reading this
article to not just be about a goal setting plan, but what lies underneath the plan. What makes the plan
important? What blocked you from pursuing the plan
successfully in the past?
What is the challenge to using the Power of Goalsetting every day?
Quite simply it is knowing both what it is you want to do as well
as why it is you want to do it.
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Quite simply it is knowing both what it is you want to do as well
as why it is you want to do it. Having a clear perspective
means you know where to shine the flashlight before you get to
where you are going. If you have no idea where to shine the
flashlight, you might as well be surrounded in fog.
How to gain clarity?
As a child, how did you learn about anything? It all started
with asking questions. To gain clarity of focus on your
goals, enter into inquiry with yourself. One option is to
journal and then reflect upon your responses.
One word of caution: don't make this into some sort of a Christmas
Card annual greeting, create an inner conversation with depth and
meaning.
Listen to yourself on a core level without judgment rather than on
a "should, would, could" level. Try this on for a
moment. See how it works for you.
Question: "Why is this goal important to me?
Response: It is important to me because I really enjoy working
with XYZ"
Follow-up Question: "How so?"
Response: "XYZ is so enjoyable to me because it reminds me of
the time when I was 1-2-3. I was so alive and
invigorated then. Anything was possible!"
OR: "I was so connected with my friends at that
time!"
OR: "Almost anything can fit here"
"Listen" to your responses with the technique of an
archaeologist. Get out your tools and dig into the meaning
underneath your findings. Don't expect it to come right
away. This is not a microwave process, it is more akin to a
slow cooker.
To actually begin the process to overcome your obstacles, there
are some creative ways to bring more artistry into goal setting as
well. Are you right brained-artistic rather than
left brain- logical? You may have the mistaken belief
that goal setting is a chore.
On the contrary, goal setting can be a dynamically imaginative.
Perhaps this is a new paradigm for you. The exploration will
be intense whether you are a rookie or a pro-goal setter.
The simplest way to begin is through brainstorming. One of
the most enjoyable and challenging ways to do this is to create a
game of "Thinking in One Hundreds." There is power
in a large number, a magnetism. You have the ability to get
there, too, if you will allow yourself to think freely.
Remember, no should's, could's or ought's allowed!
Take a sheet of paper and a pencil (or open a document on your
word processor if that is your preference). Place a title on
the paper--and it can be any of the following or others. In
fact, you may want to have several sheets, and begin to engage
your mind in various places simultaneously:
100 People I Will Meet Before I Die
100 Books I Will Read in the Next Decade
100 Places I Will Visit
100 Questions I Will Ask About.........(Anything!)
Once you get started, you will be well on your way to not only
knowing more about yourself and why certain goals are important,
you will learn how goal setting will work for you. You might
not get up to 100 of any of the categories.
Let go of your perfectionistic past ideas about what goal setting
looks like or feels like according to old patterns and techniques.
Allow yourself to create newly, listening to your true desires.
Ponder what you found when you were focusing, gaining clarity.
Review your 100's lists, even if you never made it to 100.
That's perfectly fine. It got your brain pumping, right?
There can be no "wrongs" except for not trying it at
all.
Julie Jordan Scott is a Certified Life Purpose Coach who works with action-oriented, creative people who are ready to live each
moment with passion.
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