One of the things we discuss frequently in business is setting goals and making a plan to achieve them. It’s an important aspect of business success, but seldom do you hear anyone talk about exactly how to set a goal and to make progress reaching that goal.
Getting Started with Goal Setting
Goal setting seems to be something that people assume you just know how to do. The bad news is that great goal setting is not something you innately know. The good news is that it is something you can learn.
If you’ll recall, I wrote a live-blog at the Rocks Digital Marketing Conference about Dean Lindsay’s Rocks Talk regarding Big PHAT goals (which he has written a book about). Now that I’ve had the opportunity to read his book, I’d like to share some of what I learned.
Goal Setting Starts with a Plan
#1 Write the goal down.
I can hear you saying, “But, I’ll remember my goals. They’re important to me. I don’t need to write them down!” But yes, you do.
Writing your goals down:
- Gives them more weight
- Enhances commitment
- Helps you to remember the WHY behind the goal
- Sparks both the conscious and subconscious mind to take the goal more seriously
#2 Find a way to connect your goal to your personal progress.
Define the “what’s in it for me” about your goal, and you’ll be more invested in making sure you make progress towards the goal. This is also known as “finding your big WHY.”
#3 Craft your goal in the present tense.
This is something that I learned not only from Dean, but also from studying the Law of Attraction. Your brain will engage better with the belief of something that is “now” over something that is a vague “sometime in the future” goal. Instead of “I will be wealthy,” your goal should be written as “I AM wealthy.” I don’t know where anyone else learned this concept initially, but I learned “Don’t Dream It, Be It” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Turns out, that was a nugget of wisdom that has followed me throughout life.
#4 Make sure your goal has a way to be measured.
Be specific and be detailed. That will make it easier to map out exactly how to achieve your goals, and how you will be able to tell that you’re making progress towards those goals. This always makes me think of the stories where a person finds a genie in a lamp and says something like “I wish I had a million bucks,” and then is surrounded by deer.
Your subconscious mind tends to take things pretty literally, so make sure you write detailed goals so you’ll have a clear plan for what you want to achieve.
#5 Positive language is absolutely critical.
Remember, what you think is what you become. Even what seems to be a positive goal like “I’ll never be late for appointments” can have the effect of your subconscious mind dwelling on being late to appointments. Reword that goal as “I will be punctual and prompt.”
The key here is to focus on what you DO want, not what you DON’T want. And remember the power of gratitude. Be grateful for the things you already have and that positivity will help attract more good things to your life.
#6 Your goal needs a due date.
How many times have you put something off or moved a project to the back burner because it was something you needed to do someday? Without a sense of urgency, it can often be hard to motivate yourself to even begin working on something, much less complete it, so your goals definitely need a due date. This will help with measuring progress, as well as kick-start you into actually starting whatever you must do to work towards the goal.
Ready? Get Started with Goal Setting Right Now
These golden rules should get you started on your goal-setting mission. I’d love to know what your goals are and how you are making progress towards achieving them.
What’s your favorite rule among the 6 above? How about another rule you rely on? Jump on in and comment below!
