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International Institute For Global Leadership - Level Three Introduction Levels One & Two are devoted to personal empowerment since we believe that understanding oneself is the foundation of true leadership. For this reason, each of the books in Levels One and Two are about some aspect of personal development. Level Three is composed of writing exercises. The first assignment is simply to write a summary assessment of the primary things you learned in Levels One and Two. The second assignment is to do a personal assessment of where you are at this point in your life. The third assignment introduces you to some of the resources available on the internet related to goals and goal setting. The fourth assignment is a series of writing exercises to help you define and set goals and create an action plan for reaching them. It is very important to take your time in completing these exercises. A great deal of thought should go into them. It is suggested that you complete a writing exercise, set it aside for a week or so, and then come back to it and edit it as necessary. A valuable part of the exercise is the thought that goes into it. With Level Three you are entering a realm of personal instruction. This means that it is very important to write to the program director for clarification about anything that you do not fully understand. It also means that you may be asked to expand on some of the answers you give. If your initial writings are not immediately accepted 'as is,' do not consider this as any kind of failure, but rather the give and take of instruction. If something you write is returned and you are asked to expand on it, this simply means that the program director feels that you have a much greater ability than you have expressed. Unlike Levels One & Two, where assessments were accepted with minimum comment. Level Three Instruction will be interactive between the student and the director. It is also important to be completely candid in what you share. With the exception of the first assignment (what you have learned in Levels One & Two), none of your writings in Level Three will be posted on the website or shared with anyone without your specific permission. These exercises are for your own benefit. At the bottom of the list of Assignments there is an addendum with information about goals and goal setting. It is important to read this carefully. It would be ideal to print out all of this and have readily available to look over frequently. You have a maximum of three months to Level Three. This will give you plenty of time to carefully consider all of the implications inherent in each exercise and to fine tune your responses. And once again, don't hesitate to ask any questions for clarification or share any comments you may have. The Purpose Of Level Three Assignments The overall purpose of Level Three is to help you understand why you are, where you are, at this particular point in your life and how to move forward consciously from this point in creating the kind of future you desire for yourself. This is done in four stages. #1. To help you clarify where you are at this point in your life and the decisions and actions you have taken in the past that have created your situation and circumstances today. By becoming aware of this you will be able to more consciously make those decisions and take those actions in the present which will help you create the future that you want. #2 To help you clarify your goals in life. This is done through a process of pivoting. First you identify what you are dissatisfied with in life and then you pivot these around to identify and determine what you do want. These become your goals. #3. Action plan. Once you determine what your goals are, then it is a matter of prioritizing them and creating a framework for attaining them. This includes setting a time frame and understanding the resources you will need and the action steps you must take to accomplish these goals #4. Implementation. The last step provides you with the technique that taps the power of your creative mind & spirit. One of the things that you will have read over and over again in the books for Level One and Two is the importance of visualization and imagination; the fact that it vitally important to see you goals not as something to accomplish in the future but as if you have already reached them. The last of the accomplishment of your goals as if they had already been reached. The last exercise is designed to do just this. Assignment #1 Objective: The object of this assignment is to help the student evaluate the changes and growth he or she is experiencing through the Institute studies and to help the sponsor and the IIGL director see if and how the Institute studies are serving the student. Exercise #1 Please write an essay on what you feel you have learned since becoming a student of the Leadership Institute. You should discuss if and how your ideas and beliefs have changed and how you may be dealing differently with situations in your life as a result of what you have learned. Please offer real-life personal examples. This assessment should be a minimum of one page and a maximum of three pages, single spaced in word format. (minimum 1,500 words) Assignment #2 Objective: To make a personal assessment of your life as it is now, including how you got where you are and where you want to go. If you can understand how your decisions and actions to this point have created your current circumstances in life, then you will be able to more consciously make those decisions and take those actions which will create the kind of future you desire. Exercise #1 Think through each question carefully and then answer the question. This should be done in an essay discussion format with a minimum of 700 words for each question. A. If I could live my life again, what changes would I make and what decisions would I make differently? B. What has been my greatest accomplishment in life so far? C. What are my greatest strengths? D. What has been my greatest disappointment? E. What are my greatest weaknesses? F. What is my criterion for my own success? G. What is my main goal or purpose at this time? H. If I had a guaranteed income of US$5,000 per month for the rest of my life and never had to worry about money or income, what would I do with my life? I. If I was given US$1,000,000.00 what would I do with it and how would my life change? Exercise #2 Objective: To help you understand past decisions and choices you have made which have created your current situation or circumstances. Writing Exercise: Imagine you are being given an opportunity to live your life over again up to this point and that, before doing so, you may determine what will happen to the extent that you are willing to plan it out ahead of time. Now considering how you would live your life differently, write a long letter, as if to a trusted fried, describing how you would have proceeded differently in various situations in making certain important decisions and choices in a different manner. Consider the several aspects of your life such as your family, vocation, love life, education, personal development, etc. Be absolutely frank and consider that it is being written in strict confidence. Minimum 1,500 words Assignment #3 Objective: To introduce students to some of the many resources available on the Internet related to goals and goal setting. Exercise #1 Review the following websites using the questions below: 1. What is the primary purpose, mission or focus of the organization, project or business? 2. What kind of information, service or product do they have to offer? 3. How do they carry out their mission (projects, methods, etc)? 4. What are the various sections of the website and what kind of info do they contain? 5. What are the major things you learned from this website? 6. Did you find this website informative and/or helpful? If so, how? 7. In terms of it's value to you, how would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest?
Assignment #4 Goals are like the rudder of a boat. They help us set a clear direction in life and purposefully move toward a destination. Like a road map, they help us to move from one place to another place in life. Before we decide where we want to go, it is important to understand where we are and how we got here. Without this knowledge we could end up back where we started. There is a saying that "If you keep on doing what you have always done, you will keep on getting what you have always gotten." How true! So our first set of exercises have us look at each area of our life that we wish to change; to understand how our past decisions brought us to where we are and to define exactly where we want to go. Before you begin Assignment #4 you are strongly encouranged to go back and review the books Goal Setting 101 & Goal Mapping. These will give you additional ideas which will help you with these exercises. Exercise #1 Objective: To identify the priority areas of your life in which you wish to make changes: A first step in goal selection and setting. Writing Exercise: Take each of the following twelve categories and, in order of priority, write a minimum of 700 words in each category on the things which you most dislike or are most frustrated with in each of these areas of your life. Choose only those which have meaning for you and be sure to clearly describe what it is that you do not like or are most frustrated with and why. Make the descriptions as complete and detailed as possible. * Physical appearance * Health / fitness * Personality traits * Habits or behavior * Spiritual / Ethical * Educational / Mental * Financial * Career * Family * Social / Cultural * Relationships & Romance * Travel * Service & Charitable * Recreational / Leisure * Personal growth * Material (houses, cars, etc.) * Other? _____________ Having done this, you are now clear about what you DON'T WANT. The next step is to 'pivot' these and look at the opposite of what you don't want. This will determine what you DO WANT. This will take you to the next exercise. Exercise #2 Objective: To assist you in developing a clearly defined set of detailed goals in each of the priority areas of your life and visualize them as accomplished fact. Write a minimum of 700 words on each of these, describing the 'new you' in great detail. Using the list you created in Exercise #1, Imagine your ideal physical self. Describe yourself; your size, your weight, proportions, height, hair, eyes, skin, looks, health, strength, energy level, endurance, age. etc. Imagine having your ideal personality. Describe yourself; How you relate to others, to groups of people, to the opposite sex, to the same sex, to older people, younger people, people in authority, to people in various social classes; how you feel about yourself, etc. Describe the aspects of your ideal personality with which you are most pleased. Imagine having your ideal family and or love life. Describe your relationship with your lover, spouse, children, parents, etc. how the family functions together; your need to love versus your need for independence. Imagine having your ideal job, business or career. Describe it in detail; what you would be doing on a typical day, your working hours, the satisfaction you would receive and why, what your co-workers would be like, your income, etc. Imagine yourself as having reached the highest level of education which you desire. What degrees do you have. Describe the primary areas of your studies; how you feel about your accomplishments, how others wee you, etc. Imagine yourself being in the financial position to have virtually anything you desire. Describe in great detail the material possessions which are most important to you (home, automobile, clothes, leisure activities, etc.) or other ways in which you use your money to your great satisfaction (helping others, etc.) Imagine yourself having reached the level of spiritual development which you desire. Describe how you feel about yourself; about others; about your past, about your future, etc. Exercise #3 Objective: To create an action plan for accomplishing your goals. (NOTE: Before you begin this section, please read the whole following section about goals. ALSO: BEFORE BEGINNING THIS EXERCISE, PLEASE REQUEST A SAMPLE OF A COMPLETED EXERCISE. Developing An Action Plan In this exercise we go deeper into our understanding of goals and how to implement them. Begin by writing down at least 100 things you want to do, to be or to have in life before you die. This is a brainstorming session so don't restrict yourself. List everything you can think of. Keep your list handy and take the time you need -- days or weeks if necessary -- adding new items to the list as they come to mind. You may find it helpful to use the following categories as a way or organizing your thoughts and coming up with ideas. These categories refer to the many different aspects of your life. * Physical appearance * Health / fitness * Personality traits * Habits or behavior * Spiritual / Ethical * Educational / Mental * Financial * Career * Family * Social / Cultural * Relationships & Romance * Travel * Service & Charitable * Recreational / Leisure * Personal growth * Material (houses, cars, etc.) 2. Once you have your list, sort them into the three following categories: a). 'Being' Goals These are goals related to your personality or personal characteristics. This might include being more loving, honest, enthusiastic, caring, relaxed, responsible, open, courageous, spiritual, etc. b). 'Doing' Goals These are related to what you want to do and require action. This might include such things as starting a new business or service project, improving your education, getting married, changing a particular habit, changing your physical appearance, financial, etc. c). 'Having' Goals These generally relate to possessions such as having a home, a specific income, a degree, etc. They are generally the end result of meeting your doing goals. In the B & C list it is critical to be specific. Make sure whatever goal you write down is measurable and specific. It is important that you have some criteria of measurement so that will know when you have achieved your goal. 3. Once this is done, then divide your goals in each category into the following categories: a) Lifetime goal - to be achieved in your lifetime but you are unsure of when b) 25 year goal - to be achieved within the next twenty five years c) 10 year goal - to be achieved within the next ten years d) 5 year goal - to be achieved within the next 5 years e) 2 year goal - to be achieved within the next 2 years f) 1 year goal to be achieved within the next 12 months Most of your "being" goals, for example, will be lifetime goals and they are not goals that can really be measured. 4. After sorting the list, review your 1 year goals and make sure that the list is not too long such that it is not likely to be happen. Secondly, check the list again to make sure that you really want what is on that list to happen in the next year. 5. Now really look at these and make a note beside each one as to whether you consider it a hope (H), a wish (W), a goal (G) or an intention (I). This process helps you understand your level of commitment to realizing the manifestation of this item. Words are very powerful. A wish is like a hope; something that you may want but really don't believe you can have or are not willing to put the energy into manifesting. A goal is more powerful. It indicates something that you really want to accomplish or have, but sill may include some doubt or lack of commitment. An intent, however, is the most powerful because it implies a real personal commitment on your part to bring it into manifestation. So it can be powerful to change your thinking from goal to intent. Your final list, even if it is much smaller, should only include your intentions. 6. Once you have your 1 year 'intentions' list finalized, then create a plan for each individual intention as to what you need to do to bring it into fulfillment over the next year. It will be helpful to "work backwards" which means understanding that if it is going to happen certain things must happen before it. 7. Then list those things which must be done, step by step, to accomplish this intention. This becomes your action plan. IMPORTANT: One you have developed this action for your first goal/ intention, send it in for review and comment before starting on your next ones.. What you will find is that by the end of the year, those things that really were important to you will have been achieved. You will also find that some of those things seemed important but due to other priorities became less important and you did not achieve them. That is okay. At the end of the year you repeat the exercise and decide if those things that you didn't do should stay on the list and you sort them by the times again. At the end of the year you will also remove those intentions that you achieved and then add the new intentions to your original list. Lastly, you review your total list and decide if all the goals & intentions you wrote the previous year are still important to you. If not, remove them and replace them with new ones that are important. You then start the exercise all over again. Furthermore, when talking to others, start talking about your intentions, not your goals. You will be surprised how powerful this is. Some Additional Thoughts About Goals One of the most difficult challenges most people have with goals is being specific. This is because some goals are more tangible than others. Here is an example. Tangible Goal: To complete my BA degree by the year 2007 Goal: To be earning (amount) a month by January 1st 2007. Goal: To own my own G4 Apple Macintosh laptop computer by November 20, 2006 Goal: To visit England, France & Germany in the summer of 2007 Intangible Goal: To become more loving with my family and friends Goal: To be more firm in setting personal boundaries Goal: To become more frugal in handling my financial resources When working with goals, it is very helpful to be clear in your own mind as to whether you are working with a tangible or intangible goal, since this will determine the kind of action plan you will build. Another way to look at goals is whether they are performance or outcome based. You will obviously have more control over performance goals than outcome goals though outcome goals will give you a better framework for getting to where you want to go. Often you can see the outcome as the true goal and the performance goals as the action steps leading to the fulfillment of the goal. Here are some examples: Performance Goal: To spend 5 hours a week on my IIGL studies Goal: To research at least 10 potential universities to attend Goal: To complete 7 educational scholarship applications by (date) Outcome Goal: To complete IIGL Level One studies by (date) Goal; To obtain a bachelors degree by (date) Goal: To obtain a scholarship for my education by (date) In stating goals, there are several common traps that students fall into. These include: * Not being specific * Not being concise * Not being clear Be
Specific Be Clear & Concise Long sentences or explanations are not necessary. A simple statement such as the ones below are sufficient. Here are examples of correct and incorrect goal statements. As you can see, the correct ones are very specific and concise. Also, they include strong action verbs such as obtain, earn, visit, submit. The incorrect set is more vague and include vague or week verbs such as want, like, need, find, decide. Incorrect: Goal: I want to improve my education Goal: I would like to find some way to increase my income Goal: I need to decide on ways to pay for my education Goal: I plan to find a means to be able to travel more Goal: I will decide on five schools to make application to. Correct: Goal: To obtain a masters degree in (subject) by (date) Goal: To be earning (amount) each month by (date) Goal: To obtain a scholarship Goal: To visit Europe in the summer of (date) Goal: To submit applications to five universities by (date) Here are some vital questions you should ask yourself about each of your goals and actions before you turn your assignment in: 1. Is this goal tangible or intangible? 2. Is this a performance or an outcome goal? 3. Is it a short term (days, weeks, months) or a long term (years) goal? 4. Is it realistic enough to inspire me or so big as to discourage me? 5. Is the goal stated in a specific, clear and concise manner? 6. If it is tangible is it specific enough to be measurable? 7. Does it include specific criteria by which success can be measured? 8. Is the target date I stated realistic, given my current circumstances? 9. Can I picture in my mind what the accomplishment of this goal looks like? Action Steps are specific actions you will take to fulfill your goal. These are things you will DO. They are usually specific actions with measurable results. Lets take this example. "I will be more loving with family and friends." This is a goal, not an action step. Action steps to fulfill this goal might be: * I will spend 1 hour a week just doing helpful things for my (spouse, parents, etc.) * I will make a list of at least 10 things I most like about my spouse, parent, etc., and tell them how I feel. These are specific action steps which you can do by specific target dates. Exercise #4 Objective: To aid you in creating an integrated self-image of success by assuming the perspective of it having already been done. Writing Exercise: Imagine it is your birthday. You are ____ years old today. You have finally arrived at the point in your life where you have fulfilled most of your goals in life. You have come a long way. You have a right to be very proud of yourself as you remember the way it was back when you were ____ old (current age). There is an old and dear friend living very far away whom you have not seen for many, many years. You decide to write this friend a long letter telling all about yourself; what you have done with your life, how you have changed, etc. You will want to share your feelings about your new life. You will want to describe what you are doing theses days; something about your work, business, or retirement as the case may be; something perhaps about your family or your live life; don't forget to describe yourself physically, how you look, your health, etc. You may particularly want to describe some of the materials benefits which have resulted from your new financial situation' things such as your home, automobiles, leisure time activities, travel, etc. You may also find it desirable to share with this trusted friend some of the internal growth which you have experienced both mentally, emotionally and spiritually as you have gained greater self-understanding through your personal journey to success. In other words you will want to write this letter in such as way as to give your friend a completed well-rounded and in-depth picture of yourself now that you are ____years old and have fulfilled most of our goals. All About Goals
Contents * The Benefits of Goal Setting * Principles of Goal Setting * Types of Goals * The Goals Process * Deciding On Goals * The Goals Process * Tools for Success * Writing Goals Down * Resistance to Goal Setting * Obstacles & Roadblocks * Solutions * Target Dates * Rewards * Visualization The Benefits of Goal Setting 1. Goal setting improves your self image. It improves you today and make you better for tomorrow. 2. It makes you aware of your strengths which can be used to overcome obstacles and provide solutions to problems. 3. It makes you aware of our weaknesses. Thus you can begin setting new goals to improve in those areas and make them strengths. Goals give a person confidence. Your frustration level is immediately lowered when vagueness and doubt are replaced by structure and direction. 4. It gives you a sense of past victories which provides the stimulus for present success. 5. Written goals help you visualize, actionize and then actualize. 6. Goal setting gives you a track to run on. 7. Goal setting forces you to set priorities and thus establishes the proper direction of your pursuits. It forces you to be specific. It is the first positive, overt step to success. 8. Goal setting defines reality and separates it from wishful thinking. It is not daydreaming. It properly separates and defines the various roles you must play. 9. Goals setting makes you responsible for your own life. It forces yo to define and establish in concrete form you system of values. 10. Goals serve as criteria to sharpen decision making. Decisions are always made in the light of some criteria of standards. If the standards have not been defined, decisions will often be made in terms of immediate pressures. Principles of Goal Setting 1. They must be your own personal goals; personal and internal. If not, they won't satisfy your real achievement needs. You are not motivated by someone else's goals. 2. They must be stated positively. You must focus on what you want, not on what you don't want. An important part of goal setting is developing mental pictures of what you want to accomplish. Since you mind cannot focus on a negative image, you can see the importance of stating your goals positively. 3. They must be realistic & attainable. They must represent objectives toward which you are both able and willing to work. They must require effort, but they have to be within your grasp to sustain motivation for their achievement. 4. They must include personal changes. Before you can accomplish a goal, you must have the internal qualities necessary for it's attainment. You must be prepared to make personal changes necessary for achievement. These must include developing whatever personality characteristics you lack and creating new habits if necessary. 5. Your goals must be written. Written goals add a degree of commitment and they help you get specific with your goals. Writing crystallizes thought and it's crystallized thought that motivates action. 6. Your goals must be specific. Definite goals produce definite results. Vague goals produce, at best, vague results. They usually produce no results. Specific goals help you to visualize accomplishment and thus they are easier to reach. Each goal should describe a specific end result; i.e., what observable condition will exist when the goal is achieved. 7. A good goal should inspire and require you to do more of something or to do it better or differently. Types of Goals A. Tangible Goals These are goals which we can perceive through the senses. They are the easiest to measure and we can generally tell when we are losing or winning. Tangible goals relate to any material item than enhances our ability to reach other goals. Tangible wants are those things which represent your fondest dreams. Simply writing these wants down will cause you to begin gravitating toward them; to develop the talents, the abilities and the financial capacity to reach them. B. Intangible Goals Intangible goals are related to our 'becoming.' These include personality characteristics we want to development or strengthen, new habit we want to create, etc. These goals for internal changes are often necessary to reach in order to reach the more tangible goals. C. Long-range Goals These are goals which usually require several months or even years to accomplish. A long-range goal is not a forecast of what you think will happen. It is a projects of what you can make happen. D. Short-range Goals These are goals that generally lead you toward your long-range goals or goals that give you quick satisfaction. Accomplishing short-range goals builds a success consciousness. Successful short-range goals are the best reassurance that goal setting works. The Goals Process The most important step in getting started is defining your goals and writing it clearly. The two major drawbacks to achieving goals are setting too many intangible goals and setting goals that are too general. We tend to set intangible and general goals because they are difficult to measure. Sometimes we do this so that people cannot hold us accountable for those goals. The irony is that we cannot even hold ourselves accountable until we can define our goals specifically and determine how we can measure it. Goals such as "better person" more friendly, etc., are meaningless unless we can measure the change. Remember, if we want to do something better, we must do something different ant that requires change. Deciding on Goals Deciding on a goal can be the most crucial decision of your life. It is more damaging not to have a goal than it is not to reach a goal. It is generally agreed that the major cause of failure is the lack of a well defined purpose. A successful life doe not result from chance, but from a succession of successful days. The place to start is a personal program of goals. The first step is to identify your goals. One exercise to help you identify your goals is to 'brainstorm' a dream list. Write down everything you have ever wanted to have, to see, to do, to be, etc., in all the major areas of your life. Write down EVERYTHING and add to the list continually. Get a minimum of 100 items. This exercise will give you insights into your wants. An important thing to remember is that a real program of goal setting implies the existence of a system of values. To reduce conflict in goal setting it is important to have a priority system. You should rank the areas of your life in order of their importance to you today: Social, Spiritual, Mental, Physical, Emotional, Family, Financial. Reflect on your value system on a regular basis. It is natural for your priorities to change as you develop and as your circumstances change. Once you have done this you are ready to translate your needs and wants into goals. Defining the Goal The first step is writing the goal on a piece of paper. Getting a statement on a piece of paper is like planting a seed. The next step is to determine an immediate action that you can take -- today! Example: Suppose you have stated your goal as being 'to be a good public speaker.' How can you measure this goal? How can you get it more specific? One way of measuring this goal is to establish criteria such as audience size, number of speeches, return engagements, acquiring a speaking fee, etc. Here is a method to help you get any goal more specific and determine what action you can take today toward accomplishing your goal: First - State your goal clearly and in writing. Second - List three obstacles to this goal. Third - Take each obstacle and list three possible solutions. Fourth - Take the first solution and list three action steps you can take. Fifth - Take each action step and set a target date or deadline for accomplishing it. Sixth - Write a promise to yourself that you will take this action by the target date. Seventh - List the rewards or benefits for reaching your goal or accomplishing each action step. Many people stop at the sixth step, thinking the have completed the goals process. However, they have just begun! Listing the personal rewards or benefits to be gained from achieving your goal is essential. You should unleash your creative mind to list as many personal benefits as possible. The secret is to get the personal benefits to outweigh the obstacles and roadblocks. If they don't, you wont be motivated to achieve your goals. Writing Goals Down Surveys have been done with people who share the same educational backgrounds and the difference between the levels of financial success and how they dealt with goals was startling. 3% wrote their goals down............................ Highly successful 10% had a clear idea of their goals............ moderately successful 60% had thought about goals ........................ modest financial means 27% no thought give to goals ....................... barely getting by A person without goals is a boat without a rudder or sail. It has no direction. A person who has goals but hasn't written them down is like a boat with a rudder and a sail that has not been unfurled. A person with written goals is like a sail boat with the sail open and the boat moving forward. Why the big difference? * Goals give us direction * Goals serve as a yardstick of progress * Goals crystallize thought and clear thought motivates action * Goals serve as a reminder; as a "kick in the pants." * Goals help us to always know where we are, where we are going, and what to do next. * Goals clearly stated help to assure computability of objectives in all areas of our life. * Goals give us clear pictures in our mind and help us to stimulate visualization * Goals focus our attention on what we want, and what we focus on we tend to draw to ourselves. In writing your goals down, remember to take a balanced approach. Include physical, social, mental, financial, spiritual and any other important part of your life. Tools For Success Once you have the goals process written out into an action plan, you need some additional tools to keep you on course. Two methods used by the top goal achievers are Affirmations and Visualization. Affirmations are positive statements of belief and commitment. They are not necessarily statements of fact, but rather statements of conditions you want to exist in the future. Stating affirmations daily will build the kind of confidence necessary to reach your goal. To be successful, affirmations should be person, present tense and positive. Simply stated, the use of affirmations is a form of verbal "act as if..." Visualization is a form of mental "act as if..." It is the use of pictures, drawings and other visual aids to help you visualize the accomplishment of your goals. Examples could be: 1) Cutting out a picture of something that represents to you the achievement of your goal, 2) Drawing a sample check or currency bill which represents the amount you wish to earn & 3) Mentally picturing yourself having already accomplished your goal and -- most importantly -- experiencing the feeling it brings. Remember, even the simplest goal must be mentally accomplished before it can be physically accomplished. In your mind is a collection of mental pictures. Your success can be determined by your ability to change these mental images. The final step in keeping the process alive is charting your progress. Keeping track of your progress and goals accomplished builds confidence and success consciousness. It also make it easier to make adjustments in your goals. You should keep a record of the goals you do not accomplish and list the reason why. This will help you set future goals. The goals process is a continuing activity. You should continue to set new goals and to spend at least a few minutes every week reviewing your goals. This will project your goals onto your 'mind screen' and help you achieve them. Resistance Although most people intellectually accept goal setting as an important element for success, they internally fight goal setting for the following reasons. 1. Predictability - Many people feel threatened by change. They resist goal setting because it may be temporarily uncomfortable while moving from the 'rut' to a higher plateau. 2. Conditioning - We are a conditioned people. After we have done something a certain way, it becomes a habit. A habit is automatic or reflexive. Therefore the biggest threat to habit change is the current habit. 3. Miracles - Many people are caught in the "Waiting for Santa Claus' trap. They sit back and wait for miracles instead of taking action steps o set and accomplish goals. 4. Fear of losing - Many people do not set goals because they are afraid they will be criticized by others or by themselves for not reaching their goals. Others fear disappointment if they do not reach their goals. 5. Fear of winning - Ironically, many people do not set goals because they cannont visualize themselves being capable of handling the new behavior or the products of success. 6. Over-expectations - Many people inadvertently fight goals setting by continuously setting their goals too high This enables them to say "I know I can't reach that goal, so I won't even try." Goal setting should not be considered hard work or even boring. It should be fun and exciting. While you are working on your goal, it is also working on you. The more we use goals setting, the more we use our potential. Statistics show that we only use a small percentage of our God-given talents and abilities on a daily basis. Goals setting helps us stretch our capabilities and use more of our talents and abilities. Goals setting is a feeling of success. It should make each day easier to live. The person who sets a high goal and strives for its attainment inspires everyone who knows him/her. The feeling of success and satisfaction comes from achieving it. Life becomes exciting when we are pursuing goals. Insurance statistics in the USA show that the average man has a life expectancy of less than three years after retirement if he doesn't have goals beyond retirement. The man who has a purpose of a goal can expect to live up to nine years after retirement. So, to triple life expectancy, we must retire 'to' something instead of 'from' something. Obstacles & Roadblocks As you begin, it is important to identify those things which may be blocking your progress toward goal attainment. The easiest way to identify these is to ask yourself the question." "If this goal is really important to me, why have I not already fulfilled it?" Your answer to this question will identify the obstacles and blocks. It is important to identify two different categories; tangible and intangible. Tangible blocks are outward circumstances. Intangible are inner challenges such as habits, attitudes, etc. Solutions What are the solutions? Answer the question for each obstacle or block: "What will it take to overcome these." Your answers are the solutions. Target Dates Having a map to your destination won't get you there. You also need to have some target dates as to when you will leave, how long it will take and when you will arrive. So it is with goals. Having target dates or deadlines creates a challenge within you. It is a motivating mechanism which alerts your body/mind to get moving! They also help you maintain a positive mental attitude. It is important, however, to remember that they are your servants, not your master. You set them so you can adjust them. Rewards Rewards are the mechanism for creating a burning desire to meet your goal. In creating your action plan, it is valuable to list a reward opposite each goal, both the advantages to be gained and the losses to be avoided by reaching this goal. Remember, rewards may be either tangible or intangible. Is It Really Worth It? This is the final question which will really test the level of both your desire and determination. Once you answer yes, you begin to develop the determination and dedication to make your plan succeed. Remember: Whatever you ardently desire, vividly imagine, sincerely believe & enthusiastically act upon must eventually come to pass. Visualization "What you see is what you get." "As A. Man Thinketh, So Is He." "Seeing is Believing." There are scores of sayings that point to the idea that all goal attainment must include the ability to visualize or imagine the positive results you desire. Worry is an example of negative visualization in which 'see' the things which we do not want. Visualization is the ability to strongly imagine what we desire, whether it is a personal change or a material object. The more clearly we can imagine it, the more likely we are to obtain it. We should practice a certain amount of time each day visualizing our goals as already attained. How does it look, sound, feel, smell, taste?? We should imagine our minds being like a camera which can capture a clearly defined mental image of our goal already attained. When we clearly visualize, our goals become more defined and concrete in our mind, and the more concrete we are able to be, the more likely we will reach our goal. Visualization helps us develop an almost miraculous belief in ourselves and in our ability to achieve our goals. Determination and will-power do not fosterbelieff. Unless we can see the end results through visualizationn, we are forging ahead into the unknown and our confidence and belief will not sustain us. Habits and attitudes are changed by displacement. This can best be done by visualizing ourselves as already having the new behavior. Daydreams are an escape from the pressures of reality. The daydreamer does not really believe in what s/he dreams. It is only a whim, a wish, a fantasy. The person of vision, the visualizer, is one who purposefully projects reality and then works toward it. (Much of this material was taken from the booklet "Personal Dynamics" published by the US Jaycees.)
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