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Setting Goals

Written by: Jim Symcox

Article Overview: Do you know where your company is going? Do you have a vision of where you want to be?

Setting Goals

Do you know where your company is going? Do you have a vision of
where you want to be?
Often in an attempt to get company staff to have a shared view of
where they're all going a vision and mission statement are
prepared.

Unless you're a large company it's a waste of time.

Mainly because your company works to the beat of your drum.

You're the one who sets your own company's agenda. Whether you
realise it or not.

Your whole attitude to risk, customer service, planning,
budgeting, recruitment and cost control are being followed by
your employees.

They want to stay on the right side of the boss don't they?
They're not likely to rock the boat. But more than that they
don't see why they need to do what you say unless you do what you
say too.

The staff may influence you to a certain extent. But when the
buck stops it's with you.

Maybe you have excellent staff and you can leave them to get on
with lots of stuff in your absence. Maybe they produce brilliant
results.

Great.

But if you had some goals I guarantee you'll all achieve more.

Lewis Carroll said "If you don't know where you are going, any
road will get you there."

Without goals you can either take the short road or the long road
and you'll still get nowhere.

One thing you need to understand about your brain is that it will
go all out to help you achieve your goals. Your Reticular
Activating System (a little group of cells that are probably the
most primitive in your brain) is the driving force for you to get
your goals. It filters all communication to your brain and stops
you going mad from information overload.

The good news is that the Reticular Activating System (RAS) can
be programmed to achieve the goals you want. That's done by using
visualisation and "faking it till you make it".

By that I mean fooling your RAS into thinking you've already
achieved your goal. It works to make sure that you get the
benefits accruing from that goal. Which means that you then
achieve it! Simple, eh?

It's so great I call the RAS the "Goal Scorer".

So how do you set goals?

Firstly dismiss the thought that they're just for January the
1st. Or you set them once and then forget them. Goals don't work
that way. A little later I'll explain how you can use a method I
call SARAH to help you check your goals.

Now what are the most important things about setting goals?

The most important thing is that ...

...it must be important to you.


If it's not no amount of goal setting will make you achieve it.
Do you have something worthy but boring that you'd rather not do?

You can put it off forever can't you?

When you set goals you must promise yourself that you'll achieve
them. If it's a boring goal tie its achievement to something
interesting or rewarding.

I can't emphasis enough how important importance is to your
achievement of your goals.

Next you need to clearly decide what it is that you want to
acheive. An all embracing statement such as "All areas of my life
will work well" isn't much use as a goal. It's much too general
for your poor "goal scorer".

Instead you need to make each goal specific and so that your goal
scorer knows when it needs to be achieved you give it a time
limit.

The other secret to using the goal scorer is to phrase your goal
as though it's already happened.

For example: "I've got 5 new clients who each paid me a $5,000
retainer by the 30th of September 2005".

Finally make sure that you will know in some measurable way that
a goal has been achieved. When that happens celebrate!

Now write the goals down. No I don't mean into your computer.
Although you can put them in later. Write them longhand.

Why longhand? Because you have a special hand-brain connection
which means you're programming your brain as you write.

Also don't overburden yourself with hundreds of goals. Focus on
writing specific goals for what is really important to you.
Ideally you should have about 7 to 10 goals to begin.

Later as you get used to achievement you can add more.

Once they're written down put them some place that you can see
them every day. Don't just look at the goals imagine yourself at
the point where they've been achieved. What can you see, smell,
taste, hear and feel at that moment and afterwards? Visualise
yourself as already having achieved your goal. Feels great
doesn't it?

I promised you that I would introduce SARAH, my method for goal
checking.

SARAH stands for the following:

S - Set an achievable, important goal
A - Act. Start something on your way to achieving the goal
R - Review it regularly, either monthly or quarterly.
A - Ambitious, check that you have some ambitious goals
H - Honestly assess whether the goal needs changing and do it

If your goals start being completed long before you expect review
them more often!

These methods can be used for you or for your business. They work
just the same. Use them and watch how your results improve.

When you kick-off with the power of goals your business is going
to move in exactly the direction you want.


Signature

Jim Symcox, also known as the Marketing Magician is a
copywriter, marketing coach and the author of "How to
Leap Ahead Of Your Competitors".

For marketing "how to's" email web@acornservice.com with
"articles" in the subject line and you'll be sent a copy of the
book Try his blog at www.acornservice.blogspot.com for more tips.

Keywords

goal, vision, mission, specific goal, Reticular, SARAH, business,
management

.
Summary

Stop wasting time on visions and missions and set your goals. Get
your brain into gear and use Sarah to achieve what you want. Now!

Related Articles
  How to Set Goals
  Most successful people set goals. How about you?
  You Need to Close the Knowing-Doing Gap
  Top 7 Mistakes that Prevent People from Achieving
  Goals Lead to Success

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