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How to Set Goals

Guest post by: Diana Samalot

Article Overview: We all set goals, don't we? It is, after all, a valued tradition around about the time when the ball drops in Times Square. Our New Year's resolutions are often formed without much thought, knowing full well that we are more than likely to fall off the wagon and retreat into our old habits. The practice of setting New Year's resolutions may be little more than a joke to many, but it is nevertheless very important for each one of us to set up smart goals for ourselves, especially if we want to make something of our lives and set our own direction.

How to Set Goals

We all set goals, don't we? It is, after all, a valued tradition around about the time when the ball drops in Times Square. Our New Year's resolutions are often formed without much thought, knowing full well that we are more than likely to fall off the wagon and retreat into our old habits. The practice of setting New Year's resolutions may be little more than a joke to many, but it is nevertheless very important for each one of us to set up smart goals for ourselves, especially if we want to make something of our lives and set our own direction.

In order to know how to set goals for yourself, you have to ask some searching questions. Where are you in life and how did you get here? How has this journey been for you? If you are honest, are you entirely happy with this journey and the place it has taken you? Using this process of self-realization, understand that if you are going to make positive changes for the better, they always have to be significant, yet achievable at the same time.

Writing goals can be a very empowering exercise. You have to be able to draw on your own strengths, but you also have to be able to expand your horizons, to explore places where you have likely never been before. This will require a lot of dedication and application and you might have to make some very difficult decisions in the early days. Remember that the people that you surround yourself with will have a very powerful influence on you. If you want to get to an entirely different level, the chances are that you will have to seek out and engage with people who are of like mind, or who have already completed a similar journey.

Network with those who understand and share your aspirations and use the information that you gather from them to educate yourself. This is important as you set those goals and commit them to paper. Do not be afraid to invest in your own education, as this will be an ongoing process as you complete the journey from mundane to miraculous!

Maintain a positive mental attitude at all times. Block out those who would tell you that it will "never work," and never take no for an answer. You have to be very persistent, focused and be aware of distractions, as they will be everywhere. If you are developing your own new business, you can often get bogged down in what is known as "the paralysis of analysis," a very real threat to your success. You have to take action as soon as you have finished writing your goals and you have to foster a level of commitment and single-mindedness that you may never have felt before.

Once you have written your goals, formalize them. Type them out into a Word document neatly and concisely and then print several copies. Make sure that you display them in prominent positions, where you will see them on a regular basis. Above all else remember that when you set goals, they have to be significant, but also realistic. You may find it better to establish measurable and more reachable interim goals as part of your longer journey to that preferred destination.

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Article Tags: goal setting, new years resolutions, setting goals, smart goals
Referred by: http://jaykubassek.com



Related Forum Posts
Re: Set goals that motivate you! - Sounds simple enough when you take it at face value, but what are goals? Are these short term or long term Goals, Are theses goal realistic, achievable? How to make them motivating Goals, What is motivation? Is motivation the same for all of us Hmm so many questions, so few answers. must a an article in this somewhere Btw (by the way) GT, nice Blog
Re: Alexa Ranking Goals - Thanks GT! This is still the right post for Alexa Goals but everything else can go to Kevin's Mastermind post! Cheers!
Re: Alexa Ranking Goals - Hi Timothy, It's good to see a new "competitor" on our Alexa Ranking Goals list. Good luck in your efforts to improve your website Alexa rankings. David
Re: Quote of the Day - Ted Turner - Hi Evan, I mentioned on another thread that I'm reading Saint Joan of Arc by Vita Sackville West. I think Joan of Arc set some pretty high goals, for an unknown peasant girl from an unimportant village in the middle of nowhere much... Goals: 1. Go and see the Dauphin! 2. Help him relieve the siege of Orleans!! 3. To lead the Dauphin to his coronation at Rheims!!! The first time she tried to put this plan into action, by seeking permission from her local feudal lord to travel, he told her minder to "reduceret eam ad domum sui patris et daret ei alapas" which is to say, "take her home to her father and give her a smacking". The rest is history!
Re: Should you hire ambitious workers or employees with no goals - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":2ijq3b5e]As a small business owner, should you hire ambitious workers or employees with no goals? My friend's father is a relatively successful entrepreneur and it's his belief that you should primarily hire employees with no ambition because you can get away with paying them less and they're less likely to leave (thus saving you money from a high turnover rate). "Grunts" are the way to go, even though ambitious workers are typically smarter. What do you think?[/quote:2ijq3b5e] I say YES to hirin employees with no Goals!!! they make great "front-line" employees as long as you have carefully documented your process for them to follow. They typically are open to perform routine administrative tasks and they work for a much lower wage. I know what I've said is pretty gloomy but it's reality from my experience. Occasionally one of the "employees with no goals" will stand up and say, "I love working here". You pluck these individuals and promote them to tasks which require more decisions.


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