Tweet

The 5 Secrets of Setting Short Term Goals

Guest post by: Mike Brooks

Article Overview: If you want to see your life change in just 3 to 6 months, then follow these 5 quick rules for setting short term goals. As you'll see, accomplishing just one short term goal can change your life beyond your wildest dreams!

The 5 Secrets of Setting Short Term Goals

When I talk to people about goal setting, I'm often surprised by their reactions. A lot of people tell me that they haven't gotten around to setting life-time goals and identifying their values and coming up with specific, measurable bench marks, etc... They tell me that goal setting takes too much time and energy, and that it will require days and weeks of work and that once they have the goals they'll start to feel bad if they don't reach them.

Some of the time people tell me they do have goals, but when I ask them about what they are, they come up with vague wants and "Gee, I hope I get some day" items that change with each paycheck.

Sound familiar?

While life-time goal setting does require an initial investment of time and energy, the payoff is immediate and life changing. The good news, however, is that identifying and writing down even short term goals will give you the same benefits, and setting short term goals is a quick and effective way to develop momentum, build confidence and get some meaningful things accomplished.

If you want to see your life change in just 3 to 6 months, then follow these 5 quick rules for setting short term goals. As you'll see, accomplishing just one short term goal can change your life beyond your wildest dreams!

Secret #1: Grab a calendar. Pick a short term, manageable 3 to 6 month period to set your goals in. Short term goals tend to get you into action right away, are easier to visualize, and because of their short term nature they encourage you to set realistic, easy to accomplish goals.

Secret #2: Pick just 2 or 3 goals to work with. Don't get overwhelmed by trying to change every area of your life. Just pick a couple of areas that you want to begin changing in the next few months.

Secret #3: The goals you pick don't have to be fully accomplished in the time period you've identified. This is the key! Rather, what you're looking to do in the next 3 to 6 months is to simply develop momentum, establish a pattern, and begin getting you excited about your life again.

Great areas to set short term goals in are things like:

- Beginning or resuming an exercise routine and setting a goal to be so far along in the time frame you've set. - Increasing your closing percentage by a reasonable amount. - Having read or begun listening to a couple of books. - Joined a dating site and begun dating again. - Taking up or resuming a favorite hobby again.

Remember at the beginning I wrote that setting even short term goals can be a life-changing event? I know of someone who had a goal of finding and developing a serious relationship, and his short term goal was simply to join a dating site and begin dating. Well, he did that, met someone in 2 weeks, and now 6 months later, they are engaged to be married! You see, even short term goals can change your life!

Secret #4: Write your goals down. You've heard over and over again how much more effective goal setting is when you write your goals down. It's totally true. Once you've identified your 2 or 3 goals, write down in detail what it is you want to accomplish, or what stage you want to be in at the end of the time period you've chosen.

Once you've done that, get a three by five card and write out an affirmation paragraph that describes in detail how you will feel once you've reached that goal. Keep it in the first person as if you've already accomplished that goal. Not: "I can't wait to feel..." Rather: "It feels so good now that I'm..."

Secret #5: Make a list and start identify right now, today, what actions you can take to move you closer to your goals. Can you join a gym? Buy new walking shoes? Make 10 more cold calls today? Fill out a profile on a dating site? Take your kids to the park tonight?

Make a list of actions you can take today and take them!

Do the same thing tomorrow and get in the habit of taking an action each day to move you closer to your goals.

Follow this 5-Step method of setting short term goals and I guarantee you that your life WILL change 3 to 6 months from now.

Related Articles
  Setting Goals for your Home Based Business
  Home Business Expert: How To Set Your Goal – Short, Mid And Long
  5 Ideas To Planning Online Home Business Goals
  Setting Goals To Achieve
  Set Goals and a Definitive Purpose for your Business
  Setting Goals - A Beginner's Guide
  Setting Goals For an HR Recruiting Business
  As A Manager, Do You Know How To Set Goals?
  Goals Lead to Success
  Setting Achievable Business Goals
  What are goals and how do I make goals work for me?
  STEPPING STONE GOALS
  Goal Setting: The First Step in Money Management
  The Importance of Writing Goals To Succeed
  “A Strategic Approach To Setting & Achieving Your Goals For The New Year, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Using a Mentor to Find the Best Work at Home Businesses Online
  Goal Setting is SMART Business
  4 Tips for Effective Goal Setting
  Time Management Tips to get more every day
  Most successful people set goals. How about you?

Article Tags: closing sales, closing scripts, closing techniques, cold calling, inside sales, overcoming objections, phone sales, phone sales scripts, phone script, phone scripts, phone scripts examples, prospecting, telephone scripts, telesales



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: How do you budget your life? - Here is my financial management categories for today: 15% Long Term Savings; 10% Home Expenses; 45% Business and Marketing charges; 10% Friends (Meeting); 20$ Scientific and Law Books. But this will change when it is August or September. Orxan
Re: How do you monitor what people say about you in the web? - Setting up Google alerts for your keywords can give updates about your site. Also the publicity you create in the social media sites will do help too
Re: What is Your Favorite Thing About Owning A Business? - 1. Not feeling like I have to get approval for anything. 2. Not feeling like I have to please anyone. 3. Not having to ask permission before I do something. 4. Setting my own hours. 5. Sounding really cool when I tell people I have my own business.
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!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Inspiration for troubled times

Counselling - Who Needs It?

4 Steps To Hypnotize Your Business Prospects

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.