by André Taylor
There are common steps associated
with goal achievement. They are:
-
Aim high.
-
Write your goals down.
-
Set a time limit or deadline.
-
Identify those people, and
organizations that can help you reach your goals.
-
Consider multiple facets of your
life including family, career, health, etc.
I have often been asked if there is
more to the process of goal achievement than these steps.
My answer? Yes there is. While the
goal setting process outlined above is quite valuable, and perhaps
fundamental,
I have found nuances to the
goal-setting process, typically not discussed. Here are seven steps that will
accelerate your
goal achievement.
Step One: Assume Success: It All
Begins With The Way You Think
Top achievers think differently.
First they conceive, plan, and work on their goals with a level of expectation
that is foreign to most people.
They do not say, "I'll try this, and see what happens," or
"This might work, you never know."
Achievers proceed toward their
goals with a level of confidence that cause others to think they have inside
knowledge about how to make
their goals a reality. It is this level of expectation that gives them the
laser focus
needed to see possibilities that
most do not see. More importantly, they are actually "living," their goals
long before
they are achieved.
Step Two: Identify and Focus On
Your Primary Goals
Intensifying your focus on a few
goals is often easier for those beginning to refine their own goal achievement
process.
Having just a few goals makes each
goal much more real because you cannot get lost in a lengthy list of plans and
projects.
As you develop more experience and
confidence in the goal setting process, you can expand your goal list and
potentially work on 10, 20, or 30
or more goals at the same time. However I recommend that most people trim
their
goal list down to a very manageable
group of 7.
Step Three: Examine And Clarify
Your Beliefs and Values
A big obstacle for many seeking
accelerated goal achievement is being out of sync with their goals. That is,
many "say,"
they want to achieve certain
things but do not really believe in their ability to achieve their goals or
totally value their
goals. As a result they
unconsciously minimize their ability to achieve their stated intentions. To
reach you goals fast you
have to be sure that your
goals really reflect your true beliefs and values. After setting your goals,
be honest with
yourself about whether these are
really your beliefs and commitments.
Step Four: Immerse Yourself In The
Process Daily
This is an important step that many
goal setters are unaware of. Top achievers "live" their goals. Many
unconsciously
work with their goals every day.
It's a good idea for you to take this approach consciously. I believe strongly
in working
with my goals twice a day at
minimum, once in the morning, and once in the evening.
I have spiral notebook in which I
write my goals. In that notebook I have also developed my "Statement of
Achievement."
This statement opens my goal list
and closes my goal list. It sets the tone for the goals to follow. I recommend
that you
write your own, Statement of
Achievement and that you write your statement and your list of goals twice a
day.
Sometimes you'll want to even go
back more and recite the statement as it occurs to you during the day.
Step Five: Recognize and Act On
Your Intuition
Balancing your internal process
with your external process is step five of my accelerated goal achievement
process.
First you want to become sensitive
to the ideas and solutions that are presented to you thousands of times daily.
You are always receiving ideas,
insights, and greater details that pertain to your goals throughout the day.
Once you
decide to really focus on your goal
setting and achievement this will become more noticeable. It's important that
you
capture this information. Carry a
journal with you and write down the sparks of insight you receive throughout
the day.
These are the quickest paths to
your goals. When you take action on these items you will be led into
circumstances
that will, in turn, set you on a
direct path to your goal.
Step Six: Overcome Your Resistance
We all tend to hesitate,
re-consider, and even procrastinate. We have impulses that we ignore. There
are actions
we won't take. We don't make calls.
We don't write letters. We don't send emails. Sometimes others will offer
ideas
and suggestions, but we don't want
to be counseled or coached. There are so many examples of how we resist
achieving
our own goals. You must become
conscious of your resistance and learn to breakthrough this resistance.
Step Seven: Establish Positive
Triggers
You can and should train yourself
to remain focused on your goals and your ability to achieve them by
establishing
psychological triggers that bring
you to the right focus and state of accomplishment quickly. Pyschological
triggers
include words that quickly bring
you back to your aim, images representing the successful accomplishment of
your
goals, and even music that affects
you emotionally and gives you the feeling of success and accomplishment.
Achieving your goals requires the
right thinking and the right actions, sometimes for an extended period of
time.
However, these tips will help you
develop a winning strategy that will keep your progress steady and pointed in
the right direction.
© Copyright 2006 - André Taylor -
Taylor Insight Group, LLC. Go to www.andretaylor.com and get Andre's
free newsletter.
About the Author
André Taylor is an entrepreneur, a
highly paid consultant, and one of today's dynamic voices on business
and personal success. He's the
author of a collection of audio and video programs including the
business-building system,
81 Lessons of The Natural
Entrepreneur.