
In short, what follows is a blueprint for success in goal setting by Brian Hazelgren (blogger)..
1. Have a strong DESIRE to achieve the goal. The desire must be real, and you must have a strong determination to follow through. But, how do you create a strong enough desire to want to achieve something worthwhile? You can start by sitting down and writing out all the benefits and advantages of achieving your goal. The key is to help you get in your mind that you will be unstoppable, and your determination will take you to a higher level.
2. WRITE your goal down. You have heard it before, but here goes again…a goal not written is only a wish. Once you commit your goal to writing it becomes meaningful and starts to take on real purpose. Your subconscious mind will pick up on the achievement you are seeking, and will help you to drive to a successful outcome. It’s kind of like having your own internal coach to help drive you and remind you of the goal you are trying to achieve.
3. Put a DEADLINE to your goal. Just like you would have a deadline to meet milestones in your life, have a deadline in mind of when you want to achieve your goal. In a Milestones Table you would have a Start Date and an End Date, otherwise there is no real incentive to work towards completion…or accomplishment. This will help you to analyze where you are, and then help you measure how long you will need to complete the goal.
4. IDENTIFY a) the obstacles you will need to overcome, b) the help you will need, (i.e. best practices, knowledge, people, attitude, tools or technology you may need). In each case write the potential obstacles out in a clear list and spend just a few minutes analyzing them.
5. Be DEDICATED to seeing your goal thru to final achievement. There may be some times when you will need to adjust your plans a bit, and see a better way of achieving your goal. But don’t get discouraged and give up. Be dedicated to a cause, like our Founding Fathers, to planning, preparation, implementation, and dedication.
6. Take all the details of steps 1 thru 5 and make a PLAN. List all the activities and prioritize them. Rewrite the list, optimize it, and perfect it. Then review your progress, and assess how well you are doing in achieving your goal. This review and assessment phase can be done in 10 minutes.
7. VISUALIZE the successful conclusion of the goal already accomplished. Make the mental image crystal clear, vivid in your mind. Play that picture over and over in your mind. When I ran track in high school and college, I would visualize myself crossing the finish line first. Then I would play in my mind standing on the podium after the race, accepting my 1st place medal. Seemed to work to pretty good…after 32 years two records still stand, and have not been broken!
8. ASK others to help you achieve your goal. Sometimes I feel like the biggest mistakes I have made are the ones where I tried to go it alone. The really big mistakes in my life are the ones where I also did not ask God for help in opening doors, and for a little extra inspiration. It’s o.k. to ask others for their help…you may be surprised at how anxious they will be to help you.
9. Back your plan with PERSISTENCE and be tenacious in achieving the goal. Never give up even when you hit roadblocks and setbacks. Keep going…keep pushing thru the discouragement…and above all, stop worrying about failing. Think more about the success you are going to achieve, and the success you deserve for all of your hard work and dedication!
Follow these steps with persistence and tenacity, and you will be a high achiever. A WORD OF CAUTION - You can read these steps in the blueprint and think to yourself, “That sounds interesting. I must try that sometime”. Notice the title of this section – “The Blueprint for Achieving Your Goals”.