Setting your Goals

According to the Encarta online dictionary, goal means aim, something that somebody wants to achieve. The question is, how do you know what to aim for and how do you know when you have achieved it? Following on from the article on page 1 (download the whole Motivational Magic newsletter by clicking here), it is easy to have lots of ideas, but goals are the process by which you are able to focus those ideas to make them achievable.



Here are the main points why goal setting is a good idea:



1. Knowing where you are heading empowers you. If you can see the finish line, you know exactly how much effort is required for you to cross it and that is empowering.



2. Recording your goals also empowers you. By writing them down and giving them a timeframe to make them measurable, you go through the mental process of figuring out exactly what you are going to need to achieve them. Giving them a date to be achieved by helps to apply the pressure necessary to motivate you to action.



3. Visualising your goal in your mind, helps you to adopt the mental attitude necessary to achieve your goal. Imagine yourself doing whatever your goal is. The clearer you can see it in your mind, the more achievable it will become.



4. Talk positively about your goals and eliminate negative self-talk in relation to them. Every goal will have it’s issues but by being solutions focused, the issues will fade into the glory of achieving your goals.



5. Break your goals right down into achievable bite size chunks. The more detailed you are, the more probable your success will be.



6. Protect your goals from what are called the “dream stealers”. These are people that want to discourage you by pointing out all the obstacles and problems associated with your goal.



7. As you are working on your goals, adopt a “do-it-now” mentality. If something is annoying you, do something about it. Take action.


8. Make lists. If you rely on your brain, you will miss important things out. Buy a notepad you can carry everywhere with you and make lists of what you want to achieve, then tick them off as you go.

9. Make new goals regularly. A goals list is a fluid document. It needs to be visited daily and updated as things come up.



10. No more excuses, take action now! You can only guarantee success if you start the journey.




Achieving your dreams



You now know what goals are and how you can set them and you have been given the keys to setting and making your own goals. But is there another process that is missing that ensures that you achieve your goals?



I would like to suggest that there is. You know what you want to achieve, you even have created a visual board for yourself where you have images of what you want to achieve, with all the description and dates of your goals. But what it is that takes the dream off the page and converts it to reality?



Here are my three factors for making it happen.



1. Belief—Do you believe that it can and will happen to you?



2. Faith—Do you have the faith to step out and test your vision to prove it’s worth?



3. Focus—Are you prepared to make your goal the focus of your life?



If you can firstly, believe in your dream; secondly, have faith in yourself and any spiritual power that you may believe in; and then thirdly, place your focus on attaining that dream, amazing things start to happen! Without these your dream will fail before it has even lived.

Progess requires effort

I find that it is easy to start something but much harder to finish it. Along the way, there are the little things that become big things, that sometimes seem insurmountable. However, experience has taught me, that if you keep going and perservere, you eventually breakthrough and make progress.

So what do you do when you start to feel the pressure on you? Do you cave at the first resistance to your idea or your movement forward?

I was a professional dancer and often there was a pain threshold that you would reach after doing a class for 30 minutes. You are just up to the part where you have to spring into the air over and over and your legs are screaming at you to stop and the idea of of just stopping right there is almost enough for you to revolt. I mean, I became the guru of escape. I had to suddenly go to the toilet when they were up to their 16th spring in the air. I had to do up my ballet slipper that had mysteriously just come undone. There is always some excuse that we can find if we want to but what happens if we push through?

Well, I can tell you from watching The Biggest Loser, Australian Series, tonight that I saw the results of perservering. On the television I watched a guy called Cosie take 90kilos of weight on his shoulders and outstand five other competitors that hardly even got over the 40kilos marker. What kept him standiing on that little elevated platform with almost the same as his body weight sitting on his shoulders? The knowledge that if he perservered he would make it over the line and have another chance at the Biggest Loser title. I think that if there was any doubt in anyone's mind about him winning it was all sorted out right there. This is his moment to shine and quite deservingly, he was selected by the trainers to go through to the next round.

So what is there in your life that feels like an insurmountable mountain of opposition to your plan or your progress? Are you going to give up just before your breakthrough or are you going to tough it out, to dig deep and pull on every ounce of energy that is left in you to make your dreams come true?

There is a bible story about Jesus Christ when he was praying in the garden the night before he was crucified. It says that he sweat drops of blood. That was the level of his anguish in preparing himself for his death. There is a scripture that the new testament that says, "You have not resisted in your battle against temptation unto the point of shedding blood." I am asking you, in your desire to achieve your dreams, have you gone to the level of your ability or have you piked out just before your breakthrough? Next time you are tempted to give up, I challenge you to hold in there and tough it out and see what happens.

Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your feedback on this thought.