You hear a lot of talk about the power that goal setting has on your ability to achieve success as you define it. There is no doubt that this is true, but it needs to go one step further.
Having a goal setting process will not make you successful in itself. It is more important to have a goal achieving process. This month we share 7 key tips to set your goals in motion and help you reach the ultimate prize … your goal!
1. Stop seeking approval from people.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to fulfill your dreams. Trust yourself and give yourself permission to succeed. Having support from people whose opinion you value is a wonderful thing, but it should not be the criterion for whether you begin acting on fulfilling your goals or not.
If you really desire to turn your ideas into reality, constantly floating them around and seeking the approval of people will waste your time and can kill your dreams. What will happen to your ideas if you don’t get the approval of those whose permission you so desperately need? Nothing!
2. Don’t wait for perfection.
Waiting for a time when everything is perfect and in place will cause you to lose your enthusiasm and abandon your goals. Conditions may never be as perfect as you desire. You may never have all the money, time, or knowledge you desire to begin working on your goals.
You must take risks, learn and improve as you go along, and then watch as everything begins to fall in place. If you have to wait for the perfect time to begin working on your goals you will be waiting a long time!
3. Create time for the goal.
Many people have dreams, ideas, or goals which remain unfulfilled because they are too busy doing everything else but working on the goal. If you have a goal to accomplish, you must be ready to invest your time and resources to ensure that it succeeds.
Making excuses about lacking the time to work on goals that are important to you is a procrastination tactic, which will kill your dream before it has a chance to see the light of day. There is always time to work on what we love and consider important. Create that time and see your dreams begin to unfold!
4. Make the decision.
The process of goal accomplishment, like most things in life, begins with a decision. You decide what you want, how to achieve it, and then you put a plan in place to reach your goal.
If accomplishing your goal is important to you, your inability to make crucial decisions about what you should do, how you should do it, and when you should do it will waste your time and may choke your dream. Make up your mind and stop second-guessing yourself. When your mind is made up nothing can stop you from fulfilling your goals.
5. Be bold and take the initiative.
Be bold! You are the one in charge of turning your dreams into reality. You need to be proactive and actively involved in the process of working on your goals to ensure you achieve them.
Just because you have shared your ideas with others does not necessarily mean that you are no longer responsible for turning them to reality. Don’t sit around waiting for others to make suggestions and guide your idea to reality. Don’t leave your dreams entirely in the hands of others. Nobody cares about your dreams like you do.
6. Invest in your dreams.
No idea is self-funding. Don’t be deceived into thinking that people will invest or finance your idea just because you think it is brilliant. If you are lucky, someone may invest in it, but if you are not, you will have to invest your time, energy, and finances towards activities that will fortify and fulfill your dreams.
You may have to invest in the acquisition of knowledge or expertise that will help you achieve your goals. It would be a good idea to keep some money stashed away to finance your goal.
7. Do one thing at a time.
Commit yourself only to projects and activities, which are connected to your main goal. Whatever you do should directly or indirectly move you towards your main goal. Failure to do this will confuse, overwhelm, sidetrack, and drain your energy.
To get started on achieving your goals, you need to plan time for them and make them a priority. If you keep crowding and cluttering your life with what does not matter, you may never achieve your goals.
Remember that you can’t do all things, but you can do one thing!