Goal Setting

New Year's is a time of hope for the future. Most people make resolutions, but never follow through on them. Why? I believe that it is the difference between having a dream and having a goal. Dreams and goals might sound similar, but they are really quite different things altogether.

People say "I want to have more money", "I want to lose some weight", "I want to be happier", and other statements to this effect. Are these goals? Seriously, read these again and think about it before continuing.

Are they really goals? I would say that these are not goals. These are "dreams". They are very vague. How will you know that you are "happier"? By what date will you achieve this? Many people say things like this over and over again year after year and nothing ever improves. Why?

In order for something to really be a goal, it needs to be very specific. You must have an "evidence procedure" as Tony Robbins would say. This is a very specific way of knowing that the goal has been achieved. This is why goals of a certain dollar amount are great, because you can tell if it has been achieved or not very easily. You must believe that the goal is possible for you to achieve and that it will really happen. This seems very obvious on the surface, but let's talk about it a little bit. You may consciously know that something is possible, but subconsciously you don't have the confidence, you might not feel deserving, or you might have fear of success. Yes, there is a such thing as a fear of success, and many people struggle with this. There are many books that you can read on this subjects. Studying NLP (Neuro-lingustic programming) taught me a lot about this type of thing.

I really like to visualize my goals. This type of "pretending" will help you accept the reality of the goals becoming real, and you will start to act in accordance with them being real. For example, let's say that you goal is to get in shape and be able to run a mile in a certain time. If you start to believe that you have already achieved this, you will start to act and behave like someone at that level of fitness. You will want to work out and you will want to exercise because you will see it as part of your identity.

In addition to having your goals, I like to have a plan to follow. Some people say that it is unnecessary, but I think it helps. I wrote an entry on my blog that was about having a goal as well as having a plan and the interrelationship between the two.

I don't want to beat you over the head with this, but why don't you set goals? Maybe some of you do. I don't mean to ram this down your throat, but seriously, just take a look at what you are doing. If you are satisfied with it, then that is great. I want to make a positive impact on people, and I want to motivate them, and help improve their lives.

A lot of people have told me recently that I am "living the dream". Well, although I don't feel I am nearly where I want to be, I know that the reason I have gotten this far is no accident. It has everything to do with knowing what I want and setting goals to make it happen. You can do this too.

I've set my personal goals and I have a plan to follow to ensure that they will be achieved.

Don't make "new year's resolutions" just because it is the thing to do. If you don't define them well enough, if you don't put a time limit on them and believe they will really happen, then you're selling yourself short. I would rather not have any new year's resolutions than say things that I don't believe in and know will never happen. Get out there and figure out what you really want, and set some goals for yourself.