There are lots of goal setting strategies such as being specific, writing
your goals down, putting a date on them, turning goals into action plans, and
the list goes on. However most people are missing the most important ingredient
in their goal setting; an ingredient that will ensure your success.
If you are missing this essential ingredient then you are making it much harder
to achieve your goal and even if you do achieve your goal you will probably find
that it doesn't make you happy.
The missing ingredient is WHY.
Most people set a goal without really taking the time to work out why this goal
will make them happy. As a result they often end up with the wrong goal for
them. Having the wrong goal makes it tough to develop the passion needed to
achieve the goal and it turns the journey toward the goal into suffering rather
than joy.
The first why to answer is why do you want to set goals at all?
You see, most goals that people set are 'what' goals. They are goals that say
what you want but not why you want it. Examples of 'what' goals are 'a new car',
'$10 million dollars', 'a particular job', 'a particular romantic partner', ' a
certain lifestyle' and so on.
The underlying 'why' here is that somehow these goals are going to make you
happy; but are they really? Why should a car or an amount of money or a job or
anything else miraculously make you happy? If you can become more specific about
why you want to set goals in the first place then you will be able to set a goal
that helps you achieve that end.
Here is an example of one possible answer to why set goals. 'I want to have a
sense of fulfillment in my life and the freedom to choose how I will gain that
sense of fulfillment.'
The important two components in this particular answer is the sense of
fulfillment and freedom to choose. The sense of fulfillment implies that you
will be involved in some activity that is emotionally rewarding for you and the
freedom to choose implies that you will have a strong financial foundation
either from your own resources or from a sponsor who funds your activities.
Now you are in a position to set a goal that will be a stepping stone to
achieving the underlying reason. This goal may be to pursue a particular course
of study that will lead to fulfilling work, or it may be to achieve a certain
level of wealth that will allow you to pursue fulfilling activities, or it may
be that you could achieve wealth by following fulfilling activities now. The
possibilities are endless.
Discovering the why will lead you to the what. Because you know why you are
chasing that particular 'what' you will be willing to do what it takes because
you are clear on what the personal rewards will be to you.
From the 'what' you can determine the 'how', in other words the strategy that
you will follow in order to achieve the goal. The how leads to the achievement
of the what and the what satisfies the why. Now you have a goal that will
actually enhance your life in some meaningful way.
So now it's time for you to re-examine your own goals to see if you have a
really clear picture of why you are chasing that goal. What is the underlying
benefit that will enhance your life in some major, meaningful way? If you
discover a good reason then you can use that to fuel your energy and passion for
achieving the goal.
If can't find a clearly defined reason for pursuing your current goal then you
would be better served by answering the why set goals at all question and then
set a new, empowering goal to follow.
James Delrojo would like to help you by giving you his ebook 'Unleash the
Success Power of Your Mind' (valued at $27) completely FREE.
Go tohttp://www.YourSuccessMind.com
