You may not realize it or admit to it especially if you an easy going person, but every day you are setting goals and planning. Stay at home mothers, plan their kids meals, have schedules and whether their goal is to just get through the day, they have a vision in mind. CEO’s have financial goals and targets, security guards have a goal to keep people safe and secure, no matter who you are or what position you hold, goal setting is something we all do whether consciously or subconsciously. Goals and plans come in many different formats, but the fact is we all need to derive some set of goals and we all need to plan, after all what we would we accomplish, where would we be heading and how would we be able to assess ourselves for continuous improvement?
December is usually a time where the only goal we have in mind is to make sure everyone’s name is ticked off the Christmas gift list. Whether we achieve that in October or on the 24th December, we manage to do just as we had set out to do, because we know it just has to be done, it’s a common goal and who wants to pitch up without a gift anyway?. So why can’t we be so focused with our career / life or business goals? The truth is some people attach goals to failures and would rather avoid the whole process of setting goals, knowing that there is a clear possibility of not achieving it. What do I say to that SO WHAT; At least you had direction and what success doesn't at times come with failure? Every individual, family and organisation needs to have a vision of what they want to achieve. Whether this is achieving a degree, building a house, or expanding your profits by 70%, in order to achieve it, you need to dream it, and dreaming is only the beginning. Don’t be afraid to set big, hairy, audacious goals. Yes they must be realistic, but millionaires wouldn't be where they are if they didn't dream big. Stretch your imagination and surprise yourself with the possibilities. Understand the impact of your goal not only on yourself but others around you. If it’s a family goal, will you have the necessary support structure in place, will your team be on board by living, breathing and sharing the dream? It’s important that your family understands your vision, appreciates the outcomes and benefits and somehow play an involving role to reach the desired outcome. The same applies to business. You can’t sit in your corner office and imagine what great things are to come; smiling to yourself is not taking you one step towards success. It’s the skills which you brought on board that will help take your ambition to the next level. So always involve the right talent with your goal setting. Know what and who you will need to grow your business, expand you products, provide the best service delivery and importantly leave a legacy.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, goals should be SMART -Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound. You may have heard that before, but let’s admit, we often ignore the guidelines, and have a 101 excuses as to why our goals weren’t reached, mind you we tend to blame everyone and everything else, but ourselves. If we continue with the blaming game, well then you can forget it because there will always be someone or something that got in the way! So stop right there, and take look at yourself, because to change anything in your life, you have to start blaming yourself, then introspect, reflect, dissect and start afresh. It begins with you!
No strategy can begin without a vision and concrete goal, after all what would be the point of drafting a plan? Once you've dreamt of what you want, write it down. In business your strategy would beautifully outline your goals and be packaged for all to share and envision. At home you could go to the extent of framing your goal and placing it where everyone can be reminded of it. Document it in whatever format suits you best, but make sure it’s visible and in your face, not to be forgotten. Once documented, create a vision board displaying your goals and the process, when achieving even a small portion of your goal, celebrate it and again document the achievement e.g.) if it’s a house you building take photos and place the process towards achievement on the board no matter how small it is, you deserve it. Promote your process, talk to people about how far you've come, and where you are going, you’d be surprised how many people would be just as excited for you and even give you tips on how you could achieve your dream. Humans thrive of giving and the feeling of gratitude so where they can, they will help.
Create a Vlog, blog or a simple traditional diary of your emotions and challenges along the way, this can be used a source of evaluation. It will help identify your weakest moments, areas that you need to strengthen and will also record your highlights to continue motivating you. Once you have achieved, celebrate, celebrate and celebrate your success again. If you've completed your housing project, invite close family and friends to a house warming to witness your dream. If you've accomplished your goal in business, convey this message to your stakeholders, let them see that you are an achiever!
Now, it’s that time of year to set your goals, well everyone tends to have a new year’s resolution come end of December and early January. We share our dream, we promote it, we even celebrate before we've achieve it, why not we are in the season of celebrating right? But come March, we look a little lost and confused when people ask “So how is that new year’s resolution coming along” what are they talking about are they not as busy as you, how dare they ask about your achievements, don’t they have any goals of their own they should be focusing on? Well now, there you go blaming everyone else but yourself. So let’s make 2015 different, set those audacious stretch goals, document the dream, and how you plan on getting there, place it in visible places so you’re exposed to it daily, celebrate the process every achievement of the way and importantly, involve the talent and individuals that can turn it into a reality . Finally, promote and celebrate your achievement!