Creating Your Goals

Today I wanted to share with you a great article, The Art of Setting Goals,  from the January 2015 issue of Success magazine by Shelley Levitt.  She has a lot of great book references and systems to help you set your goals. You can read the entire article at

http://www.success.com/article/master-the-art-of-setting-goals-in-4-steps

I have found that most people say they have goals but do not have them written down.  Every year I take time to sit down and write down my goals for the year and then I post them in my house where I can see them everyday.  I also put together a project list of things I want to accomplish to help me achieve my goals.  The written list helps keep me on task and reminds me to think about what I want to accomplish in the short and long term.

If you have struggled creating your goal list here are some ideas to get you started thinking.

The 4 step WOOP method from Ph. D. Gabriele Oettinge, from Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation.

1. WISH: Spend 15-20 minutes of quiet time to identify a challenging wish.
2. OUTCOME: Imagine the great things that would happen or how you would feel if you made this wish a reality.
3. OBSTACLES: What are the possible challenges of making this wish come true? Think about both external and internal obstacles like what behaviors may need to change?
4. PLAN: Name one action you can take to overcome the obstacle.

How to set HARD goals by author Mark Murphy's Hard Goals: The Secret of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.  He starts by explaining that if your goal is powerful enough, implementation won't be such a problem. In nearly all cases where greatness is achieved, it's the goal that drives the motivation and discipline-not the other way around.  HARD goals are:

HEARTFELT: you need to feel a deep-seated attachment to the goal.
ANIMATED: The goal has to be vividly alive to you.
REQUIRED: You are so convinced of the absolute necessity of the future payoff of your goal that you are able to overcome procrastination.
DIFFICULT: The goal has to hit your sweet spot of challenge, positioning you to push past your comfort zone into extraordinary performance.

Create your goal list, write it down and post it where you can see it everyday!