The principles of goal setting and achieving

How to identify the right goals? What are the principles of goal setting? Is there a reliable process to your most ambitious goals?

In his masterpiece “Maximum Achievement”, Brian Tracy teaches us some invaluable skills to unlock our hidden powers to succeed.

THE PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTING

"To achieve goals you've never achieved before, you need to start doing things you've never done before." Stephen Covey

The first is the principle of congruency. For you to perform at your best, your goals and your values must fit together like a hand in a glove.
The second principle of goal setting is your area of excellence. Each person can be excellent at something, and perhaps several things. You can achieve your full potential only by finding your area of excellence and then by throwing your whole heart into developing your talents in that area.
The third principle of goal setting is the acres of diamonds concept. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.” You don’t need to move across the country or to make a major upheaval in your life. In most cases, what you are looking for is right at your fingertips.
The fourth principle for success in goal setting is the principle of balance. The principle of balance states that you need a variety of goals in the six critical areas of life to perform at your best. You need family and personal goals. You need physical and health goals. You need mental and intellectual goals and goals for study and personal development. You need career and work goals. You need financial and material goals. Finally, you need spiritual goals, goals aimed at inner development and spiritual enlightenment. To maintain proper balance, you need two or three goals in each area, a total of twelve to eighteen goals;
The fifth principle of goal setting is the determination of your major purpose in life. Your major purpose is your number-one goal, the goal that is more important to you than the accomplishment of any other single goal or objective at this time.

GOAL-SETTING RULES

First of all, your goals must be in harmony with one another, not contradictory.
Second, your goals must be challenging
Third, you should have both tangible (e.g. read 25 non-fiction books this year) and intangible (e.g. gratitude) goals, both quantitative (e.g. spend 1hr of quality time per week) and qualitative (e.g. learn basic Arabic)
Fourth, you need both short-term goals and long-term goals.

The ideal short-term goal for business, career and personal planning is about ninety days. The ideal longer-term period for the same goals is two to three years. These time horizons seem to be the ideal for continuous motivation.

HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR GOAL

"Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." Tony Robbins

Here are 7 goal-setting questions to repeat to yourself again and again:

What are your five most important values in life?
What are your three most important goals in life, right now?
What would you do, how would you spend your time, if you learned today that you only had six months to live?
What would you do if you won a million dollars cash, tax-free, in the lottery tomorrow?
What have you always wanted to do, but been afraid to attempt?
What do you most enjoy doing? What gives you your greatest feeling of self-esteem and personal satisfaction?
What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail?

12 STEP GOAL-ACHIEVING PROCESS

“Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.” Richard Wilkins

Step one: Develop desire—intense, burning desire. What's your definite purpose, your overarching goal? Review the 7 questions above and decide what you want!
Step two: Develop a belief. You must have absolute faith that you deserve the goal and that it will come to you when you are ready for it. You must also believe it's possible to achieve it (e.g. raise your income by 10% over 12 months). If your goal is too far beyond your capacity, you will become discouraged and quit.
Step three: Write it down. As clear, vivid and detailed as possible. Writing down will override your failure mechanism and turn on your success mechanism.
Step four: Make a list of all the ways that you will benefit from achieving your goal. Reasons WHY are the forces that intensify your desire and drive you forward. Make a list of all benefits, satisfaction and rewards you'll enjoy as a result of achieving your goal. If you come up with 20 reasons, your desire will be irresistible.
Step five: Analyze your position, your starting point. If you want to increase your net worth, first create your financial statement.
Step six: Set a deadline. (for tangible, measurable goals!). his will activate your subconscious forcing system. If your major goal has a 5-year deadline, break it down into 90-day sub-goals!
Step seven: Make a list of all the obstacles that stand between you and the accomplishment of your goal. Great goals come with great obstacles. Organize the list in order of importance, the main obstacle is your rock. (i) Focus on removing your rock before dealing with smaller problems. If your rock is internal, be honest and determine what you have to change about yourself. If your rock is external (wrong job /company/relationship): start over, somewhere else, something else. (ii) What is your limiting step? (e.g. more income from sales, limiting step maybe your number of new prospects). Identify and remove your limiting step!
Step eight: Identify the additional information you will need to achieve your goal. Where can you find it? Do you need to study or practice for it? Can you employ someone? Who else achieved success in this field? List the information, talent, skills, experience that you need and then make a plan to learn, buy, borrow this information asap. What's the most important information needed?
Step nine: Make a list of all the people whose help and cooperation you will require. Can include family, boss, customers, bankers, friends. Order according to priority, start with most important. If you want to increase the quantity/quality of your returns from others, increase the q/q of your service. Always over-deliver, by putting more in, you'll get more out. Helping others achieve their goals is indispensable for your success.
Step ten: Make a plan. Write out: what you want, when, why, where are you starting from? List obstacles, information required, people you need help from. Your master plan is a list of activities organized by time or by priority. Improve the plan as you go, avoid perfectionitis.
Step eleven: Use visualization. A clear mental picture of your goals as it would appear if already achieved.
Step twelve: Make the decision, in advance, that you will never, never, give up. As long as you refuse to quit, you must eventually be successful. When things seem worst, success is closest. Once you start, don't stop! Use the principle of momentum and keep going.

HOW TO AVOID BURNING WILLPOWER TO ACHIEVE GOALS: THE POWER OF HABIT

“People do not decide their future, they decide their habits and their habits decide their future”, Frederick Alexander

Relying on discipline and willpower to achieve your goals is a recipe for failure because they are limited mind-resources. It’s better to focus on the underlying habits required to achieve your goals sustainably.

To lose 10kg, for example, some people will start a diet or get a gym subscription without knowing what exactly they’re doing. After some confrontations with the fitness gods on the bench next to them or their colleagues’ delicious burger meals, the willpower will dry out, bye-bye goal.

Instead, they should be focusing on the underlying habits: good sleep, eating better, getting regular exercise, building a workout program, eliminating stress.

According to Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), habits are comprised of 3 main parts: an environmental cue, a behavioural routine and a reward/removal of something unpleasant.

The trick is to focus on the cue, not on the behaviour. Getting out of bed for example can be a cue to go for a morning exercise. A nice coffee or breakfast smoothie can be a reward. Important is to start small, make the new habit stick and build up afterwards. Also, eliminate any barriers (where are my gym shoes?) as much as possible.

Conclusion

Identifying the right goals starts with clarity about your purpose and your values.

If you chose a balanced approach, your personal goals should cover the six critical areas of life (social, physical, mental, personal development, career, financial and spiritual).

A strong desire and structured approach, including a detailed description of your goal, visualization and a written plan with deadlines, obstacles and supporting resources will boost your chances for success.

Focus on the underlying habits required to achieve your desired goals, using the “cue – routine – reward” cycle. Start small so you can build confidence and set bigger goals every time.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso

Take care & stay safe,

Jürgen

References:

The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy ( )

Maximum Achievement, Brian Tracy

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey

Self-Discipline, Mark Manson

The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg