A traveler once stopped at a certain intersection. He pointed at one road and asked an elderly person, “Where does this road lead to?” To this the person asked the traveler where he wanted to go. When the traveler replied saying he had no idea where he wanted to go, this is what he got to hear from the elderly person…
“If you have no idea where you want to go, take any road you wish. It doesn’t really make a difference.”
This is quite true if you think about it. You can just about take any road and go to any place if you don’t really know where you need to go.
Let us imagine there are these eleven players in a football team. All of them are super-charged up to start the game. Then all of a sudden, someone comes and takes the goals post away. Now what?
What do you think will happen to the game?
How will they know if they have scored a goal?
How will the scoring be done?
This is precisely what can happen to a business that seems to have no goals. People may work hard; but the business doesn’t really accomplish anything.
The problem lies here…
You have no idea what you want to achieve….
When you have no goal in mind, there is no way you may have created a roadmap to achieve the same…
Whether it is your business or your personal life, you need to set effective goals. It is these goals that differentiate you from a person who spends all his life dreaming.
If you thought that goal setting was to express what you want to do in life, either in writing or verbally, you are wrong. There is a lot more to it. It involves a great deal of planning, pursuing and achieving.
Great things seldom happen by chance. If you have to achieve something worthwhile you will have to do some planning and put in some efforts.
Before you start setting your goal, you need to visualize your dream. You can use the tremendous power of your mind to create a life that you desire. You can meditate on it to increase your ability.
The main purpose behind goal setting is to achieve what you desire. It has to be coupled with focus, desire, action and momentum. If you want to proceed from where you are now and go towards where you want to be, you will have to define that “where.” The starting of this definition is your vision.
Let us start working backwards…
Visualize your Dream
Start by visualizing the quality of life you wish to adopt. This will help you determine everything that you will have to achieve – be it in finance, career, family, relationship or health and fitness.
Once you have connected yourself with this vision, you can start setting specific goals to actualize that vision.
Goal vs Vision
There is a lot of difference between a goal and a vision. Most people make the mistake of thinking that the goal itself is the end result of their life. It is not. It only allows you to do, to have or to be something in the long run. Here are a few things you need to know to be able to differentiate goals from your visions:
Goals can clarify your Vision
The process of creation goes through two phases – mental creation and physical creation. Unless you create something in your mind, you cannot manifest the same into reality. By setting a goal, you can accomplish the first part of creation. You will then channelize your time, efforts and energy to materialize your goal in reality.
Goals represent your inner desires
By setting goals, you are actually expressing your inner desires that motivate you to lead your life. These desires differ from person to person and so do these goals. So, setting a goal is essentially spelling out that end output that you actually desire. Without this, there is no way you can achieve your dreams.
Goals help you live more consciously
By setting your goal, you are actually clarifying what you want ultimately. It brings focus to those desires that have been floating across in your mind. This makes you channelize your time, efforts and energy into something that actually matters to you. It makes you live every moment of your life in a conscious way.
Accomplishing Goals
Setting goals is important in life; but they won’t take you anywhere if you make no attempts, to accomplish them.
Never work on too many goals at one time
The goals that you have set for yourself may help you understand the different areas where you need to improve upon. But by working on multiple goals simultaneously, you will not be really making any significant progress anywhere. The question is not about setting your goals but about achieving them.
Achieving a goal is no way a straightforward process
It is not really easy to achieve a goal. It requires total dedication. When I talk about achieving goals, I am not talking about simple goals like buying a car or going on a vacation. It is about those goals that can actually change your life. Achieving these goals would mean overcoming many challenges and protecting yourself from perils that you can find just about in any corner.
Read about how successful people have achieved their goals.
Not all of us do this. We end up in failures while exploring our own paths to achieving our goals. But remember one thing “Failure is the stepping stone to success.” You have no idea how much value these successful people can add, when it comes to achieving your goals. This method by far can be considered as a direct path towards achieving your goal, irrespective of what your goal is.
Not convinced? Then answer this question…
How do you think McDonald’s became one of the most successful companies of the world?
You think it is because of those great burgers they make that no other burger place can make? Wrong. In fact, there may be many burger places in the world that make burgers that taste better than those of McDonalds’.
It is the value that they add to their service that has helped them establish a stable position in the market despite the changing climate of the burger-business.
You can step into just about any McDonald’s outlet in any part of the world and you will see a Value menu. Yes, the prices may have changed from what they were before. However, you will always find it difficult to find another burger place that can make burgers this cheap and good. And, the value is always consistent, irrespective of which country you are in.
So, whatever may be your goal, you have to make sure you add a lot of value
For instance, if you are selling a particular product or service, you have to make sure that product or service adds value to the lives of those who buy them. This is when people will like your product or service and spread message about your brand. It is called automated marketing.
So, now that you have set your goals, what are your plans about achieving them?