NEW! Peak Performance: The Power of Goal-setting
Written by Daniel Otieno |
At this time of the year, as we approach the end of yet another cycle, the question that lingers on many people’s mind is, “What have I achieved this year?” The end of the year is a time of review. We review our goals and whether we have been able to achieve them. We measure our success in terms of what we have achieved or failed to achieve. It is also at this time of the year that people set new goals for the coming year.
The process of goal setting is critical for us to succeed in any area of our life. It is particularly important for students to set clear and smart academic goals for the coming year.
In the book What They Don't Teach You in the Harvard Business School, Mark McCormack tells a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program. In that year, the students were asked, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" Only three percent of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and a whopping 84 percent had no specific goals at all. Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing. The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. The three percent who had written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.
In spite of such proof of success, most people don't have clear, measurable, time-bounded goals that they work toward.
Brian Tracy says there are four reasons why people don't set goals:
They don't realize about the importance of goals.If the people with whom you spend the most time e.g. family, friends, colleagues, are not clear and committed to goals, there is a chance that you will not be, either.
They don't know how to set goals. Some set goals that are too general. These are, in reality, fantasies common to everyone. Goals, on the other hand, are clear, written, specific, and measurable.
They fear failure. Failure hurts, but it is often necessary to experience failure in order to achieve the greatest success. Do not unconsciously sabotage yourself by not setting any goals in which you might fail.
They fear rejection. People are often afraid that if they are unsuccessful at achieving a goal, others will be critical of them. This is remedied by keeping your goals to yourself at the outset; let others see your results and achievements once you've accomplished your goals.
Experts on the science of success know the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Whatever goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve. To engage you subconscious mind, a goal has to be measurable. When there are no criteria for measurement, it is simply something you want, a wish, a preference, or a good idea.
To begin, measurable goals do not have to be life-changing ones. In other words, look for some early, quick wins to gain momentum and confidence that will prepare you for attaining larger goals.
For example, if you are weak in a particular area/subject set a goal to improve by a specific percentage in three months. If you are overweight, set a goal to loose 10 kilogram’s in 2 months by walking or jogging for 30 minutes a day. Most people can accomplish walking 30 minutes a day. This goal can be accomplished the very first day, and the second day, and the third day, and so on. The feeling of success and happiness for meeting these smaller, but very measurable goals will lead to achieving the ultimate goal. Start with baby steps, first.
Here’s a blueprint to help you set a plan and stay on track with your goal setting:
STEP 1. Develop a DESIRE to achieve the goal. The desire must be intense. How do you intensify desire? Sit down and write out all the benefits and advantages of achieving your goal. Once the list goes between 50 and 100 your goal becomes unstoppable.
STEP 2. WRITE your goal down. Once it goes into writing it becomes substantial and starts etching itself into your subconscious.
STEP 3. IDENTIFY the following: obstacles you will need to overcome, help you will need to acquire, e.g. knowledge, people, organizations. In each case write them out in a clear list and analyze them.
STEP 4. DEADLINE your goal. Analyze where you are now in relation to the goal and then measure how long you will reasonably need to complete the goal. Then set the latest outside date.
STEP 5. Take all the details of steps 3 and 4 and make a PLAN. List all the activities and prioritize them. Rewrite the list, optimize it, perfect it.
STEP 6. Get a clear MENTAL PICTURE of the goal already accomplished. Make the mental image crystal clear, vivid in the mind's eye. Play that picture over and over in your mind.
STEP 7. Back your plan with PERSISTENCE and resolve. Never, never, never give up even when you hit setbacks.
Commit Goals to Writing
Goals must be in writing in the form of positive, present-tense, personal affirmations. A goal that is not committed to writing is just a fantasy. Set goals for what you want, not for what you don't want. Your subconscious mind can lock onto a clearly defined goal only if the goal is defined in positive terms. If you put your focus on what you don't want instead of what you do, you're likely to attract exactly what it is you're trying to avoid. Write your goals as if they are already achieved. Instead of saying, "I will earn Ksh. 30,000 this year," write it in the present tense: "I earn Ksh. 30,000 this year." If you phrase your goals in future terms, you are sending a message to your subconscious mind to forever keep that outcome in the future, just beyond your grasp. Each morning, review your goals and let your mind completely internalize what you want to achieve. This exercise will keep you focused.
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