Who DARES Wins! - The power of goals

So, how was your 2012? Did you achieve your goals?Did you even set any goals? The beauty of this time of year is that it provides us with another clean sheet. Whatever has happened in the previous 12 months doesn`t matter any more. You can start afresh! Of course, any time is a good time to start over or change tack, but the beginning of a new year gives us a logical springboard. 

Most people are familiar with making New Year`s resolutions and most of us know they very often fail. In fact, statistically by January 15th, 95% of resolutions have already been broken! The difference between a resolution and goal setting is what goes into it. Setting goals isn`t just creating a "wish list" and "hoping" they will just happen. Goal setting is a skill that needs to be learned and mastered.

There are many reasons why people fail to achieve their goals, one of which I highlighted in the last blog post. Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his ground breaking book, Psycho Cybernetics:-suggested 3 more-

Insincerity
Imprecision
Incongruence

Insincerity - Some people fall into the trap of setting goals they feel they "should" set, because of peer pressure and consequently are never really that committed to their achievement. They make a half- hearted attempt and then quickly give up when the going gets tough. Goals need to be uniquely personal to you.

Imprecision - If a goal isn`t clearly defined and understood by the subconscious mechanism of the brain it will be very difficult to achieve. Any goal needs to stated with absolute clarity. in very specific, precise terms.

Incongruence - This is probably the most common reason goal setting often fails for people. If the goal you seek is not in alignment with your values and self image, you will never achieve it. If you are a sales person for example, who historically has always performed at a certain level of sales per year and you wanted to double your sales volume and therefore your commission, you would need to work on your self image first, to ensure that you felt you were the kind of person who could do that.

You can never consistently outperform the level of your own self image.

In future posts I will get more into the mechanics of the goal setting process, but as long as you make a decision as to what you actually want and you are sincerely committed, precise and congruent, the most important thing is to conquer your fears and take ACTION!

 The time is now!

"212 Degrees - The Power of the Extra Degree!"

What stops most people achieving the success they are looking for? Why does traditional goal setting often not work for people? In many cases we are put off setting big goals because we can`t imagine ever achieving them. We are told to aim high and set big, audacious goals because they are inspirational, but then our rational minds often fail to visualise their accomplishment because they are too big! Has this happened to you? If so, use the simple strategy of taking small steps. Lao Tzu said,
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step".

 In my management and personal development training programmes I often talk about the Japanese concept of "Kaizen" or continuous improvement, which uses small incremental steps to improvement, rather than expecting quantum leaps. Anyone can make small changes. If you make enough of them you achieve great things. Just do a little, and then do a little bit more.

When I ran my first (and coincidentally, my last!) marathon, I was completely spent by 23 miles. I had "hit the wall" and had nothing left in the tank. I couldn`t conceive of running a further 3 miles! But I could run to the next lamp post, and then the next tree and then the next street corner. By breaking it into manageable chunks in my mind I eventually completed the course.

Great success and achievement is often the bye product of small steps. Doing a little bit more. When you`ve done enough, do a little bit more. Go the extra mile, put in the extra degree of effort. This is what separates the winners and losers. The difference between winning and losing is often much smaller than you think. Break your big goal down into bite sized pieces. You`ll be amazed what you can achieve.

"What would you do if you knew you had only 6 months left to live?"

This is a question I ask my delegates on the Goal Setting section of my "Effective Service Manager" training programme. It provokes some interesting answers. Naturally, some people find it difficult to answer because it is hypothetical and also makes them consider things they would prefer not to think about. A common response is to list all the things they would like to do but had never got around to doing. The real question is, how do we know how long we have? It may be hypothetical, but don`t you owe it to yourself to live "Fearlessly" now, today? Rather than waiting for a real "Deadline" to shake you into action?

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. "When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently," she says, "common themes surfaced again and again."

Here is the first of the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it."

So my question to you is, if not now, then when?

When are you going to follow your heart, pursue your dream and be who you were destined to be?

Watch this powerful video on a regular basis to help keep you on track and on purpose and please leave a comment or share this with others if you found it interesting:-