What I know about goals
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Set Goals
Goals are self-fulfilling, create energy, and can lead to extraordinary lives, yet only 3% of us take the time to think about them and write them down.
Why don't more people set goals? I was in a goal setting session that asked this question recently and I thought the answers from the audience were intriguing:
- Fear of failure -- We're afraid to fail. It doesn't feel good!
- Fear of giving something up -- The very act of deciding to do something also means deciding not to do other things. Saying "no" can be harder than saying "yes".
- Fear of success -- Huh? Who would be afraid of succeeding? Many of us, much of the time, for lots of different reasons. And this can hold us back as readily as fear of failure.
We might have learned to set goals in school (e.g. homework, projects, and tests) or at work (e.g. being on time, quality goals, or yearly objectives). But how many of us have applied these skills to all the other areas of our lives, such as our physical/emotional/spiritual health, our family, our friends, or our character? Most of us have never been taught to set goals in these areas, or are "too busy" to set these kinds of goals, and as a result can spend much of our lives feeling overwhelmed by reacting to what's next.
On the other hand, people that set and work to achieve goals lead extraordinary lives. Set some big and audacious goals for multiple areas of your life. Write them down. Look at them each morning. Do something to achieve them--no matter how small--every single day. Measure your progress. If you're not making progress, change something. Don't be afraid of failure, or of success.
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." --Henry Ford
"If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway." --Mother Theresa
"Most people fail in life because they major in minor things." -- Anthony Robbins
Have you succeeded at setting and achieving your goals? What worked for you?
