Goal Setting: Do not want something; be something
Are you great at goal setting? Do you regularly achieve your goals?
We are often told to create short term (which can be today or for this week), medium term (which can be for this month or this year), and long term goals (which can be this year or over the next 15 years).
Over the years I have regularly created lists of goals; put them away and then forgotten about them. Then, something will remind me and I will create some more. Down the track I might stumble upon those goals I have written down and contrary to all expectations we have been given which is, if you write your goals down they will happen.
And yet, when I chance upon my writings and it could be years later, I review what I have written and, I have to say, nothing has changed. There are things on my lists that I still want to achieve or have.
So what am I doing wrong?
After much thought and investigation I discovered that writing down goals isn’t really the answer for me. I’ve discovered that a goal is something I have identified that I want to achieve and it generally has an external focus or is an external thing. Which means that there is something external to me that I want. That could be something like more money, a promotion, a new car, a new house, a thriving business or anything else that I might identify.
So what’s the answer? Well, I need to create outcomes, not goals.
When someone talks about an outcome they want to achieve, they have to determine what the neurological outcome is that they have to participate in to achieve it. It has to have an internal focus. Now that’s a bit of a mouthful but simply means we have to be the person internally who can achieve that outcome.
For instance, someone may say that they want to be promoted. Being promoted is actually the goal - this has an external focus. Their outcome is to be promotable, someone who can be promoted. Which means that neurologically they have to be the type of person who is promotable therefore internally ready and prepared to step up to that next role.
Someone else might have a goal to own a Ferrari. However, until they are neurologically prepared internally to feel as if they are a Ferrari owner, they probably won’t reach that outcome.
Working to reach outcomes means preparing yourself internally so you have a full body experience about what that outcome means to you and a full understanding of who you need to be to reach that outcome.
Outcomes can be used for small as well as large changes that someone wants to put in place and achieve.
A well formed outcome should be tangible and sensory specific and comprise the following:
1. What do you want to achieve, is it stated in the positive (what you do want, not what you don’t want)?
2. The outcome must be able to be self initiated and self maintained (i.e. are you reliant on other people to help you achieve this - if so you may need to change you outcome so you can rely on yourself and your own resources to achieve it)
3. Use sensory based language to describe experiencing achieving this goal. Imagine that you have achieved your outcome:
What do you see? Close their eyes and imagine that your outcome has been reached. What are you seeing around you, what are you doing, and what are other people doing?
What can you hear, what are other people saying and what are you saying to youselves?
What are you feeling?
What can you taste or smell with this achievement?
4. How will you know that you’ve achieved this outcome, what evidence do you need to have to support the belief?
5. For what purpose do you want to achieve this outcome? (ensure you answer with ’so that…’. Keep repeating this question until you really reach the highest and best purpose for achieving this)
6. What are the consequences of achieving this (e.g. will there be any issues with friends expectations and the way you were, compared to how you will be when you achieve it)
7. And is there a first step in achieving this? Is the first step achievable? Identify the first thing you can do to move them in the right direction towards your outcome.
8. Is the outcome ecological? This means that it will do no harm if you achieve it to self, others or the environment.
Once these steps have been completed, finally ask yourself to step into the future and describe your experience as if you had achieved this and you’re talking to yourself now here in the present telling all about what it’s been like since achieving this.
Outcome oriented conversations take a person’s thinking from the now (present) and into the future. Focussing someone on where they are now and where they want to be in the future is much more effective than focussing on past events or making a list of things that they want.
The whole purpose of for creating well formed outcomes is to move someone from where they are presently to where they want to be. When I am working with someone and asking questions to create a well formed outcome I will watch and listen to ensure that they aren’t dwelling on the past and coming up with reasons why they can’t, or won’t, achieve or do something.
To make any change, you first have to be whatever that change is internally. To be a red Ferrari owner, you must first be a red Ferrari owner in your mind.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
How to Sync GoalsOnTrack with Google Calendar
As you probably know that we’ve launched iCalendar feeds for goals and tasks. We had a few problems in integration with Google Calendar recently, but now they’ve been resolved.
To sync with Google Calendar, simply copy and paste the webcal link to the “Add URL” prompt in Google Calendar app. Here is how to do it.
Step 1. Copy the webcal link for your goal from your “Goals” page:
Step 2. Find the “Add by URL” menu in Google Calendar:
Step 3. Paste the webcal link and click “Add Calendar” button:
Then you should be able to see your goal’s tasks in Google Calendar. Let me know if you are having any problem with this.
How to Sync GoalsOnTrack with Outlook Calendar
If you use Outlook, you may want to check out a new feature we’ve recently added. It’s the iCalendar feed for your goal’s active tasks. With iCalendar feed, you can easily sync your tasks with a program that supports iCalendar data format, such as Outlook, Yahoo Calendar, etc.
To use iCalendar feed for your goals, first go to the “Goals” page, and click on the “iCalendar” link at top right of goal section. This is a “webcal://” link, which is recognized and is usually associated with Microsoft Outlook by default.
Once you click on this link, Outlink will automatically try to add it as a calendar. Click yes to continue and then you will see all the active tasks for your goals are shown in your Outlook Calendar. Because it’s an iCalendar feed, every time you update tasks for that goal, the changes will show up in Outlook as well.
However, please note that the iCalendar feed uses an automatic login mechanism, so make sure you do not publish that webcal link where you don’t want other people to see your goals and tasks.
Top 5 Reasons to Set Goals
Why Should I Set Goals?
The fact is that goal setting works! Research studies have shown a direct link between goals and enhanced performance in both sports and business.
- Goals can give you a target to aim for. We work and feel better when our success mechanism is fully engaged going after clear targets. Goals provide your success mechanism with clear targets of your own choosing based on what is most important to you.
- Goals can help you concentrate your time and effort. One major time management challenge we are facing today is that there are more things available for us to do than anyone could possibly attempt, let alone accomplish, in an entire lifetime. If we are not careful, it is very easy to diffuse our time and energy with many different trivial pursuits, aimless distractions, and general busyness.
- Goals can provide motivation, persistence and desire. Any major accomplishment requires motivation and persistence. Where does this motivation come from? It comes from your desire and purpose, from the reasons why you want to accomplish it. Goals can help you remember your “big why” when you need to pick yourself up and keep going in the face of adversity.
- Goals can help you establish priorities. You will find many forks in the road between where you are now and where you want to be. Instead of just going with the flow and letting the “current” or other people’s interests determine where you end up, you have to consciously decide which way to go.
- Goals can provide a roadmap to take you from where you are to where you want to be. A well crafted strategy with an accompanying set of intermediate goals provides a framework to reach far away targets. One of the best ways to deal with large or seemingly “impossible” tasks is to break them up into a series of intermediate achievable steps and get to work on each piece.
There are many other great reasons to set goals, but I believe the above five are good enough for anyone to get serious about goals.
To set goals effectively, you will need good tools. GoalsOnTrack is such a web-based goal achievement tool you can use to set and accomplish any goals. We’re always improving and adding new features to the software to help people achieve goals faster.
Please try out our SMART goal setting software today and you will achieve more goals than ever before.
Creating the Perfect Goals for Success
By George Yang
Why do we need goals? We need them so that we know where we want to go towards, right? Without goals, we are basically wandering around in the darkness hoping that we reach the right place. But, we also use goals as a motivational tool to give us that boost of energy to work towards them.
If you ask any motivational speaker, one of the key points they will tell you to achieve success is to write down your goals. Well, that’s not the whole story though. Just writing them down doesn’t give you that energy boost that you need to achieve success but I’ll tell you my secret to goal setting.
First, you have to start dreaming again and not the dreams that you have when you sleep at night, but the dreams that you had when you were kids like, “I wanna live in a mansion when I grow up.” Don’t be afraid to dream big because odds are, if you dream big but only reach half way, that’s still half way farther than if you didn’t dream at all.
Ok, so let’s talk about your mansion. Just writing down a mansion in your Goals list isn’t enough. Write down details. What kind of architecture would it be? Would it be a fairy tale type of castle? Would it be an Italian Villa? How many bedrooms? What about an indoor pool?
Another secret to goal setting is to find images of some of the things you want so that you can picture them clearly in your mind. It gives your goals a sense of realism than if you were to just think about the word “mansion.” Find some pictures of Italian Villas or indoor pools or whatever it is that you want and just imagine yourself in there.
For me, I’m a car guy so I’ve got a few cars on my list. Right now, I drive a BMW M3 but that’s not enough. Like I said, you have to dream big if you want to hit it big so I’ve got Porches, more BMWs, and even Ferraris on my list. I’ve saved images of these cars onto my computer and even set a couple of them as my desktop images on both my monitors. I know the colors I want and all the options that each car provides. It makes it much more real when you get down to the details.
So, you can start with making a list of your goals but you need to go farther. Get into the details. Find images. Picture yourself owning those items already. Doing this will only help you in whatever venture you choose to go with.
What is the Mature and Conscious Approach to Goal Setting?
Goal setting is often seen as the most important as well as most difficult aspect of life success, time management, and personal development.
Whether we consciously set them or not, we always have goals which rise from our deepest convictions, hang-ups, beliefs, and perspectives.
An automatic guidance system navigates us through our life.
But conscious goal setting is better.
However, by focusing only on ‘goal setting’ without taking a whole life approach to organizing our life and understanding our deepest values, we may follow the same old automatic and less than desirable goal setting systems as we have in the past.
Do you relate?
I realized that what is required for long lasting genuine goal setting is a deeper control of desired reality.
Good goal setting necessarily involves all areas of a persons life, including intellectual, emotional, spiritual (their values), and physical.
Good goal setting also involves what a person would like to do, what they would like to have, and who they would like to become.
And good goal setting also does these things throughout time. I.e. Things wanted in the present, things wanted short term, medium term, and long term into the future.
Good Goal Setting then requires that these identifications are controlled and organized.
This is the bit that most people find too difficult.
The simplest technique is to stick your goal setting notes onto a wall some place in your home so you can review it and stay mindful of it.
From that point you will make short term commitments in line with the bigger picture, and then schedule those milestone goals.
Is this all obvious? If so, are you 100% satisfied with your application of the obvious?
If not, would you closely consider the possibility that you have not fully identified or become emotionally involved strongly enough, with all of the elements that your goal setting includes?
It is the emotional motivation that will keep us on track to goal setting properly as explained above, and to maintaining the discipline to act on our short term commitments.
Goal Setting should be a thorough and efficient part of our life. Just a little bit of effort to get the above technique of goal setting done properly can make your experience of goal setting stimulating and enjoyable, instead of disheartening as it is for many people.
Take control of a mature approach to goal setting.
My breakthrough revelation for Goal Setting is represented in only 2 simple steps that anyone can apply.
The 2 Steps of Goal Setting
First, write it all out - ‘Don’t just think it, ink it!’
(write down your current projects or desired activities and desired future)
Second, think about it often.
(maintain satisfactory awareness on what you write down)
This is the very core of Goal Setting that we must discipline our minds to do as habit before any of the more fancy techniques can make much difference.
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Author: Nathan F. Shaw
Currently touring Thailand whilst writing and coaching, Nathan Shaw has a 15 page Life’s Missing Principles Handbook available FREE at www.success-matrix.com/missingprinciples/
Become the Person You Need to Be to Achieve Your Goals
Have you ever listened to Jim Rohn’s speeches? If you haven’t, I would highly recommend you check him out. Jim is a great inspirational speaker on self-improvement and personal development. In this video, he shares how one should become the person in order to achieve his or her goals.
Latest updates
It’s summer again, and that always seems to make it harder to work on your goals, doesn’t it? 
However, consistent effort is key to any goal accomplishment. I hope that while enjoying the summer, you are also making great progress on your goals.
We have made some improvements to the site lately. Here is a list of things you may or may not notice in the app:
- A monthly recurring option has been added to the task form, which allows you to create recurring tasks on a monthly basis, in addition to the weekly choices.
- Habits calendar has been adjusted so that now it starts at Mondays, not Sundays.
- Goal picture uploads have been slightly improved, so that it now fits better on the page layout.
- A few bugs have been fixed in tasks importing, especially from Outlook files. If you still have problems importing tasks from Outlook, it may have something to do with the data formatting. Please send me the files you have trouble with and I will make sure they can be correctly imported.
- Site speed has been improved, somewhat. Due to the origin UI design of the tasks page, the improvement doesn’t seem very significant. We’re experimenting with redesigning that whole page so that it will load in constant time regardless of how many tasks you schedule for goals.
As always, I have received many great suggestions and wonderful feedback. I really appreciate that. We’re working on some changes that are proposed by you. If you ever think of everything that we could improve, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Until next post, have a great summer!
Paving the Path for Tomorrow, Today
By Jayson Cardwell
There is a saying that goes something like this, “Before you know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been.” Very wise words, and very truthful, but I’d like to add to that statement, “Before you know where you’re going, you better plan ahead.” The last time I took a vacation, I planned out the path, and I made alternate routes incase the main route was blocked. Goal setting is nothing different from planning a vacation, or planning anything really. It takes time, focus, vision, execution, and S.M.A.R.T.S.
Time is money, this is a true statement most if not all business owners and managers will agree upon. So if this is true, why waste it to being a quarter into a new fiscal year and still not having a plan put in place. Let my dispel some a myth, an operating budget is NOT a plan, nor are they goals. To properly formulate an operating budget you need to first set the goals you wan to attain. How can you properly allocate capital if you have direction? When you plan for a vacation you save and allot the money to be sure you have everything covered. Goal planning should begin in July/August, or 4-5 months prior to the beginning of a new fiscal year. This will reserve time for brainstorming, formulating, Board approval (if necessary), and implementation through the budget.
For goal setting to be effective you need to devote energy and focus on the task. Haphazard goal setting will lead to haphazard results. Do whatever it takes to gain focus. Many entrepreneurs fail to understand the concept of retreat. Even if you are a one-man shop, you need time away to gather your thoughts, recoup your body, and open the doors of your mind. That is where innovation and imagination are given free reign is in retreat.
Try this exercise, get away for 5 days, and leave behind the work phone, laptop, and anything else tying you to your company. Find someplace that relaxes you. Take the first day to detoxify your mind, and then take the next 3 days to become a free thinker. Grab a pen and paper and write down every idea that comes into your mind. No matter how ridiculous. Be sure this is done on un-lined paper no rules, no guidelines, and no restrictions. On the last day, prepare yourself to come back fresh, meditate. When you get back to your company take a look at the paper and begin to eliminate the ideas, until you reach those that are S.M.A.R.T.S (later in the article).
Vision is important in goal setting. For without vision we’re lost. You have to be looking out into the horizon, beyond the sight of employees and competitors. To find your goals you have to look forward and not behind.
Finally we reach execution. Execution is a fairly simple process; many people make it too hard. With each goal there should be a set of action plans. These are simply steps needed to attain the goal. For example if your goal is to increase sales by 3% in a certain market, then the action steps would be to increase the effectiveness of sales reps in that area through training. Step two could be to increase marketing by adding another advertising channel, and attaining better brand recognition and exposure. Executions then leads to you walk out the steps necessary to attain the goal(s) you have set.
A brief word on S.M.A.R.T.S this is an acronym that many people recognize but, I have added another letter. The first S stands for Specific. Your goals need to be specific, general goals do not push you to achieve success. The M is Measurable, without a way to quantify your goal(s), you have no idea if you are making progress. The A is for Attainable, goals that can not be achieved are goals you don’t want to set. R is for Realistic, this means your goals should line up with your company and be within the realm of possibility. T is for Time Orientated, not putting a limited time frame (6 mo. 1 yr, 3 yrs, 5 yrs, 10 yrs) means you can reach that goal whenever and it leads to laziness. The final S is my own addition, it stands for Stretch. Goals should stretch your thinking and ability. Making goals that are too easy to achieve will lead you no where. Yet setting a goal that is just at the tips of your fingers while you’re standing on your toes will cause you to achieve greater then that you thought you could. It pushes you, your company, your employees, and it is the stretch that leads you into greatness.
What are we working on?
Recently we have been having some scalability issues, which may have affected the site performance to some extent. This has become more apparent especially when the site is used at peak hours, as many users sign in and use the app simultaneously.
We’ve been able to identify a few problems with the server and also the database. We’re working on getting these issues resolved once for all in next few days. This may involve upgrading existing hardware, maintaining historical data, and optitmizing current database tables, etc. You might experience occasional slow connection during this period. So I’d really appreciate your patience. Once we get this resolved, you will find it a much faster and smoother experience.
We’re also planning to launch a “Resources” section for the site. This will be a place where we post goal setting and personal development related resources, such as inspiring quotes, articles, useful tools, software reviews, etc. The goal of this new addition is to help you keep motivated and achieve more with your goals.
As always, we keep improving the site features on a daily basis. I have received many great suggestions from you. I really appreciate the feedback. Please be rest assured that we value them highly and will always find the best ways to implement what you wanted.
