Goal setting, whether on the personal or professional front – gives your life direction, and keeps you motivated. However, your approach to goal setting plays a pivotal role in your progress towards achieving your goals. Have you ever wondered what is unique about goals set by world achievers? In this article, we explore the tools that can help you set and sequence your goals, so that you go beyond your capability level and realize your true potential.
Richard Bandler, Co-creator of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and his team conducted a research study on world achievers and the secrets behind their achievements. They identified four success factors that were common across world-class achievers they studied. Let’s take a look at each of these factors:
1. Deep Conviction in Values: Great personalities had a set of core values that they strongly believed in, and never compromised on. Mahatma Gandhi, for instance, was known for his guiding principles of truth and non-violence. By adhering to your values, you come across as being predictable, dependable and earn the respect of being a value-based person or leader.
2. Lofty Long-term Goals: All great achievers had lofty goals that enabled them to build momentum. It is quite possible that you do not yet have a lofty goal; in that case you can start by setting timeline-based goals, which can be long-term (5–10 years), mid-term (1-3 years) or short-term (1-12 months). These timeline-based goals aid in the process of creating a lofty goal aligned with your life’s purpose.
3. Categorize and Sequence Goals: Great achievers have different types of goals. There are 3 main categories of goals: Being Doing and Having Goals. Here is an example of each:
BEING: I want to be a world class Scientist /great swimmer DOING: I want to learn Science/ Swimming HAVING: I want to have a lab to do experiments / money for swimming lessons
Once you have defined your goals, you must categorize them based on the above 3 types, and sequence your goals . You’ll find that the most common sequence is:
HAVING -> DOING -> BEING
In other words, we often strive to HAVE more resources so that we can DO what’s important to us, which will eventually enable us to BE happier. However, you may be surprised to know that goals set by great achievers follow a different sequence and a different distribution pattern across the 3 categories:
BEING -> DOING ->HAVING 50-60% 20-30% 10-20%
Being goals comprise the maximum percentage of goals, followed by a smaller percentage of Doing goals, and minimum or no percentage of Having goals. This sequence of goal setting is the key to being a great achiever.
4. Mind Tuned Towards Goal: Great achievers had seen their success in their minds before it could happen. They had programmed their minds into believing that they were going to be successful. This is where NLP techniques can be applied . By re-programming the way your mind reacts to particular situations, negative beliefs can be overcome and replaced with new positive patterns to achieve your desired goals.
Now that we have unveiled the 4 secrets of successful personalities and achievers, it is time to re-think your approach towards goal setting, and refine it to so that you realize your full potential and set yourself on the path to living the life you dream.
This article was written by Sia ekLakshya.