Success is individual and your definition of a "good life" is different from others'. However, the underlying steps to achieving success and setting goals are the same. Success is the ability, first, to recognize opportunity; second, to form plans and strategies that leverage opportunity; and, third, to develop the necessary skills needed to execute those strategies.
Over the past few years u have used these 10 rules for goal setting and ultimately, achieving success. Each rule is one piece of the puzzle of achieving success. I encourage everyone to take these rules into serious consideration and implement them 1 at a time no matter how large or small your goal is.
#1. BE DECISIVE
A decision is never made only once. Typically, I admit it, I am an indecisive person. With setting goals, though, the wishy washiness won't cut it. You must choose what you want, with certainty, or else accept the scraps by default! You define yourself by your decisions, so choose wisely. With every decision comes risks and costs, but indecision is the biggest factor that leads to missed opportunities.
#2. STAY FOCUSED
Focus requires focus. Focus is following of one's course until successful. It is the glue that holds a goal in place. You can have a great goal or idea, but without focus you are left with nothing. The higher your focus is, the power you will generate. Unfortunately, focus can be easy to lose, but as long as you repeatedly recover your focus, and as soon as you realize you had a minor derailment, the quicker the recovery. Without focus, you lose your way, your enthusiasm disappears, and goals become faded, distant aspirations. Your focus should receive constant care, feeding, and attention.
#3. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS
I have lists everywhere. In my world, if it's not written down, it's not happening...goals included! Unwritten goals almost always lose in the end because the goals fall victim to the "outta sight, outta mind" phenomenon! When you keep your goals only in your mind they tend to remain as only figments of your imagination and the odds are stacked up against you ever acting upon them. When you write them down you are actually seeing what you are thinking and you're taking a step toward achieving them.
#4. PLAN THOROUGHLYDetails, details, details. Know who you are, what you want, where you are going, how you will get there, what you will do when you arrive, and then you can pretty much guarantee your success with any endeavor! Have a plan in place before taking action and your process will be faster, efficient, and probably cheaper! Do your homework and research, plan in private or in a group, have patience, and resist temptation to jump into a decision. Planning significantly increases the chances of success.
*Planning:
- Promotes Focus
- Coordinates Efforts
- Provides Standards
- Prepares You With Necessary Tools & Knowledge
- Reveals Potential Roadblocks
- Stimulates Thinking
- Offers a Possible Exit Plan
#5. INVOLVE OTHERS
It can be scary sharing your goals with others, but chances are, there are other people out there that have been in the same boat as you. They have been there and done that and have a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience to share. So...embrace it and seek them out! Having another set of eyes and ears is important for the times where you may be nervous, unsure, or skeptical about where you are going and what you are doing. Knowledge from others' experiences allows you to build and maintain momentum. No goal is ever achieved alone. We all need guidance, support, opinions, tips, and extra motivation, which comes from involving others. In addition to shortening your learning curve, when you involve others, an extra level of accountability is added, which is mandatory for success!
#6 EMBRACE & WELCOME FAILURE
Failure - so important, yet so misunderstood! There are plenty of wrong assumptions about failure when it comes to achieving success. Failure has an ulterior motive, not to get you to quit but to stop you long enough so that you learn something, re-evaluate, re-focus, re-strategize and then re-launch again more prepared. Anything worthwhile and worth pursing comes with the risk of failure, but it is a good measure of your investment and a true test of your character, commitment, and courage.
#7. TAKE PURPOSEFUL ACTION
If you don't take action, odds are, you won't succeed. Fear causes people to stay put where they are and if you give into the fear, procrastinate and don't take action, life becomes a constant series of postponements, cancellations, and missed opportunities. If what you have done or haven't done in the past hasn't worked; change something.
#8. INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT
Change is going to happen, it's inevitable, but growth is optional. Performance should be reviewed periodically or else growth and development will stop. Evaluate your progress and don't be afraid to alter some things. When you inspect your expectations you are also maintaining and improving your focus. Inspection tells you where you are in relation to where you want to be. It also tells you how you are doing in the process of pursuing your goals and achieving success. Are your actions putting you on the right track to produce your desired results? No? Change and improve what you're doing. Yes? Keep going full speed ahead! Take the time to inspect past performance and learn from your experiences. Plans need reviewed and even updated.
The road to achieving success is a journey. Along the way you build character, integrity, heart, discipline, and you will probably learn a lot about yourself. Those things, alone, can be thought of as rewards. However, having something that symbolizes achievement is a powerful motivator, positive reinforcement, and inspire us for continued progress. Be smart with your rewards, but make them special and tailored towards you. When you reward the right behavior and results, you almost guarantee a repeat performance. You should reward yourself for small accomplishments as well as large; this simple act becomes fuel for future achievement!
#10. MAINTAIN PERSONAL INTEGRITY
Your biggest concern is not your skills, ability, or intelligence - it's your commitment. When you feel like quitting, inspect yourself for will, courage, and spirit. Lack of integrity ensures false promises and broken dreams; it negatively reinforces a sense of incompetence. When you fail to honor your commitments to yourself, it reflects badly upon you and is one of the biggest mistakes you can ever make. It shows a sense of incompetence. without personal integrity your goal is just a vision or a thought, not reality. Personal integrity is not only habitual, but it is essential because it moves you closer to your goal and achieving success. commitment is the heartbeat of your goal and integrity is the oxygen that keeps your goal breathing.
If things get difficult, which they probably will, simply re-evaluate or go back a few steps to make some changes. Nothing good in life comes easy!!
Success is a beautiful thing and it feels great. Grow accustomed to prosperity and confident in the process of achieving a goal and being successful. Embrace and implement these 10 steps of goal setting and watch the powerful transition take place right before your eyes!
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