Almost every book or tape on personal success and achievement outlines the importance of goal setting as a fundamental of achieving success in any endeavour. You simply cannot go somewhere if you do not know where you want to go.
Napoleon Hill outlined the importance of having a “definite purposes” as one of the key factors to achieving success. He said that it is the starting point of all achievement and that it’s lack, is the stumbling block for ninety eight out of every hundred people simply because they never really defined their goals and start towards them. Every great success in any area of life, be it a sport star or a scientist will testify to having a very clear and specific goal. The challenge is that we’ve heard it so often that we tend to fall into the trap of familiarity. Unless you do it and practice it daily you do not know it. You might know of it, but unless you do it you do not know it.
With goals we create the future in advance. With goals we literally create our destiny. We all have goals whether we know it or not. Some people’s goals are to pay their bills or just make it through the day. The problem is that most people just have lousy goals. Lousy goals create a lousy life. Realize that no matter what your goals are, they are affecting your live everyday you live it. We need goals that inspire us. With strong and compelling goals we are driven to grow and expand and develop ourselves towards what we want from and for our lives. Compelling goals have the power to move us. Done properly and specifically goals transform our lives.
A study was done in 1953 at Yale University where they interviewed the graduating class just before they left school. They were asked amongst other things, how many of them had a clearly defined set of goals with a written plan for it’s attainment. Only 3% had a clear plan for their lives with a specific set of goals. In 1973, 20 years later, they went back to interview the surviving class members of 1953 and they found that the 3% that had a set of written down goals seemed more happy, more well adjusted and more excited about their lives. The one very measurable thing was that the 3% were worth more financially than the other 97% combined.
Think of goals as drawing a map: if you know where you are and know where you want to go, even if you do get lost, you will find your ultimate destination, or your destiny. When you set goals, set goals that are way beyond your present abilities and position in life. Describe your ideal life without any inhibitions and as you do this you will get excited and this excitement will start to drive you forward.
In his bestselling personal transformation program, Personal Power II, Tony Robbins urges us to not “get real”, but to “get intelligent”. Where you are today is based on your past experiences. If you limit your future to your past you are not going anywhere. You got to get goals that are big enough to drive you; to excite you and thus drive you forward to where you do want to be instead of just settling for whatever shows up in your life. We need to set goals for how we are going to life our lives in every area. Emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially, our relationships and our attitudes; set goals for the kind of person you are committed to become. Something happens the minute you set goals. You become a creator and something clicks. Immediately you change because immediately your expectations of yourself and your life changes. You acknowledge to both your conscious and subconscious minds that you are not satisfied with where you are.
One of the major motivating factors in human action is that sense of dissatisfaction. In order to direct our lives we need to use both the positive and the negative consequences of goals. Ask yourself what will I gain by attaining my goals? Also ask yourself what will it cost me eventually if I do not achieve my goal?
Pursuing things in life is important for it has the power to move us, but more importantly we need to realize that at the end of our lives it is not the things we accumulated that will matter. What will matter is who we became as a person. Realize that we are not really after any “thing” in life but rather the way we think it will make us feel. You don’t want more money but you do want the way it will make you feel – that feeling of freedom, that sense of security, having the time to do what you want to do ex. Using these feelings we are striving for can help us define the goals you want for our life. It is critically important to know WHY you want something. When it comes to setting goals you should know that purpose is stronger than outcome. Purpose is a reason for attaining something and a reason is a motive for action also known as motivation.
The power of goals is that it directs our focus. Every great success will testify to the power of focus. We get whatever we focus on. In James Allen’s wonderful book As A Man Thinketh he clearly outlines the power of focusing our thoughts on what we do want from life. He says that circumstances does not make the person, but reveals him to himself. We are who and what we are because of the thoughts we harbour. Therefore it is critically important to have goals to direct our thoughts and minds and help us focus on what we desire most for ourselves and our lives. Thoughts are things. As you think so you are and so you will become.
Set your goals, regardless of previous “failures”. Start afresh and do it properly. Come from a place of faith and believe and watch your life soar to greater heights of happiness and fulfilment. Above all, enjoy life for it is a gift and live it with passion. It is all out there. The only thing that is required of you is to go and get it and realize that step one is to have a strong enough goal.
Source by Deon Du Plessis
The Importance of Setting Goals