What is the first career action you plan to take this year? Is it well defined and part of a larger goal? Or maybe, you feel stuck and paralyzed by not knowing what to do next? Does fear in the form of “the Brat”, you know, that inner voice that we all have conversations with in our heads, reared its own ugly head and smacked you around a little by letting you know what’s what which helps keep you in your place? Want some help in getting organized in a way that makes sense to just you? Know that everyone has goals. However, most of the time they are just wishes and dreams because you haven’t yet found a realistic, successful and “specific to you” way of making them into reality.
- You can reach any goal no matter how great if you are both willing and able to do the work.
- Until you discover what works specifically for you, not simply trying to incorporate someone else’s plan in building this process, you may find your interest, motivation and enthusiasm starting to wane after just a few weeks or months of tying.
- Try combining several parts of numerous differing goal concepts in different configurations to find what might work for you.
- As you start to approach the finding of your own best process, you will notice that once it does make sense, you feel more confident that you can sustain and see it through.
- You then learn most likely by trial and error, to organize and arrange this process using your own doable timetable.
- This concept is in reality, just a way for you to check in from time to time (usually daily) to see if you are moving in the direction you want to be going by being able to measure whether you are getting the outcome you have been looking for.
- There is always room for making adjustments as you go. Nothing is written in stone and change is inevitable.
- Don’t forget to factor in the bound to happen occasional downright failure of some part of the process you are experimenting with. Remember that it is simply feedback and necessary part of how you learn everything. So spend some unemotional time figuring out what didn’t work so well, what lesson you learned from it and how you might either leave it totally behind or make some adjustments that will move you in the direction you want to go and get you the outcome you want.
- Getting to your goal is not a race, so don't feel guilty about moving either ahead of or being behind some of your contemporaries as long as you move at your own pace and are enjoying the fruits of your labor which keeps you motivated and moving forward.
"You can create the energy to turn your dreams into reality by knowing what to say when you talk to yourself." - Shad Helmstetter
Here is a very simplistic example of how we use the goal process in our everyday lives without even thinking about it. You might want to even use this as a guide when creating your own goals and plan of action as you contemplate the best process that works just for you. This is not some big scary activity and you don’t have to have a particular pattern or structure or even a long term goal in order to use this process. Each small goal just sort of repeats itself. You adjust and use this process with every new step that shows up as a thought in your head. Pretend you need something from the grocery store. The goal is to get to the store buy what you need and get home.
- Which store you will visit? Do you use organic products, or perhaps it’s all about price or you find the store with the best selection and products of everything, so you don’t have to go anywhere else; one stop shopping.
- If you do need something from a different type of store like a drug store or liquor store, when will that task most conveniently fit into your trip to the grocery store?
- How are you going to get there? Will you walk, take the bus or cab, or drive your own car?
- When during the day are you going to do the shopping? Will you go after work, during your lunch break, in the morning on the weekend, in the evening after dinner?
- What do you need to buy? Will you make a separate list or incorporate it into your other “to do” list for the day, or are there just a few items so you don’t even need a physical list?
- Do you start in the fresh fruit and veggie section ending with the milk, ice cream and yogurt or vice versa?
- As you are buying your items, do you check them off the list either mentally or physically to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything? Do you find other items that you want to put on a new list for the next shopping trip or add to what you are going to buy today?
- Did you remember to bring your own reusable bags or do you want paper or plastic?
- How are you getting home with your groceries? The same way you came or is there an alternative and more convenient mode now that you have something to carry?
- Once you are home, what is your plan for putting your items away? Do some go into the fridge, freezer or pantry? Are there items that you plan to have for dinner and if so do they stay out because you plan to use them immediately?
- As you put your items away, do you double check to see if you got everything that you needed?
- How soon do you start another list and put this process into motion again?
That’s it! That is having a goal, creating a strategy or a plan of action and implementing specific tactics to see it through using your own personal time table. That wasn’t too difficult, was it? We use this process hundreds of times every day but rarely stop to notice that we are creating a goal and a plan to make it happen. So, know you are very capable of making this happen for yourself. And because, as I have said so many times before, there are no two people wired exactly the same way, our thought process and behaviors are all different, there is no one way of doing something that fits everyone, there is no one size fits all.
Here’s some other food for thought: Sometimes pursuing your dreams and goals might cause others to be envious or fearful that they're "losing" the former you. This can cause them to be critical of your new aspirations and plans. They become "dream stealers." Don’t let this deter you. Develop the tenacity to stand up for what you want out of life. Success doesn’t happen by accident, it is brought about with a well thought out plan that works just for you on your own timetable. It is a lot easier to remain flexible, curious and have fun when you taste success.
"Habits are like comfortable beds: easy to get into but difficult to get to get out of." - Denis Waitley
Knowing how you are wired internally when it comes to figuring out what motives you and helps keep you that way is important to know. It is another way to understand and determine your own distinctive style for feeling genuinely accomplished and successful.
- Do you work best from the position of the stick, the glass half empty, look for the problems to be solved or the carrot, the glass half full, moving toward something? Do you use both styles for different situations and if so what are they?
- Are you motivated more by deciding from your own internal values and principles what choices to make, or do you need outside sources, references, feedback, etc. to help you make your mind up?
- Is making a choice easier when there are options and possibilities or procedures and processes?
- Do you like to work independently, in proximity with others, or are you best when co-operating?
- In order to be convinced about something, which “convincers” do you require that produces the confirming evidence for you to make a choice: Do you need to see, hear, read or physically do something that produces the evidence you are looking for?
Once you have the information, do you need to:
- Go over the information several to convince yourself it will work?
- Do you need only a small amount of information to formulate your opinion?
- Do you need to be re-convinced each time you view the materials?
- Do you need to gather information for a certain amount of time before you are convinced?
It’s irrelevant which motivational patterns and associated systems you use. One is not better or worse than the other. All you need to be interested in is recognizing, acknowledging, and understanding which systems, patterns and traits you utilize so you can start being more comfortable, resourceful and effective within your own skin. The advantage is always being able to solicit more useful and successful choices to help get you get to where you want to go.
"Life is so only-once, so single-chanceish! It all depends on your arranging and synchronizing it so that when opportunity knocks you’re right there waiting with your hand on the doorknob." – Sylvia Plath
Having even this small amount of information presented in probably a new and different way might just inspire you to have the thought that “yes” you can do whatever you set out to do when you know how it best works for just you. But you can’t just have the information and expect success, you have to take the time to process it, practice it and then refine it to fit your style of doing things successfully. So welcome 2011. It’s going to be a very good New Year!
