| By Lorin Beller
Spring is a time of fresh beginnings, a great time to set fresh new goals. But, it won’t do any good to set goals that don’t have a good chance of being completed. Changing your goal-setting process can dramatically increase your chances of succeeding. Here are five tips to get you started.
1. Set goals from your vision .
So many times, we set goals based upon what we did not accomplish during the past year or what’s on our current “to do” list. For the moment, forget that! Look out five, or even 10 years from now. What do you see yourself doing? Where do you want to be then? What type of impact has your business had? Once you can see your vision, use it to create your plan. You might be surprised what will happen to that old “to do” list.
2. Create a written plan for achieving your goals .
Once you know what you want to accomplish, write it down! There is magic in the written word. By simply writing goals down, you give them power and clarity. You also keep yourself focused. Now, use your written plan. Review it weekly, and keep it within arm’s reach. To succeed, your plan must be visible.
3. Share your goals with someone who will hold you accountable.
Once your goals are written down, find someone — a friend, a colleague, a coach, a mentor — who is willing to be serious about holding you accountable. The person you find cannot do the work for you, of course. But, knowing that you have someone who is monitoring your efforts will definitely increase your sense of responsibility to your goals.
4. Let go of the outcome. Trust.
This message always seems like a contradiction to most folks, because they think it means not being responsible for your goals. In fact, this message means you are, indeed, responsible for realizing your goals. It also means that you need to be aware of what the world is saying to you about your goals. Is the world working with you in the plan or against you? Notice what’s happening, and pay attention.
5. Enjoy the journey.
M any times, we are so focused on our goals that we miss what is really important to us, such as our children’s accomplishments, our significant other’s words, the birds feeding outside our window, or the beautiful music created by nature’s players. It’s important to remember that part of setting goals is enjoying the path down which they take us. Take the time to look around, and take care not to miss the moments as they pass. They’re all part of the process of working toward success.
LORIN BELLER, CPCC, is a certified professional co-active coach. As founder and president of Lorin Beller & Co., the firm responsible for the Big Fish Nation program (www.bigfishnation.com), Beller works exclusively with entrepreneurs, helping them align their businesses with the lives they want to create . She can be contacted at 518-862-1113 (e-mail: lorin@bigfishnation.com ).
(This article is reprinted from the Spring 2005 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2005 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.)
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