Setting and Reaching Goals

Happy New Year

It’s that most important time of the year. The gift buying part of the season is over; most of us spent time with our families, some of us went skiing, some went to the ocean. Now it’s time for the important stuff.

It’s time to set our goals for the New Year 2009.

Volumes have been written on the importance of goal setting. Zig Ziglar says that only 3% of the people actually take the time to write down their goals, and that not having goals is like shooting a target with a blindfold on. How can you possibly hit a target that you cannot see?

In Alice in Wonderland, Alice sees the Cheshire cat in the tree and asks him which road should she take. The Cheshire cat asks Alice where she wants to go. Alice says- it doesn’t matter, so the Cheshire Cat says that it doesn’t matter which road she takes. If you don’t know where you want to go, you’re probably not going to end up anywhere, (or worse- crisis responsive- dealing with today’s loudest).

There is so much more to say about why goals are important. The dynamics of the sub-conscious mind - writing down goals as a method of programming. But in this case, I will go with less is better. You can write to me for more information, read a book, or wait until the next installment. In the meantime,

Setting and Reaching Goals:

1. Set Clear, Specific, Measurable Goals: Decide exactly what you want in every area of your life (Health, Wealth, Family, Social, Public Service), as tight and specific as you can make it. Clarity is the #1 reason for success; fuzziness is the #1 reason for failure.
2. WRITE THEM DOWN: Take out separate piece of paper for each goal, write down the specific goal, and every idea that you can come up with to reaching that goal.
3. SET A REALISTIC DEADLINE. Write down your ultimate long-term goal; and shorter goals and deadlines along the way: 12 month goal; 3 month goal; weekly goal; and daily goals (habits you want to develop). There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic deadlines.
4. Identify OBSTACLES blocking you from reaching your goal. Identify the #1 obstacle. Write it down. Make a plan to removing the obstacle. Make removing the obstacle a priority and work on it every day.
5. Determine what information, knowledge, technology, is needed to reach your goals. Write it down. Figure out what is the one skill, knowledge, or technology that you need to reach your goal. Write it down. Come up with a plan to get that information, technology or knowledge. Write it down.
6. Determine what people, groups, and organizations are needed to reach the goal. Write down every person whose assistance could help or hurt towards reaching the goal. Come up with a plan to reach out to that person, join the organization, take steps every day.
7. Make a plan to obtain the goal. Create a business plan with every conceivable detail that you can imagine, even if it seems silly. Organize it by priority, and then by sequence.
8. Take action on the plan. DO SOMETHING on the plan every day. Review the plan every day, read it out loud, write it and re-write it. Edit it. Update it.
9. Visualize the goal as already achieved, as often as possible. The clearer that you visualize the goal, and with the more detail, and the longer that you can hold on to the thought, the sooner it becomes a reality.
10. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!! Take failure off of the table. You are going to be successful, and that is all that there is to it. It might take longer than you hoped, but if you feel stuck, just go back to this form, and rethink wherever you are. But I will repeat it here, FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!

To give you an idea, here are some of my goals, with varying amounts of detail as an example.

I am so happy now that I am the #1 Most Successful Real Estate Broker on Staten Island, measured by the amount of sales and listings.
I sell one house per week or 52 houses this year.
I get referrals every day from the people who read my emails, and from the people they pass them along to.
I write the most successful email publication on Staten Island, reaching over 5000 people all who read it.
I earn $1 Million Dollars.
In 2051, I will have lived a meaningful, healthy, enjoyable life for over 100 years.
I run the New York City Marathon.
I serve on several charitable and quasi-governmental boards.
I am wide awake and out of bed by 5:30 am every day, when I eat my breakfast, first of my 5 or 6 meals for the day. I am at the gym by 6:30, almost every day, beating various previous personal bests in my work out.
I wear a 38 regular suit.

And remember, when setting your goals, think big. Don’t let anyone talk you out of setting high goals. Shoot for the stars. “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo