MyGoalManager.com is your online motivational personal goal and project management site that facilitates goal setting, goal tracking, goal management, and goal achievment by prioritizing and analyzing your objectives.
Goal Setting is an extremely powerful technique for
accomplishment, but for Goal Setting to really be effective requires more than
just writing a list of dreams and filing it away. This article will present
important steps that will help to define and achieve goals with more success.
Benefits of Goal Setting
Goal setting helps us determine our priorities, get
organized, make big decisions, and realize our dreams. The act of merely setting
a goal brings about positive change for many people. When you set a goal you are
creating an exciting challenge for yourself. Almost all motivational experts
incorporate goal setting as an important part of their programs. The
effectiveness of Goal Setting can be seen in the incredible accomplishments of
people such as: Henry Ford who wanted to make cars affordable for everyone, Bill
Gates whose goal was to have a computer in every household, and John F. Kennedy
who set out to put a man on the moon within a decade. There is a famous story
about Jim Carrey who, while struggling as an actor in 1987, drove his car up on
Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood hills to think about the future. While sitting
there overlooking the city of Los Angeles he wrote a check made out to himself
for "acting services rendered" in the amount of $10 million. He dated the check
for Thanksgiving of 1995. Jim's Goal turned out to be conservative because by
the time 1995 rolled around he was making $20 million a movie.
The objective of MyGoalManager.com is to direct the user
through the entire Goal process from definition to achievement. This Goal
Achievement process entails the following requirements:
Well formed Goal Statements
Breaking goals down into manageable Steps
Motivation and Commitment
Reminders and Keeping on track
Frequent Review and Re-assessment
1. Well formed Goal Statements
The Goal Statement forms the basis for the entire process
so careful attention should be placed on formulating a clear and accurate goal
statement. A good way to remember how a goal statement should be defined is the
old S.M.A.R.T. acronym used by many experts in goal setting.
SMART stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Action-Oriented
Realistic
Tangible
The Goal should be specific enough so that we know exactly what we are striving
for, measurable so we know exactly what is to be accomplished and when it has
been reached, action-oriented declaring positive activity that will produce
results, realistic in that it is practical and can be achieved given the limited
availability of resources, and tangible meaning concrete and not vague. The goal
statement “Increase sales 25% by the end of the fiscal year without increasing
advertising spending” is an example that follows these rules.
2. Breaking down Goals into manageable Steps
Once we have a well-formed Goal Statement we need some
direction to follow to achieve this Goal. While the goal “Increase sales 25% by
the end of the fiscal year without increasing advertising spending” is a great
goal statement, this is a monumental task without being broken down into smaller
detailed steps. The creation of Goal Steps gives us an "Action Plan" that when
completed will lead to Goal Achievement. Steps also allow for tracking of
progress towards the goal. Goal Steps should be positive and not used to list
obstacles that must be overcome which focuses on the negative. Negativity can
kill motivation but there is power in positive thinking.
3. Motivation and Commitment
Motivation and commitment are what make us strive to
achievement. They give us the push, desire, and resolve to complete all of the
other steps in the Goal process. This motivation can be obtained by developing a
personal statement that creates a high level of emotion and energy that
guarantees achievement. One self help expert said that as a child he was kicked
out of his local country club pool because he was not a member, in response he
later made a goal that he would one day have a pool that is one foot bigger than
that country club's pool. The motivation of being asked to leave the pool
provided the necessary fuel for him to achieve this goal. Commitment creates
more accountability and is what sets us on direct course to reach our goals. It
may create costly negative consequences upon failure to attain a goal. Making a
commitment might be something like having invested your savings in your new
business which you will lose if it fails. Motivation and commitment are specific
to your situation and life and only you can form statements that will ensure you
reach your goal the quickest. The more personal you make your motivation and
commitment statements for each goal, the more motivated you will be to
accomplish your goal.
4. Reminders and Keeping on Track
Reaching our goals requires persistence and regular
attention. We need some sort of system to keep us reminded and accountable.
MyGoalManager.com uses a combination reminder emails, calendars, and reports to
keep users organized and on track. Sharing goals with others who can give you
help and support is a highly effective way to increase your chances for success.
If some accountability system is not used then we are likely to lose sight and
fail.
5. Frequent Review and Re-assessment
When we first sit down and start to define goals it can
seem like a difficult and daunting task but over time it begins to get much
easier. Patience is required. Goal Setting is definitely an ongoing process that
is accomplished over time. Any goals program that defines goals and then ignores
them will fail. All goals due in the next year should be reviewed at least once
a week and daily if possible. The great thing about frequent review is that this
forces us to make big decisions and determine priorities in our life. We should
keep watch for goals that are not being achieved on time or for goals on which
we keep extending the deadline.
I hope this article will help you achieve your goals and
give you more focus and direction. Good luck as you realize all of your greatest
dreams. Click
here to get started on your goals now!
MyGoalManager.com is an easy to use Goal Setting and Achievement System that
directs you step-by-step through prioritized goal definition, plan of action
formulation, motivation, reminders, and guidance reviews.
MyGoalManager.com is owned and operated by Gruve International (http://www.gruveintl.com).