Tag Archive for: Goals

Stick To It

Today I was in meetings all day and night. I looked down at my fitness tracker only to see I had a serious amount of steps to complete.  Last year I would have chalked it up to the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to meet my target.  That was so 2014!  Not in 2015!  This year, I have set a goal to meet my daily steps every day for a minimum of 30 days.  It is the Jan 14th and I have been successful the previous 13 days.

I got back to my room near 9:00 PM and decided I would simply take a walk.  It ended up being a very long walk.  Every time I looked down, I saw that I was inching closer to my target.  I went even further than I expected.  I got back to the hotel and still had a little bit to go.  I then decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Boy, now that was tough.  After a brisk walk I was already sweating even though it is not that cold outside.  Then climbing the stairs was pretty tough.

A little more walking and I looked down and I had met my goal.  Sweet!  The main thing is to set a goal, keep if focused on your mind, and do whatever it takes to achieve it.

With peace and gratitude,
Bill

5 Tips for Setting Goals That Stick

I am very big on setting personal goals for both my professional and personal life. I believe they are a way to help me stay focused on the job at hand. Slowly, day-by-day, I inch toward my goals. No matter how slowly they are being achieved, I know that each day I am moving one step closer to a celebration.

It’s easy to set goals but making them stick is quite another. Sure, you can write down five goals you want in your life right now and that would be good. That is the first step. However, we need to find a way to keep us engaged so that we follow through to achieve them.

Here are 5 Tips for Setting Goals that may help you set and achieve them.
1) Create goals in 3 areas of your life – Personal, School/Work, & Giving. Identify at least 3 goals for each one of these. For personal goals, write down goals that would make you FEEL great. For School/Work goals, write down 3 goals that focus on helping you grow in knowledge. For the Giving goals, identify 3 goals that you could attain for helping others. This one is key because I believe it guides the other two.
2) Rank Your Goals – From the list of the goals, rank them 1-9 making sure that there is at least one goal from each of the 3 categories in the top 5.
3) Identify tasks for your top 3 goals – Rather than try to figure out each task for each goal, write down 3 action tasks for the top 3 goals. This helps you focus on the 3 goals at a time.
4) Schedule your tasks – Now that you have the top 3 goals and tasks for each one, on your calendar, schedule 3 tasks to be started on this week.  Then, each week, schedule the next 3 tasks for that week. As you start on your goals to accomplish them, you will notice new things come up all the time. All you have to do is keep adding tasks as you think of them. Continue reflecting on these goals and the actions needed to accomplish them until you succeed in completing them.
5) Celebrate the Achievement – Once you have accomplished your first goal, schedule a celebration. I don’t mean just throw your hand in the air type celebration. Find several people to go out and have a formal celebration. You will find that when you do this, others will be so excited for you that they may even help you with the next goal.

Each time you achieve a goal, be sure to find the next one on the list and start the process over again with #3-5 above. It is important to have 3 goals on your list that you are actively working on. Also, be sure to replenish the goals after you achieve them. Always keep 3 goals in each of the 3 categories. So for example, when you accomplish a personal goal, repeat #1 above by identifying one more goal in that area. You will then go to #2 to re-rank them and then keep repeating.

It doesn’t have to be hard to create goals that stick and make you want to accomplish them. You have to start somewhere but organizing them into 3 categories, picking the top 3, identifying 3 tasks for each one and scheduling smaller chunks will be just the ticket you need to succeed. This builds momentum and as you build more and more momentum, you are certain to achieve success you never thought was even possible.

If you have any questions about setting goals, please comment or send me a message through the website or social media.

With peace and much gratitude,
Bill

ICICIW – The New Mindset

bonus4Last summer after baseball season was over, I was helping my awesome nephew with his baseball skills.  I am a firm believer that baseball, or any sport for that matter, requires as much mental preparation as does physical preparation.  As a result, I created a book for him to write down quotes, set goals, etc.  One of the things I developed during my work with him was “ICICIW” approach to accomplishing tough goals.

It goes something like this when faced with a monumental goal:

  1. First you think, “I can’t.” – (IC)
  2. You then must change that thinking to “I Can.” (IC)  Obviously having an “I Can” attitude is a ton better than “I Can’t” but stating and believing that way is still in future tense.
  3. To accomplish that tough goal, you take the next step, “I WILL.”  (IW)

Isn’t it true that our first thought is that we can’t do something.  Then we start working on it and when things start going well, we think we can do it.  However, taking the leap from “I Can’t” to “I Will” is pretty far to take for most people.  Affirming that “I Will” can actually have a negative impact on meeting your goals when you do not BELIEVE it.

It’s simple to accomplish that goal, (being a starter on the basketball team, making the volleyball team, or being a starting pitcher for the baseball/softball team), start with “I Can” and affirm it until you BELIEVE it.  Then change your affirmations to “I WILL” as soon as you feel a shift that it can be accomplished.

With peace and gratitude,
Bill

Setting Goals

From the beginning of 2006 I have had a daily ritual that has served me quite well. It is outlined in my 7 Days To Inner Peace book and if you are not using some sort of To Do list, you really need to reconsider.  It has been a tool that has helped me achieve more success than just about any tool I have tried.  Yesterday, I got the idea to change it up just a bit and thought I would share it with you.

For the past 3 years I create a daily To Do list that covers what I will do that day.  About a month ago, I changed it up to include weekly goals along with daily tasks.  Now I am re-evaluating that to include something even better.  I created goals for: 1 month – 3 months – 6 months – 12 months.  Now, when I create my weekly goals, I will first look at the 12 month goals, then 6, then 3, and finally goals for the month.  this allows me to stay focused on what I want to create for the year.

I believe that just by identifying what your goals are for the year will serve as an affirmation in and of itself.  If you don’t know what you want, how do you know if you got it?  Breaking things down into smaller tasks will certainly keep me focused, thus creating what I desire.  Remember, what you FOCUS on EXPANDS so stay focused on what you desire and what it show up in your life.

Peace, love, and gratitude,

Bill

Teamwork & Focus

Yesterday I was watching some pelicans fly by me as I was sitting on the beach.  While watching them it was very clear that they were using teamwork and staying focused on their ulitmate objective: survival.  At some point in their evolution, they learned that when they work together thier chances of finding food was significantly increased.

I believe we can learn a valuable lesson from these birds.  No matter how good you are at what you do, there is always someone else that can help you achieve your goals.  For me, I frequently attend seminars and workshops to help me grow both personally and professionally.  I suggest that you find someone who can mentor or coach you, I certainly do.  Even though I coach and mentor others, I have found it extremely benificial to get coached myself.  Initially I thought I didn’t need any assistance but man, I was way wrong.  Getting coached and attending seminars has helped me take giant leaps toward achieving my goals. 

Once you get a coach or attend some seminars and workshops, the next step is to stay focused on your goals.  Get the attitude of “I can and I WILL do this” and accept nothing but a positive result.  You know, that part of you that “steps it up” when it is a do or die situation.  You can achieve anything you desire, just seek help from others and then have a focused determination to do whatever it takes to achieve it.  You CAN do this and I know you WILL.

Peace and gratitude,

Bill