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Educational Service Unit No. 11
Having no personal goals is the same as spending the entire game running up and down the field and never scoring. You’re making the effort, but there aren’t any results.
This likely isn’t the first time you’ve read about the importance of setting goals, and it’s definitely not going to be the last. As clichéd it may sound, goal setting is important when it comes to success in business and in life. So, how do you start?
Work out a 10-year plan and include everything in it. Consider where you’d want to live, what you want to be doing in each detail, what kind of car you hope to be driving, etc. Doing so will provide a framework for you to work from which will help increase your efforts to reach your targeted goals.
Walk backwards from 10 to 1 year once you fashion the 10-year plan. Now, fill in the blanks with the steps you’ll take or will need to take in order to meet personal goals set for the plan during each separate year. What will you have to achieve to reach each and every stage of the 10-year plan?
An easy way to fuel yourself is by envisioning how your life will be one year from now if absolutely nothing is done to change it. Imagine how it would feel to be in exactly the same position or job for another year. It that idea is unbearable, you’ll start taking the necessary steps to move forward.
Taking note of the pros and cons of staying put or moving on will help. Consider if you remained at your current position: would it interfere or help with the rest of the 10-year plan? This is where you’ll have to let go of the comfort zone and venture out, relying on your long-term strategy.
Preparation for the future is ideal, but acceptance in case everything doesn’t work out is necessary, too. Losing hope in the middle of the race won’t win you any medals, not even a runner-up. If you see yourself losing hope, find some words of wisdom in ‘Enjoy the Ride’ and always remember that life goes on.
