Goal Setting Technique For Success

Section 3.1: Goals In Priority

One key goal setting technique that you want to master is that of prioritizing your goals. Earlier you identified several goals in each of your life categories so here we'll discuss how to determine which life goals to work on first.

setting performance goals

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Did you know that having goals are necessary to motivate us and keep us living a quality life?

It's true, but if you are like most people on the planet, you allow the most important things in your life to get shoved aside so that the various urgent matters of the day can be addressed. Usually, you are responding to someone else's 'urgent' matter, right?

For example, you answer the telephone and allow the telemarketer to take up 10 minutes of your time because you can't bring yourself to hang up on him or use a firm voice to end the call.

Or, you agree to taxi your kids all day so that they can participate in five different extracurricular activities. You do this because the neighbors are doing it for their kids and you don't want your children to suffer from being left out of all the fun. 

So often the things we allow to take up our limited time, are never scheduled - they just seem to happen and they aren't working to help us achieve the goals we are so passionate about.

"Rather than you running your life, is your life running you ragged and into a downward spiral?"

In order for you to prioritize your goals, you must become the master of your own time.

To master your time you must begin to value it.  Once a minute or an hour has past, it's gone forever - you can't get it back. Time is precious and you must value time in a way that will help you to focus on how you spend your time in order for you to achieve your goals.

So next time you get a sales call at home, realize that the person is intruding on your ability to live a more quality life, and don't apologize for telling them to take your number off their list.

Goal Setting Technique: Focus On "Big Rocks"

When prioritizing goals, use our "Big Rock" goal setting technique.

Think of each goal in terms of the weight it carries in your life. In other words, does the goal represent a big rock, carrying a lot of weight, that if achieved would make a positive impact on your life?

Or, would the goal represent a smaller rock or pebble in terms of it's ability to impact your life?

Lastly, would your goal more adequately represent a grain of sand in terms of impact on your life?

While each goal may represent a positive move upward in your life, you must understand that the smaller the impact of the goal (or the smaller the rock) on your life, the less of a priority it should be.

ALWAYS PRIORITIZE THE BIGGEST ROCKS FIRST.

In doing so, you'll be amazed at how many of the smaller rocks/pebbles/sand still get done along the way, or simply vanish because they really were never important in the first place.

Here's the primary point of this goal setting technique? The big rocks are the ones that count! Focusing your efforts on the big rocks first will eventually take you to realizing your life's ambitions.

NOTE: In Section 2.1 you identified your goals in your various life categories. Go back to those lists now and prioritize your goals based on the Big Rock goal setting technique. 

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

- C.S. Lewis

Success Lesson #5: One Degree From Greatness

Too many people are trying to heat up their lives with only lukewarm water. They never do what is necessary to turn up the heat to the point that their lives are boiling over with joy and excitement.

Before water generates steam, it must register two hundred and twelve degrees of heat. Two hundred degrees will not do it; two hundred and ten degrees will not do it. Lukewarm water will only stagnate and deteriorate in quality.

"Progress has little to do with speed, but much to do with direction."

- Unknown

The person with a vigorous purpose is a positive, constructive, creative force. Anyone can simply wish for a thing, or desire it; but only strong, motivated minds possessing a great purpose can achieve greatness. These people posses that extra 1 degree that makes the water boil.

Persistence and determination are a key ingredient, the extra 1 degree, that is required for any effective goal setting technique. These are the traits that will ensure your success over time - no matter what barriers you will face along the way.

How do you approach a difficulty? Do you hesitate before it, dread it, and postpone dealing with it? Are you fearful? Do you finally address the difficulty with an apologetic, doubtful, "will do it if I can," or "will try" attitude? What kind of goal setting technique is that? Not one that will be very useful to be sure.

"There is great power in holding to a firm resolution; possessing an iron will, strong persistence and tenacity."

Or, do you approach difficult situations with an unflinching determination and with a self-certainty that you can effectively handle most anything you are faced with?

The thing that will make your life distinctive is your ability to pursue the goals that you are passionate about. 

Believe in yourself and in your ability to overcome obstacles, because there will surely be some formidable goal setting challenges that you will need to face along the way as you reach for success.

Choose now to embrace those challenges, expect challenges to appear and when they do take pride in your ability to minimize them along your path to reaching your most important goals. 

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