davidjonesgroupllc

Creating Your Written Goals In Seven Easy Steps

Developing a list of written goals is not hard to do.  It does take a little time and thought, but it is well worth the effort. 

Step One - Ideally, you should start with a "Someday List" of  "Lifetime" goals; these are goals that don't have a specific deadline, but that you would like to accomplish during your lifetime.   We could call it your "bucket list" for those of you who saw the movie - if you haven't seen it, you should.  I was inspired over 20 years ago to develop my list of "lifetime" goals when I read an article about football coach Lou Holtz and his list of the 108 goals he wanted to accomplish before he died.  It sounded like a great idea to me and so I started my own list which of goals that has now grown to over 220 goals - and I've completed 175 of them. 

Step Two - I would suggest when developing your list of goals to put them into major categories.  Some suggested categories include: spiritual, family, career, fitness, fun, and personal development.  You should create your own categories, but I find these work well for me.  As you think of your goals, simply put them under the appropriate category.  Have fun setting your goals and be sure to dream big.

After your list of lifetime goals is completed, it makes it easier to develop your annual goals.  You might want to use the same categories for your annual goals as you did for your "lifetime goals".  

Step Three - On a sheet of paper or on your computer, go through your list of lifetime goals and select those you to accomplish this year and write them down on your paper or computer under the appropriate category.  This will help ensure you are working towards accomplishing a few of your lifetime goals each year. 

Step Four - Then think about other goals you want to or need to accomplish this year and also put them under the appropriate category.

Step Five -  Once you have all your goals listed for the year, go back through them and select your top ten goals for the year and number them one through ten.  

Step Six -  Next write a deadline next to each of your ten goals.  I recommend for each of your top ten goals, you write a few lines describing the benefits you will reap from achieving each goal. These ten goals are your most important goals for the year and should be where you focus your attention and energy daily and weekly to accomplish them. 

Step Seven -  Keep the written goals handy and review them daily.  Try to work on something each day that moves you closer to accomplishing one or more of your goals.  

If you will follow these seven simple steps, you will be amazed at how many of your goals you will accomplish this year.  Good luck.

Resolutions for 2009

I always enjoy the start of a new year.  It is like starting a new chapter of a book.  I also like setting resolutions or goals for the new year.  A lot of people struggle with both making and keeping resolutions for a new year.  As everyone knows, it is easy to make resolutions, but very difficult to keep them.  I am confident all the fitness clubs across the country would agree with my comments since January is the month most people join a fitness club only to drop out by February or March.  Why do we struggle with making and keeping goals?  Does goal setting make a difference?  Here are five reason everyone should set goals.

1.  Goals Give Us Something To Aim For
2.  Goals Stretch Us and Help Us Grow
3.  Goals Help Keep Us Focused
4.  Goals Can Help Motivate Us
5.  Goals Move Us To Action

One person I know once told me he did not like setting goals because it was frustrating to make a list of goals and only achieve a few of them.  Sure, it would have been great had he achieved all of his goals.  But it seems to me he was better off achieving a few goals than none at all.  If we are honest, all of us have dreams that we would like to achieve.  Our dreams may be about things we would like to achieve, places we would like to visit, and people we would like to meet.  They can also include improving relationships, helping other people, growing spiritually, and learning new things.   Diana Hunt said, "Dreams are goals with deadlines." What a great quote.

People often question whether setting goals really make a difference in a person's life.  Mark McCormack in his book What They Don't Teach You in the Harvard Business School, tells about a study conducted in the 1979 Harvard MBA program.  Students in that class were asked if they had set clear, written goals for their future and made plans to accomplish them?  Only three percent of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and 84 percent had no specific goals at all. 

Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings were quite amazing.  The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals.  How did the three percent who had written goals and plans do?  They were earning, on average, ten times as such as the the 97 percent of the class combined.

Take a few minutes to write down a few goals for 2009 and don't be surprised if they pay off!