1. Goals bring the future into the present, and the present is the only time we can take action.
Setting goals makes it possible to do something today to create the future you want.
2. If you don’t plan your time, someone else will help you waste it.
3. People get twice as much done
on the day before they go on vacation, because they plan (set goals)
and prioritize what they intend to do.
4. Goal setters make more money
than people who don’t set goals. Those with goals programs are also
happier and healthier and got along better with the folks at home.
5. Goals keep you focused on the things that really matter and help you avoid wasting time on things that are unproductive.
6. Setting goals gives direction and purpose to all that you do.
Now you might be thinking, “Zig,
how do I know what goals to set, and how do I know they are the right
goals that get me where I want to go?” I have a proven seven-step
process you can apply to your goal setting, and if you follow each step
correctly, you will create goals that are tailor-made for you and what
you want to achieve.
The Seven Steps of Goal Setting
1. Identify the goal.
If you don’t identify a target, you will never hit it. When you
identify a goal, it means that you write it down and describe it
clearly. If you want to have specific success, you must have specific
targets. A goal “to increase my annual income” or “to spend more time
on my spiritual life” is not specific. A specific goal would be “to
increase my current income by 20 percent” or “to read the entire
Bible.”
2. List the benefits: what’s in it for me?
Once you identify a specific goal, you need to list the
benefits you will receive when you reach that goal. We only do the
things we want to do and are willing to do. If there are no personal
benefits, your motivation for completing the goal will be diminished.
Remember that changing your life
is not always easy, so understanding what’s in it for you is vitally
important. Don’t skimp on this step!
3. List the obstacles to overcome.
There might be some rough spots on your journey as you work
to achieve your goals. Many of them can be anticipated, and if you can
anticipate something, you can prepare yourself in advance to overcome
it. So think it through and make a complete list of all the things that
can prevent you from being successful.
4. List the skills and knowledge required.
Knowledge gives us the power to accomplish things we would
not otherwise be able to do, and skills give us the tools to take
advantage of our knowledge. There is a direct relationship between
knowing and doing, and successfully accomplishing your goals will
require that powerful combination. For example, if your goal is to
increase your proficiency on the computer, you will need to know
specifically what the computer can do for you (knowledge). Then, the
skills you will need to be successful must be identified. These skills
might include learning to type on a keyboard with two hands instead of
finger pecking. This would trigger setting another goal of learning to
type! Never forget that knowledge and skill will be required to
successfully complete any goal.
5. Identify the people and groups to work with.
We do a better job when we have the help of others. They can
help us with knowledge and skill and can offer valuable advice we need
to be successful. So when you set your goals, always consider the
people and the groups you can work with that can help you be more
successful.
6. Develop a plan of action.
This is the most critical step, and it involves thinking through the
details of how you will achieve your goal. In my younger years I was
thirty-seven pounds overweight. I had put that weight on one bite at a
time, and I was going to have to lose it the same way. That required a
plan! I wanted to lose my weight over a ten-month period and that was
the first step of the plan. Thirty seven pounds sounds like a lot, but
when you realize it’s only 3.7 pounds a month over a ten-month period
it sounds a lot better. So, I planned to lose 3.7 pounds a month for
ten months. Then I included a daily running and exercise plan in the
goal, as well as a diet that would limit my caloric intake. With those
details planned, I clearly knew how I was going to have to live each day
to be successful. I prepared diligently to succeed. I stuck to my plan
(which means I never made the first exception), and ten months later I
had lost thirty-seven pounds.
Success would have eluded me had
I not planned the details of what I would do each day to reach my
goal. In this case, reaching my goal may not have changed the world,
but it surely did change my world.
7. Set a deadline for achievement.
In the example above, you notice I gave myself ten months to lose the
weight I wanted to lose. I had a great reason for setting that
deadline—all goals need a completion date to be effective. I was in the
process of writing my first book, See You at the Top, and I had ten
months left to complete my book by my goal date when it struck me that I
was not a good example of the very things I was teaching. Nobody who
saw me was going to believe a word I said, because I was not taking
care of my health. There was no way an overweight fat boy could
effectively tell other people how to change their lives without first
changing his own! My integrity was on the line . . . so I got help and
made my ten-month plan.
If
you don’t set a deadline for completing your goals, you will not be
accountable to yourself or anyone else. If you are not accountable for
your goals, you will not achieve them.
Don’t think of goal setting as a
tiresome activity that requires you to do things that are difficult.
The real benefit of having goals is what you become by reaching them.
When you successfully complete your goals, you change specific things
in your life. I can tell you factually that your life will be radically
changed for the better, and the person you become will be highly
successful in all that you do.
About the Author:
"The Master of Motivation" Zig
Ziglar has been described as "one of America's Icons," "the salesman's
salesman," and "a legacy that will forever impact our history."
Helping people to achieve long-term balanced success based on his
philosophy of character, attitude and skills, he has impacted more than
a quarter billion people and continues to make a difference in the
lives of those who act on his philosophy. His new book, Born to Win, is
sure to become a beloved classic.
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