THE 10 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL GOAL SETTING

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Make sure your goal is compelling

Is it something you really want to do? How important is it to you to achieve this? What difference will it make to your life if you do achieve it or if you don’t? Is it something you want to do so something you think you ought to do, or are you doing it to please someone else?

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Be specific

If you want to “be fitter” what does this mean? Spell it out. For example, say “I want to be able to run a mile in 10 minutes.” Your goal needs to be measurable. If you don’t know exactly what you’re aiming at, how can you tell if you’re going there or if you’ve achieved it?

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Have a deadline

“I want to have a new job by the end of May.” A deadline gives you something to work towards and helps you keep track of how you’re doing. It also helps to stop you putting things off until tomorrow.

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Be positive

State your goal in a positive way rather than a negative one. Instead of saying “I want to lose weight” say “I want to be a size 12”. A negative goal makes you focus on what you want to stop doing rather than what you want to achieve. It makes you feel as if you’re depriving yourself.

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Break it down into small steps

If you know what you want to achieve by your deadline, you can work out smaller steps in between. You can have a target for the next month, the next six months, etc. This helps you to keep focussed and to see whether your plan is realistic.

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Have a plan and follow it

Don’t leave it to wishful thinking. What will you actually do? If you want to get that new job, where will you find useful information, who will you talk to and when, how will you write your CV, how will you learn any new skills you need\/

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Write it down

Don’t keep your goal in your head. Write it down. Just doing this makes it more real and makes you feel more committed. In fact, write it out every morning so you don’t lose sight of it and keep reviewing your progress.

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Get some support

Don’t keep it a secret – tell people who can help you. If you want to get fit, find people who want the same thing, join a club, tell people around you who can support you by not tempting you away from your goal.

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Reward yourself

It shouldn’t be a punishment. Be good to yourself – reward yourself for achieving small steps along the way.

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Be prepared for the impact of change

If it’s worth doing it’s because it’s going to have an impact on your life! How will other people react to the new you? Are you ready for that? Some people might prefer you to stay as you are.

GOAL PLANNING GUIDE This is your guide to completing the attached Goal Sheet. Make sure you read the notes before completing each section. You may wish to gather your thoughts and use plain paper to help you clarify each sep before committing your overall goal plan to a formal Goal Sheet. Statistics prove that those who spend time clarifying their goals and writing them down achieve far more than those who don’t. Complete each Goal Sheet using this as your guide until you know exactly how to complete each section. Use a separate Goal Sheet for each specific goal you wish to achieve. Store your active Goal Sheets safely and review them regularly to ensure that you are staying on track and making the right progress to achieve your goals. You need to know where you are aiming to know whether or not you’ve hit your target. In other words, you need to be able to set goals to get them.

Goal Details

Write in here a clear, concise summary of your goal. This may take some time to clearly define, and you may need some help in finetuning your goal, so that it is precise. This section contains a very clear, measurable statement saying what you expect to achieve and by when. Example 1 : “To achieve my ideal weight of (enter a precise figure) by (enter a date – ddmmyy)”. Example 2 : “To enjoy an income of (£ enter a precise amount) per (annum/month/week – specify frequency) by (enter a specific date – ddmmyy)”.

Area

Set goals in all areas – including personal, professional/career, study, family, health and financial. Don’t think of goal setting as only being relevant for your work.

Date Set

Make a note of the date you set this goal. This will help you to see how long it takes you to achieve your goals.

Date(s) Reviewed

Note down the dates on which you review your goal and check your progress. The more you review your goal, the more it will embed itself into your subconscious mind. You get what you focus on and what you think about. Make sure you focus on positive things!

How (Steps/Sequence)

This is where you take the overall goal and break it down into manageable chunks. This will help you to “map your route” towards the achievement of your overall goal. Identify each of the steps, put them into the right sequence and specify the date by which you will have achieved each of the steps. This is like planning your route for an important journey – take time to get it right and it will save you time later.

When

When will you achieve the overall goal? If you have completed the section above, then this will be easier to work out.

Why

Clarify the reasons you wish to achieve this goal. Why do you want to do it? What is your burning desire? If you know the “why”, you will always find the “how”.

Cost of not doing it

What is the cost to you – financially, emotionally, professionally, personally – if you do not achieve this goal? What would failure mean to you?

Need to do it

What is your need to do it, to achieve this goal? What is your “reason why”, your motivation? Why do you feel the need to achieve it?

SMART

Check that your goal is SMART. This is particularly important for the “Goal Details” section at the top of the Goal Sheet. Is your summary (above) SMART? Specified – very clearly specified Measurable – can you measure whether you have achieved it? Achievable – have others achieved it? Have you? Is there any reason why you couldn’t achieve it? Realistic/Relevant – is it realistically achievable – has it been done/can it be done? Is it relevant – does it fit your criteria? Just because you haven’t done it yourself yet – it may still be realistic. Time-bound – is there an end time on this? Have you set a time limit by when you expect to achieve the goal? All your goals should always be checked to ensure that they are SMART goals. If the SMART test doesn’t work, then you need to do some fine-tuning and reword your goals.

Moving from/to

You are either motivated towards something that will benefit you or away from something that you want to avoid. For example, you may want to move towards something you find rewarding, something that you haven’t achieved yet – a promotion for instance. Or, you may want to move away from the fear of losing your job, or away from the pain of not having enough money.

Commitment made by, on

Sign and date the Goal Sheet to indicate your commitment to achieving this specific goal. The back of the form is where you identify what changes you will need to make on a more personal level. This is where you will fine tune your goal and determine how you will know when you have achieved it.

Obstacles to overcome

List the obstacles that you expect to encounter on your progress towards achieving this goal. What hurdles will you have to cross? Some of you will know, some you can guess, others will surprise you. The more you can identify now, the less surprised you will be by them when they occur. Also the more you expect and anticipate, the less they will distract you from the achievement of your goal. There may be other obstacles that you haven’t anticipated. However, when you expect some resistance then you will not be thrown off course by any hurdles – whether they’re expected or not!

Type of person I need to become

Identify what qualities you will need to develop in yourself in order to achieve this goal. Will you need to become more disciplined? Perhaps you need to become more organised? Do you need to be more assertive? Whatever you need, give it some thought and then determine whether you can develop these qualities yourself or whether you need to get some outside help.

Who can help me

Identify the people/organisations who can help you in the achievement of your goal. Who can help you? Will it be friends, family, professional colleagues? List their names here.

Evidence producer

How will you know when you have achieved your goal? You need to decide what your “evidence producer” will be. If you have targeted a higher income, then your bank balance may be your evidence producer. If you are targeting weight loss or gain then your scales will be the evidence producer. Know exactly what it is that will tell you when you have achieved your goal.

Shared with anyone

Is this goal to be shared with anyone? It is often said that you should share your “give up” goals with everyone – eg “I’m giving up smoking” so that everyone around you can help to keep you on track. It is also said that your “go up” goals should not be shared too widely. It may not be wise to tell your colleagues at work that you are going for a promotion. They may decide to go for it too and then they become your competitors. They may decide to try and stop or block you. Be sure that if you share your goals with anyone, you share them with people who will help and encourage you in the achievement of your goals.

Notes

Raise your “success ceiling” nd Wherever your personal “ceiling” is, it can be raised. If you are a 2 st Division footballer you can get promotion to the 1 Division. If you st are a 1 Division player then you can always get into the Premier League. Lose Excuses Ensure that you spend more time on working towards the achievement of your goal than you spend on making excuses for your lack of progress/achievement. No excuses – only performance.

Stimulate desire Remind yourself of why you want to achieve this goal. List the positive and the negatives “Why should l?” and “What if I don’t?” Visualise Picture your goal in your mind’s eye as if you have already achieved it. Keep this picture in your mind and refer to it often Review Make sure that you regularly review your progress. Aeroplanes are off track most of the time but they always reach their destination because they are constantly adjusting to get back on track. The longer they leave it to review exactly where they are, the bigger the adjustment to get back on track if they’ve drifted off. Give this goal the Tony Robbins “rocking chair test” Imagine you are 80-odd and in your rocking chair. As you rock backwards and forwards are you thinking “I’m really glad I did that …” or are you thinking, “I wish I had ….”

GOAL SHEET Goal Details (What?)

Area Date Set Date(s) Reviewed How?

Steps/Sequence 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)

When? Why? Cost of not doing it Need to do it Specific? Measurable? Achievable? Realistic? Time bound? Moving from/to? Commitment Made By: On (date)

= Obstacles to Overcome

When? 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)

Type of person I need to become

Who can help me?

Evidence producer

Shared with anyone?

Notes:

Raise your “success ceiling” Lose excuses Stimulate desire List positives/negatives – Why should I? What if I don’t? Visualise Monitor and Review