Discover the 6 Major Factors of Successful Goal Setting
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Different people read goal-setting articles for different reasons. Some may need to reorganize their lives and they read such articles to help them go on with life. Others may plan to achieve a higher degree of success at the work place and therefore look for such articles. Some may feel that their outlook towards life needs a reformation and they read goal setting articles to help turn their lives around. So, different people read goal setting articles for different reasons but they help them all find their way, no doubt. Goal setting articles can help you with these factors of your life:
1. The impersonal and objective attitude of a goal setting article can be a blessing to the reader. Many people refrain from attending seminars or counseling classes because they often fear that the speaker may strip them of their pride. Very often we see people from the audience verbally lashing out at the speaker because of something that he may have said to hurt them. This normally comes because the speaker has in fact hit the nail right on the head, and nobody likes hearing about their weaknesses do they? Well, when you read an article on goal setting, you may feel the same pinch, but the fact that you have felt it from a piece of paper helps you control your anger and give the writing some serious thought. However, you need a lot of character to let a goal setting article help you. A speaker may convince you to stay back in the seminar and hear him out, but an article cannot stop you from throwing it away!
2. Easy access to the information. When you attend a seminar that you just love, there is nothing that you could go back to; to refresh your emotions and thoughts on the subject except to wait for the next time the speaker holds a seminar which may be weeks or months away. With an article however, you can re read it as many times as you would love to. Another aspect is that on online articles on goal setting over the internet. You can re read web pages and you can also save them on your PC for further reference.
3. The monetary aspect. Goal setting seminars can cost you a lot of money to attend, except when it is at a church. An article on the other hand, is usually free for all to access, unless it is a book we are talking about.
4. The objective aspect. We are often overcome by the attitude of others at seminars. We clap when the crowd claps their hands, even if we have not truly understood the message. An article on the other hand, helps you really understand the topic at your own pace, without distraction and influence from the environment.
There is one thing common in all successful businessmen, top-class athletes and achievers belonging to every field and that is – they all have clear-cut defined goals to achieve. Goal-setting motivates you to channelize your energies more efficiently and put in focused efforts to achieve that goal. It spurs you to acquire the necessary knowledge and makes you plan your resources and time for their optimum utilization so that you make the best of your life.
Goals can be divided into either short term or long term goals. Clearly defining and achieving them one by one gives you a measure of achievement and a certain satisfaction to carry on enthusiastically. Your progress chart enables you to take stock of the situation and see how close you are to realization of that goal. This infuses a lot of encouragement in your efforts and removes the feeling of the never-ending grind in the direction of your goal. Self-awareness of capabilities as you achieve your goals step by step does wonders for your competence levels and self-confidence.
You must really decide what you want to achieve in your personal life to get into basics of goal-setting. Then you can classify your goals into short term goals and long term ones. Further sub-dividing them into small and achievable targets spurs you on to achieve them one by one and work towards your lifetime final goals. You will waste no time to tackle the goal-posts once your list is ready.
A good manageable list will have daily and weekly sets of goals. By this, you will always ensure that you move forward towards your lifetime goals. Fulfilling a certain goal daily will certainly give you a great feeling of accomplishment.
Some pointers follow for you to help you in making and achieving goals.
Your attitude has a very important role to play in this task. Question yourself and find out whether some part of your mind is holding you back from achieving your simplest goals. Is some behavior of yours being the stumbling block that throws your plans helter-skelter? Don’t waste time in tackling this issue. If need be, take the help of your psychiatrist or doctor or to put your emotions back on track.
Sound time management practice makes careers. Bad time management is often the cause of many a failed careers. Making a successful career requires a lot of input from the individual. Find out how much of yourself you are prepared to put into your career.
Get the required education or specialization in your field. It is the key that opens the doors of success towards your goals. Include your family in your plans. You can also give a thought as to when you want parenthood and whether you would relate well to your family members.
As far as your financial goals are concerned, you must know how much you would like to earn. The create stages and plans to reach your full earning potential.
If you are physically gifted, your goals can be sports related like inclusion in the Association of National Basketball or may be National Football League. Your priority here is to determine your physical capability, and overcome any limitation with proper planning.
Incorporating a time for relaxation is a must in whatever schedule you chart for yourself. Remember the saying ‘All work and no play …..’!
Start by listing your ‘Things-to-do’ every day. Achieving your daily goals meticulously day by day, month by month and year by year will easily lead you into achieving your 5 year plan and then into your lifetime goals very smoothly and when you look back you will wonder at your achievements with pride and fulfillment.
As I write this in June, 2007, “Conan the Barbarian”…er…Mr. Governor of California, erstwhile “The Terminator,” is turning 60 in one month. I’ve never really looked into Arnold Schwarzenegger’s history before, but having done so recently, I find it fascinating.Not so much because of THE EVENTS that have happened to Arnold Schwarzenegger over the years, as much as THE WAY it happened. You see, in my mind, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the kid from a small town in Austria, exemplifies what the term “American Dream” once meant, and still can mean. He also demonstrates in a dynamic way all those static words on a page that the motivational specialists write about. He’s practically a walking, talking textbook on such things as goal setting, motivation, and achievement. Despite the title of this article, I don’t really intend to go into the history of Arnold Schwarzenegger per se as much as his dream…and how one kid made a dream into a reality that is really hard to believe unless you remember that setting goals and working towards them is the way we have always been told to achieve success in anything. The way things turned out, the history of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the history of America are now tied together…and it all started with a dream…an American dream…which gave a young man a goal.Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in the small Austrian town of Thal. Had he not had a dream, he might have followed in his father’s footsteps and eventually become the chief of police in Graz, Austria. Fortunately, he was encouraged by his father, Gustav, to participate in sports, and his older brother, Meinhard, gave him a playmate and role model. When you consider that his brother, Meinhard, was more gifted athletically than Arnold, things could have turned out differently. What made everything else fall into place, however, was that it was Arnold who had the dream.At one point in his teen years, you probably would not have been able to picture the future Commando, John Matrix, in the six foot tall, 150 pound Austrian kid. On the other hand, his commando raid on the gym at Graz’s soccer stadium, where he and his friends broke windows so that they could get in and work out, might have been a clue. In movies like Predator and Commando, he endured suffering and hardship, but he started getting his taste of that when he had to exercise in a gym sometimes so cold that he still recalls his hands sticking to the chinning bar.For a kid from a small Austrian town in the middle of nowhere to stay with the dream of beding the world’s best bodybuilder takes a lot of dedication and courage…and an actor…and the Governor of California…but he did.As with many successful lives, a lot of luck figured into Arnold’s success, but through it all runs a common thread. He knew what he wanted, and he was willing to do what was necessary to get it. In another commando-like move, the 20 year-old tank driver even deserted from the Austrian army for a few days and slipped into Germany so that he could compete in, and win, the Junior Mr. Europe event in Stuttgart. Oh, by the way; upon his return to Austria, he was caught and spent 7 days in jail, but when the word of his win got around, he became a hero to the Austrian army and was held up as a model of courage and tenacity.In an interview in 2006, Tom Venuto, natural bodybuilder, fitness coach, author of “Burn the Fat. Feed the Muscle,” and co-author of “Fit Over 40,” was asked what he thought was “the one thing most needed to change a person’s lifestyle and improve their health.”His response?”A committed decision to reach a predetermined specific goal, combined with burning desire, followed by immediate, massive action repeated consistently for as long as it takes until your goal is reached.”Wow!Looks like the mantra that Arnold Schwarzenegger might have chanted on his way to becoming Mr. Olympia (7 times), a Hollywood actor (43 movies), the husband of Maria Shriver (Kennedys – lots of ‘em), and current occupant of the California Governor’s mansion, doesn’t it?Well, if you could look at the Arnold Schwarzenegger history story with glasses that allowed you to see behind the scenes, you would regularly see one “predetermined specific goal, combined with a burning desire” after another. You would see a man who realized that to reach each goal, he would have to take “immediate, massive action repeated consistently for as long as it takes” to reach each goal.It sounds a little as if the ability to stick with a plan once you have a clear picture of your goal is a major factor for success!Even good ol’ P. T. Barnum, another, slightly different proponent of the American Dream, and perhaps best known for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, had this to say in his classic essay, “The Art of Money Getting or Golden Rules for Making Money”:”How many have almost reached the goal of their ambition, but, losing faith in themselves, have relaxed their energies, and the golden prize has been lost forever.”Time and again, people like Napoleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich,” have extolled the virtue of being willing to stick to the path through thick and thin, once you know what the goal is.What you could call the Arnold Schwarzenegger history is not just events and dates, or his vision of the American dream. It has been his willingness to pursue his dreams and goals through all sorts of obstacles, and in spite of a multitude of naysayers, that has taken him to where he sits today. In earlier eras, the willingness to wholeheartedly pursue the American Dream was the subject or underlying theme of fiction and non-fiction works.Today, there is a vast market in self-help and self-improvement products. All sorts of programs and processes are offered for consideration of those wanting a piece of the American Dream. Having stripped away the overlay of word and technique, however, the setting of a goal and the unrelenting effort to achieve that goal, is the factor of most true success stories.Maybe it takes a one-time hick from a small town in Austria to remind us of what we keep saying we have, or want, or wish was still available to an ordinary person in America. Maybe, as at least one article has stated, “Arnold Schwarzenegger is the definition of the American Dream.”
Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to credit card, do please browse for more information at our websites.http://www.yoursgoogleincome.com http://www.freeearningtip.com
As I write this in June, 2007, “Conan the Barbarian”…er…Mr. Governor of California, erstwhile “The Terminator,” is turning 60 in one month. I’ve never really looked into Arnold Schwarzenegger’s history before, but having done so recently, I find it fascinating.Not so much because of THE EVENTS that have happened to Arnold Schwarzenegger over the years, as much as THE WAY it happened. You see, in my mind, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the kid from a small town in Austria, exemplifies what the term “American Dream” once meant, and still can mean. He also demonstrates in a dynamic way all those static words on a page that the motivational specialists write about. He’s practically a walking, talking textbook on such things as goal setting, motivation, and achievement. Despite the title of this article, I don’t really intend to go into the history of Arnold Schwarzenegger per se as much as his dream…and how one kid made a dream into a reality that is really hard to believe unless you remember that setting goals and working towards them is the way we have always been told to achieve success in anything. The way things turned out, the history of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the history of America are now tied together…and it all started with a dream…an American dream…which gave a young man a goal.Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in the small Austrian town of Thal. Had he not had a dream, he might have followed in his father’s footsteps and eventually become the chief of police in Graz, Austria. Fortunately, he was encouraged by his father, Gustav, to participate in sports, and his older brother, Meinhard, gave him a playmate and role model. When you consider that his brother, Meinhard, was more gifted athletically than Arnold, things could have turned out differently. What made everything else fall into place, however, was that it was Arnold who had the dream.At one point in his teen years, you probably would not have been able to picture the future Commando, John Matrix, in the six foot tall, 150 pound Austrian kid. On the other hand, his commando raid on the gym at Graz’s soccer stadium, where he and his friends broke windows so that they could get in and work out, might have been a clue. In movies like Predator and Commando, he endured suffering and hardship, but he started getting his taste of that when he had to exercise in a gym sometimes so cold that he still recalls his hands sticking to the chinning bar.For a kid from a small Austrian town in the middle of nowhere to stay with the dream of beding the world’s best bodybuilder takes a lot of dedication and courage…and an actor…and the Governor of California…but he did.As with many successful lives, a lot of luck figured into Arnold’s success, but through it all runs a common thread. He knew what he wanted, and he was willing to do what was necessary to get it. In another commando-like move, the 20 year-old tank driver even deserted from the Austrian army for a few days and slipped into Germany so that he could compete in, and win, the Junior Mr. Europe event in Stuttgart. Oh, by the way; upon his return to Austria, he was caught and spent 7 days in jail, but when the word of his win got around, he became a hero to the Austrian army and was held up as a model of courage and tenacity.In an interview in 2006, Tom Venuto, natural bodybuilder, fitness coach, author of “Burn the Fat. Feed the Muscle,” and co-author of “Fit Over 40,” was asked what he thought was “the one thing most needed to change a person’s lifestyle and improve their health.”His response?”A committed decision to reach a predetermined specific goal, combined with burning desire, followed by immediate, massive action repeated consistently for as long as it takes until your goal is reached.”Wow!Looks like the mantra that Arnold Schwarzenegger might have chanted on his way to becoming Mr. Olympia (7 times), a Hollywood actor (43 movies), the husband of Maria Shriver (Kennedys – lots of ‘em), and current occupant of the California Governor’s mansion, doesn’t it?Well, if you could look at the Arnold Schwarzenegger history story with glasses that allowed you to see behind the scenes, you would regularly see one “predetermined specific goal, combined with a burning desire” after another. You would see a man who realized that to reach each goal, he would have to take “immediate, massive action repeated consistently for as long as it takes” to reach each goal.It sounds a little as if the ability to stick with a plan once you have a clear picture of your goal is a major factor for success!Even good ol’ P. T. Barnum, another, slightly different proponent of the American Dream, and perhaps best known for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, had this to say in his classic essay, “The Art of Money Getting or Golden Rules for Making Money”:”How many have almost reached the goal of their ambition, but, losing faith in themselves, have relaxed their energies, and the golden prize has been lost forever.”Time and again, people like Napoleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich,” have extolled the virtue of being willing to stick to the path through thick and thin, once you know what the goal is.What you could call the Arnold Schwarzenegger history is not just events and dates, or his vision of the American dream. It has been his willingness to pursue his dreams and goals through all sorts of obstacles, and in spite of a multitude of naysayers, that has taken him to where he sits today. In earlier eras, the willingness to wholeheartedly pursue the American Dream was the subject or underlying theme of fiction and non-fiction works.Today, there is a vast market in self-help and self-improvement products. All sorts of programs and processes are offered for consideration of those wanting a piece of the American Dream. Having stripped away the overlay of word and technique, however, the setting of a goal and the unrelenting effort to achieve that goal, is the factor of most true success stories.Maybe it takes a one-time hick from a small town in Austria to remind us of what we keep saying we have, or want, or wish was still available to an ordinary person in America. Maybe, as at least one article has stated, “Arnold Schwarzenegger is the definition of the American Dream.”
Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to credit card, do please browse for more information at our websites.http://www.yoursgoogleincome.com http://www.freeearningtip.com
It seems like every personal development coach has something to say about goal setting. It seems as though every seminar you attend, some goal setting seems to be sprinkled in to the day. So, why is goal setting so important, and why does it work?
We start life with high hopes. We all do. However, at the end, only a handful will look upon there lives with contentment. So few realize an amazing life, because of feelings of being limited. These feelings of being limited are a big concern.
If we look at life, we see that out of 100 people interviewed at a 25, all with high hopes, only 5 will be financially independent. And this does not just apply to money, as these 5 people generally live the life they want. So many don’t however.
There is another interesting correlation, and I think they are linked. Only 4-7 people out of 100 set goals. And it is amazing to see, because if you ask those 5 people in the 100, they do one thing in common and that is set goals.
If we consider that 7 people will set goals, and only 5 achieve then that says to us that the other 2 who failed, even though they set goals, is because of setting a goal they are not passionate about achieving. The truth is that goal setting does work, and has worked for all people since the beginning of time.
If you consider for a moment life as a goal setter, and life as a drifting purposeless endeavor, you can see that without a goal how will we get anywhere? Goal setting works because it causes us to focus on what we want. It is like watching television. While watching television, you can get so absorbed into the TV, that the actual TV set disappears!
That focus in our goals gives us a direction. It focuses our minds, and we can look at how we can make those goals reality. And this process can be simple, smart or full of so many components that it is hard to move forward.
By far the biggest achievers are goal setters. They think about what they want, and then move forward to make those goals reality. It is simplicity in itself, and here is how it works. We are goal orientated beings. We feel hungry, and we go and get food. We feel like going on vacation, and take steps to get there.
Goal setting can be viewed in such light, and can really transform your life. If you let it. So what is one goal that you really want to achieve? Go do it, and then tell me about it.
Many scholar articles and government websites have been talking about goal setting intervention in different public sector organizations as a crucial matter recently. Government and state personal agencies are concerned with the high retirement rates and are getting prepared for the highly developed twenty first century and are developing and recruiting potential workforce.
The major focus of this goal setting intervention in different pubic sector organizations is ensuring that the organization operates effectively and competitively irrespective of change of leaders and heads. This usually happens in social organizations where client growth is the main aim. This involves systematically identifying, developing and assessing leadership in an organization in order to make sure that all the important positions in the organization are always kept filled. Planning a goal setting intervention, along with managerial decisions, resource allocations and daily operations helps establish improved performance targets that such agencies offer.
The initial step in such an intervention is getting to know the customer’s feelings.This is the most vital factor that is responsible for driving the goal setting intervention into action with performance measurement in government agencies and establishments.
The biggest question being asked today is whether goal setting intervention can apply to even federal government agencies. As surprising as it is, it actually does cover the federal government. As a matter of fact, as of today, 300 million customers claim satisfaction because of it. All the agencies that are part of a public sector organization need to have their goals set via the President’s Executive Order 12862, also called the “Setting Customer Service Standard” that requires all agencies to provide customer service equaling all business quality processes.
But the problems that the federal government has to face are not restricted to the public sector alone. It is, in fact, a mixture of both, which makes it all the more harder to achieve the fundamental performance improvements than before.
There are a few factors that affect the management efforts and the goal setting intervention. Some of the vital ones are stakeholders concerns, corporate resources and customer needs. Here are some important success factors used in goal setting when it comes to public organizations:
• The stakeholders must be involved in the process so that the program can improve effectively.
• The performance should be closely observed and measured and should be used as a yardstick to compare other business needs and organization performances.
• The organization’s objectives should be systematically linked to the improvement goals as well as the core business culture. This helps achieve a clear picture of the outcomes that need to be brought about at different milestones.
• Educational training programs must support all daily decision making activities and improve goals at operational level.
• The goals that are set must be realistic and ambitious and should form the basis for the mission, current performance levels and customer needs that can challenge the entire organization into achieving great improvements in their performance.
Goal setting intervention when it comes to public sector organizations should not be treated lightly and needs careful consideration. To prevent all possible negative consequences it is necessary that the performance goals be kept positive and realistic while simultaneously should not be set too modestly as this can cause the organization to find it difficult to move out of the current work process that will become impossible to shake out later on, thereby cutting down on the productivity.
Now, psychologists backing this theory affirm that individuals are motivated to attain goals. This goal setting theory claims that individuals act in a certain way because they concentrate on reaching goals, which they have unknowingly or knowingly, fixed for themselves. This goal setting theory says individuals labor towards goals that include the following.
Three Attributes Of Goals
a. Clear
Individuals should be aware of what they require to achieve goals. Whether you choose between coffee and water or it is a decision regarding career options, individuals act to attain a goal since they are aware of it. This implies that individuals should be conscious of what they require prior to deciding on the necessary steps to take to arrive at the goal.
b. Challenging
Goals established by individuals should be challenging enough for them to give their best. Tedium is man’s least preferred sentiment. Individuals facing challenging goals tend to put in increased efforts to attain the objective. There is an increased feeling of satisfaction, when individuals challenge themselves to perform a certain task.
c. Achievable
Challenges excite people. On the other hand, they should be conscious of the fact that a fixed goal is an attainable task. Individuals, in their subconscious minds can differentiate between self-delusion and a goal.
Feedback is an important element of Goal Setting Theory. This theory says individuals require feedback so as to persist in following a definite goal. Individuals must be able to identify the development made towards reaching that goal. Regardless of the source of feedback, whether from themselves or others, individuals should be aware of the progress.
Goal Setting Theory involves two kinds of goals:
a. Directional
Where this kind of a goal is concerned, individuals put in an attempt to achieve a definite goal not knowing the key steps required for attaining the goal. Directional goals are very inspiring because they seem to be easily reachable. It involves establishing a goal and then modifying our actions to get to the goal.
b. Accuracy goal
Now, this kind of goal requires a person to establish a goal and then exploring all the possible avenues that he needs to take to realize that goal. People fixing this kind of a goal soon recognize that they have very slight prospects of actually making to the proposed goal thereby charting different courses to advance them closer to the goal. Accuracy goal is typified by prudent preparation. Nevertheless, it is known that it is not possible for us to map out our futures precisely and a departure from the original plan is normal. Goal Setting Theory says that individuals who lay down precise goals usually attempt to reduce variation as any unintentional variation is considered a misuse of funds.
Goal setting theory enables individuals to comprehend just how to achieve things they desire in life. This theory states every individual lays down goals. It simply means that it is the kind of goal, which is fixed that ascertains the achievement of a person.
What are good rules and rewards for teenagers? Why do we bother putting rules into place? Limits and guidelines during adolescence are an important part of getting the budding adult ready to leave home. During this preparation time, keeping focused on the end result (a successful adult) is important. When presenting and negotiating rules with your adolescent, begin by exploring the potential results of successfully following guidelines. Here’s what your list might look like:
Do all of the above and you’ve achieved INDEPENDENCE and maturity! Clearly all of these skills do not have to be accomplished for an adolescent to move away from home and succeed, but the majority of parents that I work with want nothing more than to raise a well-balanced and independent child. In the meantime, however, parents have to set rules that slowly but surely move the child toward independence. Rule categories might include: family time, academic expectations, use of electronics, household responsibilities, personal responsibilities, financial responsibilities, social limits, mind and body responsibilities, community responsibilities. Here’s what the rules might look like for a 13-15 year old. Rules: the following are our expectations to help guide you toward adulthood.
As the adolescent reaches 16-18 years of age, the rules change depending on your child’s level of maturity. Teenagers need continued guidance, like the rules offered above, but others need more freedom in order to exert their own judgment. I recommend adding a curfew for adolescents 16 years old and above. Allowing for more freedom at this age – allowing your children to make more choices, even some controversial ones – allows them the freedom to fail while still under your protective roof. Keep in mind that 18 is just around the corner. Learning important life lessons in your teens while living at home provides a safe environment in which growth can take place.