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[B331]Benefits Of Goal Setting

by Gerard, Ger

As children we grow up with dreams and as adults it isimportant that we continue them as it is when we stop dreaming that we start towhither and die. Man was born to dream;he was also born to achieve. The moredreams we have the more alive we are, although we don't always have to achieveour dreams in order to achieve happiness. The mere act of pursuing our dreams, or starting out on the road tofulfilment can bring a great sense of direction, satisfaction and joy. Remember that wonderful saying that ?success is a journey, not a destination?.

So when does a dream become a goal? It is when it changes from an idle ?wish? tosomething you have a passion for, perhaps even an obsession. In fact show me a man who is obsessed withsomething and I will show you a man with a goal. If you are serious and determined aboutachieving various goals in your life then you must become passionate aboutthem. However, another important thingabout achieving goals is to incorporate FUN. In order to keep motivated and keep on the path it must be enjoyable ?it must be something you like doing. Indulge in activities that will keep you motivated: read the rightmaterial, listen to the right cassette tapes, attend the right courses. Neverregard achieving goals in the same way as hitting work deadlines. They are not the same thing at all.

If you want to win in the great game of life, if you want toachieve all that you can achieve, and be happy then setting andachieving correct goals play an integral part. It is a tragedy that manypeople are subject to the devastating shock of realising that the goal thatthey have finally reached is not what they wanted. How sad to hear someone say ?I have lostthe most precious and most significant relationships of my life. I have compromised my health, I havecompromised my integrity, just to get to where I am now, only to realise thatit is not where I want to be.? Wehave all seen people climbing the ladder of success, but is their ladderagainst the right wall?

?Oursis a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go throughhell to get it.? Don Marquis

This misdirection commonly happens because people do nottake the long-term view. Most people getinto daily planning, yet all the important things in life deal with longtime-spans and long time-frames, not daily. The reality is that daily planning often means that you aremerely prioritising your crises, andthis kind of situation will eat you up, wear you out and leave you with noenergy for efficient, long term goal planning. You must avoid this rut.

Goal planning and, more importantly, achievement is aserious business and you must get serious. Having the ?eye of the tiger? is all very well but it is notenough. Having the ?will? to win is not enough. You must be prepared to work. Opposed to what many believe success is not down to luck in thegenerally accepted sense of the word but it is subject to Luck UnderConstructive Knowledge. By this I mean that only by implementing thenecessary plans, actions and mindset can you achieve a great deal. Many of us have heard the words POSITIVEMENTAL ATTITUDE (PMA) ? but do we allknow how to get one? Well I have another definition for the letters PMA -PURPOSE METHOD ACTION. If you have adefinite purpose in life, a method to work by to achieve that purpose, and yougo out and take the appropriate action, you will immediately start to achievepersonal power and, by default, a positive mental attitude.

The great difference in life between winners and losers isthat winners make it happen, losers letit happen. Do not let life happen toyou - take charge, take control. Make a choice now - and make that choice towin. All the ruminating, meditating andcogitating in the world will get you nowhere. Only with real goals and real action will you get theresults you want.

?There is no security onthis earth, there is only opportunity.? General Douglas Macarthur

Once you have correctly and carefully identified your goals? and it important that you take time doing this - it is absolutely essentialthat you transfer onto paper. The benefit of this was illustrated well in anexperiment based on Yale University?s Class of'53. A survey was carried out in whichall of the students were given a long questionnaire to complete. Within it was the one key question that wasto provide the researchers with the answer to their debate - ?How many of the students have written clearspecific goals?? - and the result was 3%. In 1973 they revisited all the participants that were still living andon speaking to them again discovered that the 3% who had written goals hadactually accumulated more wealth than all of the other 97% added together. So here we have clear, categorical proof thatthe mere act of writing down goals has a power in itself. The very act of setting a goal and writingit down will immediately point you in the direction of that goal. It will empower you to know that your life isbecoming self-determined, that you are taking charge, that you are takingcontrol. It will provide you with asense of purpose and set you on your journey towards the attainment of yourultimate aspirations.

Having spent over 15 years working in the field ofdeveloping human potential I have identified the following nine steps as notonly being crucial in planning goals but, more importantly, immensely increaseyour ability to succeed. Be diligent infollowing the plan of action that you create, remain true to your ethics,morals and desires, and your dreams can become reality.

1. Write down and clearly identify exactly what it is that youwant. Be very, very specific. Write downwhat is in it for you.

2. Determine how you will benefit from this goal. Write as many benefits as you can possiblythink of.

3. Analyse where you are right now in relation to achievingthis goal

4. Put a date by which you expect to accomplish the task

5. Identify the obstacles you have to overcome in order toreach this goal

6. Choose the people, organisations and groups whose help youwill need to accomplish your task

7. List the skills and knowledge you will need to achieve yourgoal

8. Establish how you will get these skills and knowledge. Write down the books you will need to read,the courses you will have to take, the lectures and seminars you may need toattend

9. Develop a plan of action

?Always bear in mind thatyour own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.? Abraham Lincoln

Gerard

Let's face it, the majority of people in the main, are negative. We hear all of what is not possible, we hear that there is no hope, and friends and family often do not help with giving us a positive mental attitude.

Why is your mental attitude got to do with the importance of goal setting? If we listen to those that offer the negative advice of what is not possible, then we simply end up living life like the majority, and that is mediocrity. Lack and limitation exist for a population that simply fringes on the possibilities. Often they will term riches and wealth as good luck.

The importance of goal setting now comes into effect for the person who sees a glimmer of hope. You take a look, and see the possibilities, like a ray of light, you see through the darkness, and come to know something new - that you have been lied to.

Whether with no money, no relationships, bad health, you can transform to have wealth, great loving relationships, and health prosperity. All this becomes possible with goal setting. The importance of goal setting now becomes known.

The few who achieve set goals. Though all set goals to some degree, the winners in life have decided on a goal, rather than let life throw them about how it sees fit. Friends, family and society though with good intentions have not seen the truth.

To achieve anything worthy, you need to know what it is. Daydreamers lurk in many office buildings, dreaming of being in a Yacht, going on a cruise, even some more adventurous possibilities, such as sky diving, etc.

The few who achieve know a few things. When you learn these, you will also get great results. The first is to dream, but keep that dream based in reality. There is no point thinking of being like Superman as that is daydreaming. Also the Yacht may not be what you really want. What do you really want, and more importantly why do you want it.

The importance of goal setting becomes more known now. The true successful, once setting goals do what the majority wont. The majority will daydream, but never take action. They will do what we call escapism. The daydreaming is a fantasy to let the time pass, but the importance of goal setting, is to take action on what you desire.

The importance of goal setting must also be put into perspective, before closing this article. The process of consciously goal setting is not the be all and end all of success. It is only a guidance system. Like having the sand, cement and water, next you have to mix it.

Once you have your cement, it is time to do the work. You must now act, you must create the building, there is no point sitting and saying I have the ingredients. The sweating and the action is what will bring your goal to reality. To get to the park, you have to walk there.

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Both Gerard & Koz Huseyin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Gerard has sinced written about articles on various topics from Anger Control. Gerard is the CEO of . Contact Gerard at