Again we were blessed with another memorable Christmas shared with family and friends, our health, and the ability to give to others. New Year’s has just past and I’ve already started to put a list together of goals I’d like to set for next year. The list has been drifting and developing for the past few months, now is the time to get serious about what I want to accomplish.
Goals are a great way to move forward in your career. They offer direction, accountability and keep you on track with your larger life-sized goals. Most executives and c-level managers set goals and agree that the goal setting and achieving processes are what put them where they are today. So, how can you get the most from your goals? First you have to know what they are. Everyone can say, “I’d like to make more money next year” or “I’d love to get my degree some day”, both are nice thoughts but neither are focused.
A real set of goals is a list of specific achievements that you would like to successfully implement. Each goal should be specific to you, what you want, when you want to accomplish it and how you intend to accomplish the task. By adding the details and a deadline you are making it concrete and real for you.
Goals can be what ever you want them to be. You can establish private goals or you can make an impact by making them known to colleagues, friends, or family. Goals can be of professional and personal natures – and should be about anything you want them to be. The important thing to do is take the time to think about what would make these dreams become realities and write down the individual plans to make them happen. Most of the time it only takes the articulating and believing in a goal to make it happen. Whether consciously or unconsciously we tend to put actions into motion to make us succeed in achieving our goals.
Once you have ten or twelve…or more goals in mind and written in detail and with specific accomplishment dates, you need to put the list in one or several places where it can be seen regularly. The key is consciously acknowledging your wishes and turn them into action driven goals. By reviewing the goal list frequently you will keep the goals in the forefront of your mind which will keep them a priority.
We’ve all said we’d join a gym, start some new health regimen, go back to school, take up golf or implement professional actions, one only to have the goals fade into extinction after a few weeks or months. By keeping your goals close to you and in a place where you can frequently review and even speak them out loud is a great way to reinforce them.
I am excited about 2009! I’ve got some big goals which make me nervous and excited about achieving but I know I will succeed once I begin to see them as destinations and start working towards completing them. Your goals can take you anyplace you want to go. Everything on Earth started with a thought. Make you thoughts become reality by putting action on your “dreams” and turning them into goals which are fluid and forward moving and achieving.
Happy New Year and Shine On!
