Friday, August 21, 2009

Goal Setting and Achievement.

I want to talk about goal setting and achievement this month. I believe this is so very important because without goal setting you have nothing. Some people achieve plenty in their lives and are quite unaware of the goal setting part that seems to come natural to them.

Perhaps you are one of those natural achievers who don't actually plan and conspire to become successful, if so, imagine what you could achieve if you actually did set your goals properly.

This talk is really for those of you who can't seem to get things moving. This is going to sound strange; I get stuck all the time myself! That is why I feel well qualified to talk about getting moving and keeping momentum! Yes, I have to keep reorganising and re-starting, setting and re-setting my goals in order to get things done. This is all part of achievement but I didn't realise it at first!

I look back over my successes and ask myself how did I do that? I'll sometimes remember the A, B and/or C got in my way to stop me, but somehow I still achieved it. It comes down to persistence and, if there is one thing that singularly sums up this, it is that; Achieving your goals, the work that goes into it has to be done on a regular daily basis, it is just like getting washed, it only lasts a short time and then you have to repeat the process.

The 'just like getting washed, you have to do it every day' term, hits home with me, because I used to have negative people around me who used to say that I was getting brainwashed (being asked to read books and listen to tape recordings), by some of the many organisations I have been part of in years gone by. I used to say to those ney-sayers back then - Yes, I am getting brainwashed! I'm getting brainwashed to become rich and successful. Whats your excuse?

Most people will knock your dreams, plans and goals, if you let them know you have them. I'm not sure exactly why this is, I just know that it does happen. I could go into the many reasons why I think this is, but there is little point. Just suffice to say, don't tell others of your dreams, plans and goals if you really want to succeed. You may test the ground a little with a close spouse or business partner if your objectives are similar, but I wouldn't go further than that.

So, you need to set your goals realistically. Your first goals should be to get your current life in order, getting all your bills paid on-time and designing a health and fitness regime that you can stick to. Without this there is not much point to planning for big lifestyle changes. To set your goals properly, you need to read and learn much more than we have space or time to write down here. I suggest you look to reading as many books on self development and goal setting as you can lay your hands on. There are many methods and routs you can take and unfortunately, what works for one person will not always work for someone else.

The best advice I can give, is to keep reading and learning. You are almost assured to eventually find the method and route that is right for you. I hope you aren't one of those, "I've already tried everything" people. If so, you'd better just make the final decision to give up trying now, because subconsciously, if that's what you really believe, then you are already beat. Just say "that's it, I've tried everything and nothing has worked", just give up and put yourself out of your misery, stop trying and go back to a normal life of living day to day, you'll be happy.

If that last suggestion doesn't work for you, then great, there's hope for you yet. Listen, no-one in the world has ever tried everything. It's like this, even if you could life more than one lifetime, you still would not have the time to try all the myriad of different methods that have been devised, for becoming successful in life. Think about it, millions of people have written self help and- how to be successful books. Many will be repetitious of others in the market and many will be hybrid systems based on others, most will be biographical, in that, this is the way I did it. One person success stories and the like.

Not knowing you, the way I would suggest to anyone to start on the road to success is to do what I did, starting with reading any self-development books that you can get your hand on. My first was 'Think and Grow Rich', which is old but still relevant and is also available in audio formats now, so that you can listen whilst driving, exercising or working. That would be my next tip, to fit in your new education plan, so that it merges into you current schedule. I like multitasking. By putting on a tape or a video whilst exercising I am getting twice the benefit from my time. 'Time is my only limited resource' should be your new self talk statement that comes under the heading of realisations.

Self-Talk is an important step in becoming successful, having positive self-talk and reminding yourself of how things actually are, (realisations). Keep a small pocket book, that you can carry with you at all times and write your self-talk statements into it. Read it as frequently as possible. Even to this day, (Currently Aug 2009 as I write), I still carry a pocket book of self-talk statements. I read through the book daily, mainly as part of my main goal setting and repetition hour at 6 - 7 am everyday.

I was looking through it earlier today too, whilst waiting for my wife and youngest child Liam age 8, who went shopping to pick up a pair of roller-skates for Liam. I decided to stay in the car. I often use this type of time for this purpose. It is prime moments like this, alone, that I can meditate and think through my challenges and make my plans. When my wife and Liam returned to the car, I had been thinking and busily writing more thoughts into the pocket-book. It is exciting and easy to do and I can generate lots of good ideas and develop plans that otherwise would I would not be able to spend time on.

I think that that's enough for this post, I can easily get carried away, I do have a lot more to say on this subject and if you are interested in reading further about my life and how I accomplish my goals then please return from time to time. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading and I would like to help you achieve your goals too. I can offer to keep writing about the way my goals are achieved and what is important to me and what has worked for me. Perhaps, (I hope), that the things that work out for me, will also work out for you.

AndyGold.

The Secret