DENNIS INSPIRATION: 4. SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF

Goals are found to be the important component to achieve success.  It serves as a guide to keep people on course when times get tough, and prevents getting distracted by unimportant matters.  Goal setting is an art and not a science.  Thus, there are no hard-and-fast rules for setting goals.  Goals are set for different reasons to achieve different outcomes.   It provides:

• Future direction
• Facilitate planning
• Motivate employees
• Limiting stress
• Quicker results

 Setting goals are actually setting out a map of what we want to achieve.  We will be more likely to recognize and identify the things that will take us closer to our goal.  Many people have a basic idea of what they want to achieve in life.  So, map out all that is required to get the desired result.  Although there is no hard-and-fast rule on goal setting, there are some good methods in setting goals.  Other than SMART or SMATER, here is another method called the 6 Point Method:

• Specific and Beneficial
• Attainable
• Have a timetable – a Deadline
• Breakdown in small easy steps
• Actionable
• Result oriented

Some benefits of goal setting are:

1. Makes you responsible for your own success or failure
2. Able to define real life actions – separates it from just wishful thinking
3. Forces you to set priorities and thus helping you to limit getting involved in distracting things
4. Give you a ‘track to run on’ – a path to follow, so you know where you are going
5. Help you to visualize and plan actions to achieve what you want – than carry it out
• Clearer focus
• Optimum use of resources
• Effective use of time
• Peace of mind
6. Give you a sense of past victories of goals accomplished and motivation to succeed in current goals
7. Improve your self-image
8. Makes you aware of your own strength
9. Serve as a guide and clarity in making decisions
10. Make you aware of your weaknesses and turn them into strengths

There are much more benefits of setting goals.  Still, there are some excuses for not setting goals:

• Fear of being criticized for not reaching the goals
• Like to sit back and wait for miracles
• Think that goal setting is taking too much time

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached,

Don’t adjust the goals,

Adjust the action steps.

Confucius