Legendary Zig Ziglar humorously describes how we we tend to postpone and procrastinate goals. We can always find a reason not to put them into action. But they’re just excuses. Unless you take action on your goals now, and make them a priority, you’ll never get to them.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
by Loretta Love-Huff
Goal-setting is an important activity for those who yearn to live an accomplished life. Yet, many people do not set goals and others who do, don’t set them well.
There was a purported study inaccurately attributed to Harvard or Yale about about the impact of setting goals. The ‘study’ concluded that 83%of the population didn’t have identified goals. It further showed that 14% had goals but only a mere 3% of the population had written theirs down. It went on to say that years later, the 3% with written goals had earned 10 times more than everyone else. (The statistics vary based on whose interpretation of the ‘study’ you read.) As it turns out, that study never happened.
‘Facts’ aside, it reinforces the concept of writing your goals down.
An actual study conducted later by Gail Matthews, PhD at Dominican University revealed 3 important conclusions:
1. Be clear on your goals and write them down.
2. Develop a plan on how you are going to achieve them.
3. Develop an accountability mechanism.
I haven’t conducted a study. However, I have been active in the performance improvement and performance enhancement field for a surprisingly long time (read, “decades”).
Here’s my take on the 5 critical components of what it takes to make magic happen.
1. Have a clear goal
OK, this is a pretty consistent first step across all platforms so I won’t spend a lot of time on it. Yet it is still one many people skip. Don’t be one of them. ‘Nuf said?
Know where your end destination is, whether its later today or later in life. Pick a specific, measurable ‘what’ you will accomplish and a ‘by when’ it will be done.
2. Know your “Why”
Knowing why you want to achieve the goal is at least as important a motivating factor as knowing what it is you want. Accomplishing goals, especially big, hairy ones, will likely take an inordinate amount of effort. You’ll probably NOT have smooth sailing along the way, so having a deep urge, a deep longing, an important reason to continue in the face of all of the crap on the road is critical.
3. Feel your success
Imagine how you’ll feel once your end goal is reached. Will you feel fulfilled, safe, secure, happy, proud, satisfied, excited, peaceful, powerful, confident? What ever the emotion, start ‘practicing’ feeling it NOW, even before you have the ‘thing’. Don’t wait until you get there, feeling that ‘future’ emotion now will make life more enjoyable, help support your motivation factor and actually help draw in the resources, ideas and connections to help you get there.
Time will pass more easily if you’re not waiting for the future to feel good. Be that feeling now.
4. Think about how you’ll make it happen
I was listening to Brian Tracy speak at the Arizona Chapter of the National Speakers Association earlier this month. He had conducted a study of high achievers. He said there were two factors that distinguished top performers from everyone else. First, they had big, clear goals. And, secondly, they thought constantly about how they could achieve them.
I would veer away from the idea of constantly thinking about ‘how’. I would say, constantly focus on the ‘what’ and the ‘feeling’, but allow for the creative process, for divine intervention, coincidence, providence, unexpected inspirations to light the path forward for you.
5. Be happy now
This is related, but slightly different that point 3. The tip here is to focus on things that RIGHT NOW are going well: things your grateful for, things you’re happy about TODAY.
I was listening to Marshall Sylver, host of the Million Dollar Television Network. He was also talking about focus and achieving goals. He said “You get what you focus on.” So instead of focusing on all of your problems, focus on what you want more of in your life.
Pharrel Williams also was definitely on to something with his inspired song, Happy. The words, energy and message resonated with people around the world. The song extols the virtues of being happy.
In one verse, he describes the feeling of letting things roll off his back. “…Here come bad news, talkin’ this and that. Give me all you got, don’t hold it back. I should probably warn you, I’ll be just fine. No offense to you, don’t waste your time. Because I’m happy!”
So, to quote another song from way back, “Don’t worry. Be happy.” Focus on what matters. Your goals, your dreams, your happy, grateful, positive feelings and what you want are what really matters.
Copyright 2014 Loretta Love-Huff
All Rights Reserved
Would you like to learn more simple ways business owners and career professionals can EXCEED their dreams: accomplish bigger goals, earn more money, and generally live a happier, more productive life? Check out my website www.EmeraldHarvest.com/destiny for free resources. Award-winning consultant, speaker, author and coach Loretta Love Huff, is “The Dream Leader for Business™.”
Everyone has a life purpose, though they may not know what it is. Many people are confused about their purpose and look in the wrong places for it. Discover how you can express your life purpose right where you are, and 3 ideas to discover what it is.
by Barb Wade
I love to give gifts, and give thanks, and give service to others – that’s one reason I love the holidays so much. But for those of us “givers” it’s sometimes a little more difficult to receive.
The ironic thing is that receiving is actually an innate “skill” that we all have when we are children. But at some point, we are told that it is selfish or wrong to enjoy receiving.
We hear, “It is better to give than receive” constantly. But that is an erroneous equation. Both giving and receiving are rich in their own gifts, and both are necessary to have a balanced life.
This is from a book called Soul Currency by Ernest Chu:
“Most of us, as we conduct our everyday lives, exhibit difficulty in receiving… We too often subordinate our needs to those of loved ones and friends. […] When the circulation of love is stopped by an inability to receive, then eventually we have little or nothing left to give.”
You must complete the “circuit,” as it were, in order for the most powerful flow to happen. It’s strange that we think of giving being an act of humility, but I have often felt most humbled when I truly accepted someone’s love through receiving.
Just imagine how your finances and income is influenced by your inability to receive – if you can’t receive, money can’t flow to you!
One of the ways that we block ourselves from attracting abundance is by giving more attention to the lack of what we want rather than the fulfillment of what we want. Then, by the “like-attracts-like principle,” we recreate the lack of what we want.
And remember: we’re not just talking about receiving material objects and items. This is about our ability to open up to joy, love, well-being, abundance, and all the other things that are available to us.
Have you ever had someone complement you on what you are wearing and your reaction was “Oh this? It’s just a thing I threw on. I got it on sale…” etc, etc.
That is just one way of not receiving or deflecting love and affection. But you not only cheat yourself out of fully experiencing that love, but you short-change the giver’s experience of happily contributing.
So during this season of giving, isn’t it a good time to start practicing gracious receiving as well?
The next time someone gives you a complement, try this: smile, fully take it in, and simply say “thank you” – no deflecting or excuses, just put your focus on connecting with the other person and then notice how you feel.
You see, giving and receiving aren’t really opposites. They are part of an energy loop that is only truly effective if the circle continues and grows unbroken.
Business Coach & Mentor Barb Wade specializes in teaching entrepreneurs how to make more money more easily while enjoying a business and lifestyle that reflects their priorities. Download Barb’s “Word-for-Word Scripts To Overcome Objections” and book more high-paying clients now at www.BarbWade.com
This is just for fun. Captain Picard and the characters of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” sing “Let It Snow.” If you’re a Trekkie (like me), you’ll enjoy this. Have a Happy Holiday.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Your life is run by habits. One of the habits that is essential, but that is ignored too often, is the one of self-care. It recharges your batteries and helps you deal with the challenges you face. Learn how important self-care is and how you can include it in your life.
Jeff and I recently made our annual pilgrimage to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. This year, I’d developed a cold the previous week and successfully recovered enough for our weekend. The weather was lovely and, as usual, we had a wonderful time.
Jeff regularly wins awards for hitting the target with axes or stars. I just throw stars, and usually, I’m just thrilled when I get them to stick into the back board. But for the first time, I won an award for hitting the target with a star.
We attended some of our favorite entertainments and a new one. At Don Juan and Miguel’s show, when Don Juan used his whip to clip the pasta from Miguel’s mouth, some of it landed in my lap.
At the Fare-Thee-Well, where entertainers and attendees dance to the beat of drums, a couple of little girls grabbed my hand and started twirling with me. After they ran off, I danced until the cannon boomed and signaled the end of the day.
*Sigh.* Until next year.
Shawn Achor is a researcher in the field of positive psychology. Using a humorous, personal example, he explains that how we perceive our lives creates our experience. He goes on to explain how we have the success equals happiness equation is backwards. When we can reverse that equation, we have a statistically higher chance of success, productivity and many more positive outcomes. In this video, he includes several quick tips on how to improve our state of mind.
When you live according to what is important to you, you’re living in tune with your deepest self. Discovering what your values are helps you to make wiser decisions. Learn 6 ways to clarify your values and gain the sense of fulfillment living according to them gives you.
When I’m writing an article and in a happy place, my creativity flows relatively smoothly. An article may not fall onto the page fully formed, but even if it comes together in pieces, ideas come to me rather easily.
However, when I’m upset, anxious or angry, trying to write an article is like dragging an anchor over rocky ground. It gets caught on each small stone, and I have to work it free. It’s a struggle and anything but enjoyable.
Now a study has actually validated that being in a positive mood allows the brain to think better and more creatively.
“Generally, positive mood has been found to enhance creative problem solving and flexible yet careful thinking,” says Ruby Nadler, co-author of a study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. She and colleagues Rahel Rabi and John Paul Minda at The University of Western Ontario carried out this study.
They found that a positive mood allowed subjects to better able think innovatively, creatively and strategically. They suggest music, or even watching funny videos online to increase this type of productivity.
Employers may object to what they consider wasting time, but it actually may improve employee’s efficiency and morale. So employers may want to consider your lifting your mood a positive use of time.
Information in this article is based on an article at Science Daily, Positive Mood Allows Human Brain to Think More Creatively.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart