How to set Goals

Without goals it’s pretty hard to focus on what you want, actually scrub that… it’s impossible to focus on what you want, which means it’s impossible to get what you want.

Many of us in business have heard of SMART goals, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed… but now it’s time for a change and to look at goals and outcomes in a whole new light.

I use a wholly different approach to working out if your goal is achievable which goes way, WAY beyond the SMART concept – the principle I use looks at your goal from 13 different aspects:

  1. What specifically do you want? And  I mean SPECIFICALLY!
  2. Where are you now?
  3. What will you see, hear and feel when you have it? This makes it oh, so very real and attractive.
  4. How will you know when you have it.
  5. What will your goal/outcome get for you or allow you to do?
  6. Is it only for you?
  7. Where, when, how and with whom do you want it?
  8. What do you have now and what do you need to get your goal/outcome?
  9. For what purpose do you want it?
  10. What will happen if you get it
  11. What won’t happen if you get it?
  12. What will happen if you don’t get it
  13. What won’t happen if you don’t get it?

You’ll be amazed at how using this formula to define your goal will change your focus on that goal.

All you need to do is to write your goal in the present tense “It is 20XX and I am sitting here in my XYZ” – you also need to ensure they have a reference to where you are now (point 2 above) – so your goal would now read “It is 20XX and I am sitting here in my XYZ and as I reflect back to the time in 2013 when I wrote this goal I noticed how far I have come” .

You can then continue writing your goal being very specific about your working life, personal life, relationships, home, family, income and spend time. What specifically do you want in each of these areas and how will you know you have got it?

Once you’ve done this cross check your goal against the 13 points above to ensure that you have addressed each of the specific areas mentioned.

Another thing that the SMART concept doesn’t do is to plan the goal and insert it in to the timeline of your life. I will use Time Line Therapy to work with you to insert the goal in to your plan of the future, this will allow you to clearly see all the things that need to happen leading up to the successful attainment of that goal.

This is a truly life changing technique that really works – a very close friend of mine used this technique to buy his first Aston Martin… so what’s in your goal?

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