Monthly Archives: October 2011

Oct 24
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Goals are for Winning

By | Motivation, Productivity | One Comment

Goaaaaal!What is a Goal?

A goal is defined as “the aim or object towards which endeavour is directed…” When you set goals you have clear aims and objectives towards which to channel your effort and energy.

For me it’s the art and science of coaching. Combining the left part of your brain – logical, linear, analytical thinking –  with the right side of your brain – creative, visual, imaginative thinking and then wrapping it in passion and energy from your heart to make goals which are truly compelling.

How can you make your goals into reality?

I recommend that my clients use the GROW method,  based on John Whitmore’s work. It is a brilliant yet simple model used in coaching. GROW has 4 steps:

  1. Goal
  2. Reality
  3. Options
  4. What will you do?

By defining goals you visualise the new exciting place you want to be.  You build a compelling future.  You create a state of motivation.

Moving onto the now, the current reality, is the second stage. A gap is created between where you are now and where you want to be.

How do you fill the gap?  You identify the best options through creative thinking, breaking the final goal up into achievable steps, or sub-goals.  Be realistic and build in a contingency – anything new and worth achieving often takes longer than you think!

Then the tough bit…you commit to action. When, where, how will you deliver on this goal? What will you do?

Having a destination to aim for and a plan to get there is key.

If you think about a great holiday, a successful dinner party, a business launch they are the end result of some specific goal setting. They don’t just happen. That same level of energy and thought can be applied equally to careers, professions and business but often isn’t. Why? Because we are too busy living our daily lives, too involved, too close to see a different set of choices.

So, what will YOU do?


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Oct 10
0

Keeping Motivated

By | Motivation | One Comment

The only way is up! Looking up at the Eiffel tower.How do you keep motivated? We recommend keeping a success diary each evening. By tracking your progress you get a sense of movement and results.

Going public can help some people as they are motivated by not letting others down or not wanting to face the embarrassment of saying they haven’t achieved x and y. Creating an environment that supports rather than distracting or tempting you away from your goals is also hugely beneficial.

The most common excuse for not taking time to get motivated is lack of time. Most of us have as much energy as we require to do the things we want to do. Often the problem is we want the wrong things! Ask these 2 questions:

“Is it fair to everybody involved?”

“Will it take me closer to my major objective?”

Failure can be a great motivator. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says “Failure is an event not a person.” The most successful people learn from mistakes, they have a go and move on.

To finish on a ‘high’, quite literally, think of your motivation towards achieving your goals as like winning the pole vault. You aim for your personal best, you reach it, then you aim higher and this time you beat your best.

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