Goals, Goals, Goals!

By | Motivation, Productivity | No Comments

10 Features of Well-Written Goals

In my last post, I explained the basics of goal-setting and now I fill this out with some tips on how to write your goals:

  1. They match with your personal and professional/organisational values.
  2. Goals are written down otherwise they are dreams or wishes. Keep a diary or notebook to record these. If you are more of a visual person a mind map may capture your thoughts better than traditional notes. Tony Buzan is the best author on this subject.
  3. They are reviewed regularly. To do this keep them handy, always in the same place and create a good habit of say reviewing every Sunday evening. Tracking your progress and refreshing yourself keeps you focused and gives clarity to decision making in the week and month ahead. A success diary breeds further success.
  4. Goals are specific, e.g. I want to live in a white house with a sweeping staircase.
  5. They are written in the positive e.g. I want to achieve a weight of X stones/Kg/pounds.
  6. Goals are captured in the imagination. You can visualise how they will look and feel. I have a visual part to my business plan to inspire me.
  7. They are measurable. How will you know when you have achieved the goal?
  8. Goals are challenging, to stretch you and motivate you, but not so hard that they seem too daunting and out of reach. Remember – bite size chunks.
  9. They are achievable and within your influence and largely within your control. Big goals can suit teams and departments who can together set and agree action steps.
  10. They are set within a timeframe. Allow two and a half times longer than your gut instinct suggests to allow for obstacles and emergencies.

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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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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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Kick-start your Motivation to Achieve Success

By | Motivation | 3 Comments

beginning a journey - view through my aeroplane window

“To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.” says Stephen Covey.

Motivation is the incentive to get things done. Motivation is about drawing out what is already inside. It is the key to using the abilities, knowledge, and talents that you have, in order to reach worthwhile objectives – your vision, your dreams, your ambitions and success.

So how do you establish what is success? These are frequent comments made by clients:

“I want something different.” “I know what I don’t want.”

Coaching usually starts with defining what the longer term vision is. What is it that you do want to happen?  What is it you want to plan to happen rather than leave to chance?

This vision could be 1, 2, or 5 years out and involves describing in as much detail as you can how the future will be.  For you, for your business, for your job.  What will it look like? How will it feel if you achieve this?  Getting real clarity about the future gives direction and focus.

Sometimes you can better describe what you don’t want. An understanding of this can then help shape what you do want. Interestingly you get what you focus on. The subconscious mind will work to achieve the things you think about most of the time, whether you want them or not.

A vision that suits you

To check out it’s a vision that suits you, creating some awareness about your purpose helps crystallize what you are doing it for. Will you be happy if you achieve this? Will you be satisfied? Or is the price to pay for this too high? Understanding what your values are assists with the alignment of your vision with you and what makes you tick.  Some examples of values are:

  • Economic security
  • Family happiness
  • Integrity

Go on – get in touch for help in creating your vision.

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