Goal Planning

The idea of this blog came about when I grew dissatisfied with what I was experiencing with the secret. While there are some good points to consider in the secret like visualizing what you want as if you have it. It lacks the further steps in what has been taught by many personal achievement teachers. Visualization is a good first step and it helps you to stay focused on your goals as you make progress. Proper goal setting and reevaluation are very important steps that are missing in the secret.

It is important to make a side point about the secret; it’s not that I am against it the secret has some points that are useful. For me using it wasn’t enough to succeed as an insurance sales man. I visualized so much and yet it never manifested into sales. In the end I did not make a fortune and rather lost money. To me it was no better than wishful thinking. Since then I have had a few mentors that have shown me the light and some practical skills in getting what I want out of life.

One of the first steps is to make a list of what you want to accomplish. This list can be complex or small. The bigger goals you can break down into smaller step goals. You can visualize the end result if you have no idea how to get there and work backwards.

Then you should chose the first goal, something small that is logical to you for a first step and small enough to accomplish nothing too hard not hard enough to get through. Remember make it small and not large and complex. What you do not want to do is to overwhelm yourself.

Make sure that your goals fit your values and that they are really what you want to get out of your life. You can ask yourself some of these questions to see if your goals fit your values. What would achieving this goal bring into my life? When I have achieved this goal how will I feel? Plan for success when stating and creating your goals, know your limits and which limits you can exceed. Do something small everyday to help you meet your goal. Keep it simple and don’t ever over complicate. For example if your goal is to lose twenty pounds. As a daily goal you would state: today I am going to show up at the gym.

Keep a journal and make daily entries on your goals, this proves to be extremely helpful when evaluating how far you’ve come. Ask weekly questions in your journal. Such as: What have I done to accomplish my daily goals? Are my goals still some thing that is important to my life?

Try to enjoy yourself as you go along and focus on the activities that will bring results then as you progress you start to notice results. Sometimes the results can sneak up on you. Such as the time I worked on losing weight and I noticed my shorts wouldn’t stay up on the treadmill. While it is a silly way to notice results in the end it felt good. Do what you have to do to get results provided it doesn’t violate your values. If you are not getting results reevaluate. Next week we’ll go into more details on planning and evaluating goals and progress. Until then enjoy your life’s adventures.