The 4 factors we cannot ignore when we go after our goals

Goal achievement has been one of the issues coming up over and over again in my training sessions over the last few years (notice that I didn’t say goal setting!!!). Even though people are clear with what they want to achieve and are able to set the goal, many have struggled to achieve them. A major reason for this is that there is a lack of clarity. Clarity is really about attaching details to the goal you are going after and the lack of clarity is what will prevent action. How can we achieve more clarity about the things we want to achieve? here are some things to consider:

1. State the goal in the positive: Your goal should reflect something that you are going towards and not something you are moving away from. A major reason for this is that your subconscious mind doesn’t recognize negatives. If I told you: Don’t think of a black cat right now…you will have to think of a black cat before you could “un-think” it. Quitting smoking is not a goal stated in the positive. A goal stated this way will give attention to the very thing you are trying to get away from. Living a healthier lifestyle, however, would encourage positive action and brings me to my next point.
2. Give your goal as much detail as possible: The more detail you give to your goal, the more you will feel “buy-in” to do the things you need to do. It gives you a clearer vision of what that goal will look like and feel like. Lack of clarity will lead to resistance. One of the greatest gifts that we have as human beings is that we can imagine a possible future that is better than the one we have now so we should jump on the opportunity to experience it.
3. Put in the steps: Sometimes goals seem so far away, so immense, so threatening but when steps are in place, the task is less threatening and more likely to get done. Having steps is like having an off-ramp on the highway. The off-ramp makes it easier for us to get off and to our destination. It is human nature for us to look for an easier route. Look at Fed Ex, one-click ordering on Amazon, pizza delivery, and the ATM. All of these have made it easier for us to act. It, therefore, makes sense that we make our goals easier to get to by giving ourselves an off-ramp.

4. Set deadlines: Deadlines have immense power. They are not there to make you panic, they are there to help you to focus. There is a reason why Christmas Eve is the busiest shopping day of the year. It is a deadline that you can’t change. For this reason, your goal and well as the steps should have deadlines.

These factors allow us to be engaged in the goal achievement process and allow us to recognize opportunities as opportunities and not a distraction.

Tony Ragoonanan
Founder of V-Formation Training and Development
Professional Speaker and Trainer
868-681-3492 | tonyr0909@gmail.com