Power Talk January 2012 – by Mark Gaylard
It’s that time of year again; the tree is probably still up, slightly wilted. The presents that you are keeping have been put away, the rest have been returned, or are on re-gift standby should you have an unexpected guest drop in.
New Year’s Eve has come and gone again too. And those pesky resolutions you made last year are still out there somewhere gathering dust.
Let me guess, you made a valiant pledge again this year to, loose weight, make more money, get a new job, start a relationship or end one, change hair color… blah… blah… blah…, stop when I mention yours! The hard truth about New Year’s resolutions is that, statically, only 5 % of the population who make resolutions follow through with them for more than 3 months!
So if you are one of the few congratulations. This behaviour probably shows up elsewhere in your life too.
A resolution is merely a fancy word for a goal. However, resolution sounds better when accompanied with a glass or two of cheap champagne.
Goals are something that should be ongoing. Setting a goal and achieving it means that you are growing. If something is not growing, it’s dying. Worse than that, if you become complacent you are dying on this vine we call life. It doesn’t sound very appealing now does it?
Like everything in life success leaves a multitude of clues. There are strategies for achievement; the same way there are strategies to win at a board game.
“Stop the tape here, and get a pen!”
It’s important to remember that everything you have created or achieved that is part of your outside world started in your head as an idea. That idea then gained reliance, and quickly became a goal. One of your earliest goals was to speak your first word, followed by a first step, tying your shoes and so on. Just imagine what your life would be like if you had given up on the fundamental goals that shape your world today. Setting goals creates the future in advance.
Goals are simply dreams with a time line attached to them. The key to achievement is similar to the rules for building a house. The first step is to conceive it. Make the goal real in your head. Then you must put total belief behind whatever it is you want to accomplish. Creating a detailed blueprint will allow you to see what your goals look like on paper. The problem that most people run into is, they speak their goals, but that’s usually where it ends.
As simple as it sounds: “Write them down”. More importantly, make them compelling enough so you must achieve them. Dig deep into your core and build a list of goals that if obtained will have a dramatic effect on your life. Start with 2 or 3 at most. The next step is to put them in priorities sequence.
Following that, attach a date to each goal, a date that indicates when you will achieve that particular goal. You must decide what actions you will take consistently in order to reach your goals. Keep this in mind. When you talk about it, it’s a dream. When you visualize it, it gets exciting. When you plan it, it’s possible. But when you schedule it, IT’S REAL. (Tony Robbins)
For example, one of the most common resolutions people make is to get fit or lose weight. The question is: what does that really mean? If you want to lose weight, how much, by when, and using what method? These are the questions you need answered to be successful.
Once you have determined the why’s and how’s the reasons and answers. You can move forward with your action plan. Figure out what actions you have to take every day to successfully achieve your goals.
All this takes planning, but I assure you, if you do it this way, you have a very good chance of becoming one of the 5%!
Don’t dream it, be it.
Always Live with Passion.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkGCoaching