Summertime has come and gone. The white wardrobe is back in the closet until next year. It’s back to school and back to business. It’s time to get refocused, re-energized and to develop a clear vision of what you want to get accomplished to ensure a strong finish this year.
There are 3 keys to ensuring your success to achieving your goals this year:
1. Have a clear vision. It is said that when you don’t have a clear vision of what you want, any road will get you there. Goals define the path you will take. So a great place to start is to ensure you have SMART Goals in place. Ask yourself, what specifically do you want? SMART Goals are – Simple and Specific, Measurable and Meaningful to you, written As if now and consider All areas of your life, Realistic and Responsible, Timed and Towards what you want.
2. Maintain focus on your goal. Once you have a clear vision of what you want, the next step is to make an internal representation of that goal. You can do this by asking yourself what will you see, hear, feel, when you have accomplished this goal. Get the last step formulated in your mind – this is the thing that tells you you’ve achieved your goal. For example, if it’s achieving a certain income level or bank balance then you might have a clear image in your mind of a bank statement with a specific number on it. Or, if your goal is to become a successful speaker, you might visualize yourself speaking to an audience of 100 or more or to hear the roaring applause of a keynote presentation. This is the image, sound, or feeling you want to lock in and remember. Ensure that you continue to focus on achieving your goal.
There are many ways to keep your goal top of mind. I know someone who has their revenue target number as a screen saver so that every morning when he opens his computer it is the first thing he sees. I personally have a vision board (corkboard) which I pin pictures and words to that depicts my goals. As I achieve certain goals I replace them with new images and words. I have heard of people putting post-it notes on their fridge, bathroom mirror, or laptop as a constant reminder. Another terrific practice is to write out your goal or goals every morning and then read them out loud to yourself. The process of writing your goals engages your kinesthetic neurology, while reading them out loud engages your auditory and visual processes. Daily reminders are great.
It is said that the conscious mind is the goal setter while the unconscious mind is the goal getter. The act of developing goals is very much a conscious activity, while achieving the goal engages unconscious behaviors. Therefore, engaging your unconscious mind in focusing on the goal aids in your potential to successfully attain your goal.
3. Take Action. Lastly it is important to take action. It’s not enough to create SMART goals and then simply focus on achieving your goals. You must take regular and consistent action. No matter how big or small the action is, what’s really important is to initiate some kind of action that will continue to move you in the direction of your goal. Make a plan for getting things done. Prioritize the items in your plan and take daily action.
With a clear vision of where you want to be by the end of this year, structures in place to ensure you maintain focus on your goal over the next few months, and a solid plan for taking action, you are well on your way to achieve what you set out to achieve this year.
If you need some assistance with goal setting, maintaining focus on your goals or an accountability partner to ensure you are taking daily action, please call Linda at 416-617-0734 or email linda@lindacattelan.com.
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