Why Should I Set Articles This Year? (Instead of Resolutions)
Every year people make new years resolutions. Many are forgotten
by the end of the very month they make them. Why? Well I'm sure
there are many reasons but one reason is because they did not
sit down and convert that resolution to a well defined and
mapped out goal. Why should you set goals from your resolutions
this year? Well to put it bluntly... Goal setting works! In
every instance of my own personal and professional life I have
found that 100% of the time, no exceptions, goal setting gets me
closer to my objective.
Studies have shown a direct link between goals and enhanced
performance in both sports and business. I will not bore you by
re-quoting the ever popular 1953 Yale study. I will however tell
you about a more recently conducted study. In the study
conducted in 1990 by Edwin A. Locke of the University of
Maryland and Gary P. Latham of the University of Toronto, they
"found that specific, difficult goals consistently led to higher
performance than urging people to do their best." "This is
because do-your-best goals have no external referent and thus
are defined idiosyncratically. This allows for a wide range of
acceptable performance levels, which is not the case when a goal
level is specified." Put more plainly, if you do not define your
goals up front then you will be far more willing to accept
whatever outcome you obtain - good or bad.
The authors specifically mention that goals affect performance
through four means: * Goals focus - focusing activities towards
goal relevant activities. Deterring activities that do not bring
you closer to your goal. * Goals energize - high goals lead to
greater effort than low goals. This energizing effect happens at
both the physical and mental level. * Goals increase persistence
- goals increase effort in either length of time or intensity of
effort. Firm deadlines lead to a more rapid work pace than do
loose ones. * Goals activate the use of current knowledge as
well as the discovery of new goal relevant information and
tactics.
Goals activate, goals motivate, goals push, and goals focus your
efforts. Goals will also increase your ability to take risk...
something you should always do wisely.
"People with goals succeed because they know where they are
going. It's as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale
So, with all that having been said, the Top Reasons to Set Goals
are... 1. Goals give you a target. As the previous study noted
we all perform better when we have a specific target we are
aiming at. Some would even say that we have a built in goal
seeking "success mechanism." This success mechanism is
constantly looking for ways and information that will help us
reach our goal. It seeks answers to our problems and paths
through or around our obstacles, but it needs a target to focus
on.
However, in order to engage this mechanism we must give it a
clearly defined goal. Without one, our success mechanism lies
dormant, or worse, pursues targets we didn't consciously choose.
These unconsciously chosen targets can be selected for us by the
goals of others; our bosses our companies or even our
adversaries for example.
2. Goals can help you concentrate your time and effort. Having a
goal that you truly desire enables you to focus and concentrate
your time, your energy and all your resources to bring the goal
into your reality. Having a goal will bring the things you
desire into your world far faster than wishing or mere hoping
ever could.
If you look at all your knowledge, abilities and available
resources as sunlight. Then you can, via a magnifying glass,
focus all that sunlight into a pinpointed area and generate
enough heat to set things aflame. Your well-defined goal will
become your magnifying glass. Enabling you to focus your current
knowledge, talents and resources. Allowing you to gain new
knowledge, abilities and resources. All of which will clearly
bring you closer and closer to your goals. Allowing you to cut
through the series of obstacles that seem to be in your way
today. Crafting a path to your destination - your goal - in less
time and with far less effort than if you didn't have a goal at
all!
3. Goals provide motivation, persistence and desire. Our
conscious purposes, plans, and tasks affect our actions. Having
a well-defined plan directs your conscious actions; these
actions generate motivation, which generates the next action.
And so on, and so on, and so no. In addition, your focus on your
goal will motivate you to get you around the obstacles and
struggles that your worthy goal will put in front of you. By
focusing on your goal rather that your obstacle you will be more
goaded to continue reaching towards that goal rather than
wallowing in your potential or realized failure.
Where does this motivation come from? It comes from your desire
and purpose. It comes from all the reasons "why" you want to
reach your goal. If you have a goal to have a million-dollar
house - that is not enough. You need to know "why" you want to
have that million-dollar house. Is it going to be the showcase
for all your networking events? Will it be a place for your
family to feel 'at home' no matter what happens outside those
walls? Or is it going to be the house that helps solidify the
neighborhood and spur the growth around it? Whatever your
reason, once your "why" is big enough - you'll have to
motivation to find out the "how." You will continue to find the
"hows" even past each and every obstacle placed in front of you
as long as you focus on the "whys."
4. Goals can provide with your Success Atlas. Once you have your
"whys" your "hows" will begin to form your road map or Success
Atlas. Your Success Atlas will provide you with short-term goals
and immediate tasks, all geared towards you reaching your
long-term goal(s). What once seemed like an impossible goal
become more and more believable, when you break it down into
bite-sized goals and nibblet sized tasks. Each of these smaller
goals and tasks will give you immediate feedback and motivation
to take on the next goal and complete the next task. Each and
every one will be moving you closer and closer to your larger
goal. This feedback in invaluable in your being able to see that
your making progress, or not making process and need to make
changes in your direction. Not every one of your actions will
give you the results you desire. This immediate feedback will
enable to go back to your Success Atlas and re-map your
short-term goals and tasks to incorporate this new feedback
while still maintaining your long term push towards your big
goal. Without a well-defined long-term goal your Success Atlas
towards it this feedback would quite probably be the point at
which you stop - defeated!
As we move in to the New Year, take your resolutions and turn
them into well defined and mapped out goals. Create a Success
Atlas out of your goals that will motivate you to become the
person you most desire to be come. Goals that will bring into
your world all the dreams you have pondered and hoped for.
Allow me to even give you a jump start over everyone else by
giving you a copy of the Success Atlas Goal System so you can
convert your dreams and resolutions into life enhancing goals.
As a subscriber to Success Atlas T.I.P.S. this is my gift to you
as we look at the opening of this New Near!
Go to http://www.successatlas.com/Goals/GoalSystem, get your
copy today and get started on living your life by design. Make
this New Year the year you will look back and say - that was the
year it all began for me!
Think Successfully and Take Action! Tracy