Finding Your Great Goal
Most busy professionals follow one of three paths when pursuing their desires, ambitions, and goals.
The first group lacks clear plans and goals and relies on external factors for success. It’s not that they don’t have a list of wants in their life, but they tend to depend on resources outside of their control. 85% of the people you meet fall into this category. They have no specific goals that they’re focused on achieving. They work day by day, maybe weekend to weekend, with little thought of the cause and effect their action or inaction plays in their life.
The second group has goals but faces internal challenges of insecurity and doubt. The specificity of their goal may vary from person to person but ask them what their goal is, and they can tell you. It might sound suspiciously like a wish, but these people have a desire. They’re capable of achieving their goal but often sabotage themselves. 10% of the people you meet are in this group.
The third and final group, the most successful, is characterized by specific, confident goals and meticulous planning. They demonstrate the importance of writing goals and developing action plans to make dreams a reality. They are far more specific when they describe their goals. Even if they sound far-fetched, something about their confidence and self-assuredness convinces you it’s not an idle dream of theirs. It’s a worthwhile great goal, and there’s probably no stopping them. They have a secret weapon. Not only do they physically write down their goals (something 95% of the people you know don’t do) they also make plans toward accomplishing their goals. A plan needn’t be more elaborate than a series of tasks and a deadline to meet each task. People with great goals achieve the important things they set out to accomplish because they do the work required.
Be sure to equip yourself with a clear goal and a plan. How?
Goal Creation
It’s been said that people don’t achieve their goals because they have too many. It’s more likely that people confuse a list of wishes with goals. Goals give you vision and direction to create an action plan toward achieving them.
Here’s an exercise to help you identify the one motivating goal, your Great Goal, burning inside you. Have a singular Great Goal that takes precedence over all others. Follow these five steps to help focus your thinking.
1. Answer these questions:
- If I won one million dollars tomorrow, what would I do?
- If I could change one thing about my body, what would it be?
- Who do I wish to be, and why?
- What skill do I wish I had learned as a child?
- Where do I see my career in five years?
2. Pick One
Choose the one answer from above that provoked the greatest visceral reaction, good or bad, within you. That’s your goal for this exercise. Reflect on it and determine what part you could feasibly accomplish in a year or so.
3. Pick a Time Frame
You are not going to accomplish your Great Goal with one half-baked action. Break it down and determine how long it will take to achieve this goal; one week, one month, six months? Hint, make your best guess and double it.
4. Determine the cost
What will it cost you to achieve this goal in either time, talent (effort), or treasure (money)?
5. Fill in the blanks
I resolve to (____answer from step 2____) in (____answer from step 3____) by (____answer from step 4____).
Refine this statement in a way that speaks to you. Write it on a note card, fold it, and bring it everywhere. Read it as often as possible, at least twice daily, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Congratulations, you’re on your way and already have done more work on your personal development than ninety percent of the people you interact with daily. I’d love to hear about your success. Send me a message once you’ve achieved your goal, and tell me how long it took. You can also contact me if you want an accountability partner to help you stay on track.
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