1 Define your goal
The first step is to define
your goal. Perhaps you've always dreamt about running a race or learning
a new language? Maybe you're determined to seek a promotion or you
simply want to shed a few kilos. Consider everything. What would you do
if you had more time? What would you like to accomplish in the future?
What do you regret about the past? In the words of motivational speaker
Les Brown (www.lesbrown.com),
"Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is
possible for your life." Whatever you choose, make sure your goal is
specific, achievable and tangible.
2 Set your deadline
A goal without a deadline can be forever postponed, so set a deadline and aim
to be as realistic as possible. If your goal is to lose a certain
amount of weight for example, count on losing 2 pounds (around one kilo)
per week. If you have your eye on that promotion, think about when your
next appraisal is scheduled or another opportunity when you will have
the chance to shine. Diana Scharf Hunt, author of The Tao of Time
(Fireside), summed it up perfectly by saying, "Goals are dreams with
deadlines."
True motivation comes from
understanding your underlying purpose, so think about what that is.
Ensure your goal is something that you really want and not what others
want you to do. Ensure also, that the goal you have set is in line with
your overall purpose. If your purpose is to get fit, then a weight-loss
goal may not be in line with this - it is possible to be slim, but still
be unfit. Instead, it should rather be, "To achieve the same fitness
levels I had when I was 20".
Determine, and better still,
write down, the benefits you expect to enjoy from reaching your goal.
Ask yourself what you will achieve from conquering your goal? Defining
the benefits will help you to overcome moments of weakness. Evaluate
these carefully and your goals will become much more attainable and your
motivation increased. Lucy Mackintosh, NLP Coach and founder of The Law
of Attraction Group in Dubai (www.lawofattractiondubai.com)
says, "Write them on post-it notes and stick them on the fridge, in the
car, on a mirror; by never losing sight of the benefits of success,
your goal will remain at the forefront of your mind which will only
strengthen your resolve."
You must believe your goal is
achievable; unless you believe you can 100 per cent reach it, you will
have no true motivation. Those who think they can and those who think
they can't are both right; the power of positive thinking knows no end.
According to Carolyn Mitchell, NLP Life Coach and owner of Blue Sky Life
Coaching (www.blueskylifecoaching.ae),
"Affirmations are an excellent tool to promote self-belief and assure
ourselves of positive outcomes. Begin with fast forwarding to the time
when you have achieved your goal. Learn what it feels like [in your
mind] to experience what the success of achieving your goal means to
you. Feel it or see it for yourself. Once you have learned what success
feels like, you simply can't 'unlearn' it. By writing, reading and
re-experiencing those feelings of success over and over again you are
essentially telling yourself what you want by believing that you already
have it."
Now identify your potential
obstacles. When suddenly faced with obstacles it can be difficult to
remain focused and energetic. They can sap your energy, time and
enthusiasm. What may hinder your progress? Old habits die hard and
current mindsets can be difficult to shift, but identifying the
obstacles will prepare you for the road ahead - forewarned is forearmed
after all. "Be perfectly honest with yourself," says Carolyn, "this is
the only way to identify all the possible problem areas. And only when
you identify these can you develop strategies to minimise them."
7 Seek the Solutions
Think about how you can
overcome these obstacles. What in your life needs changing? This is your
opportunity to plan your strategies for handling the setbacks. If you
consider each obstacle, one by one, you can easily identify a suitable
solution; this may mean a change to your usual routine, enlisting the
support of a friend or family member or a change to your current
mindset. "If you can't find the solution yourself then ask someone who
has achieved a similar goal how they did it" says Lucy, "or imagine you
are sitting with a role model, a top athlete, for example. Ask them what
to do and then put yourself in their shoes and give the advice they
would give."
Take time to imagine that you
have achieved your goal. What is it like? How do you feel? Excited?
Exuberant? How has your life changed? How does it look, feel or sound?
Capture that moment in your head and never lose sight of it. Try to make
your vision so clear that you can perceive it with all five senses. The
clearer the image in your mind, the easier it is to manifest into
reality or in the words of Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow
Rich (Ballantine Books), "What the mind can conceive and believe it can
achieve."
9 Create your action plan
Create a step-by-step action
plan detailing exactly what you need to do to achieve the goal. Remember
in step one we identified that goals are the road maps that guide you?
Well think of your action plan as the specific directions to get you to
your destination, via the quickest and easiest route possible. Depending
on the nature of your goal, identify any major milestones necessary to
achieve it, then break down each milestone into specific tasks or steps.
Sometimes just knowing where to start is hard, in which case enlist the
support of others, be it friends, colleagues or a support group. Be
prepared to journal the process. Writing things down helps to collate
our thoughts, handle potholes and identify and deal with weaknesses.
Strive to make progress every day. Every single day. And tell everyone
you know about your goal - accountability is a great way to ensure that
you do what needs to be done
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