What Can I Do Today to Bring My Goals Closer?  

The following is an excerpt from 'Make Big Changes':

Even the longest journey has to begin with a single step and often this first step - getting started - can be the most difficult. But if you're really serious about wanting to make positive changes, you will need to take action, and the way to get started is to write down the goals you want to accomplish, along with an appropriate timescale for their successful achievement.

How does goal setting work? It does several things: * Focuses your mind on a specific result * Drives your enthusiasm * Helps you recognise opportunities to succeed * Paints a powerful image for your subconscious mind to work on * Helps you visualise a positive outcome

Writing Your Goals Down... A goal can fail or succeed based on the precise wording of the message. For example, consider the difference between the following: * By 31st January I will be driving a brand new sports car. * By 31st January I will own a brand new sports car. There's some dispute over whether it works best to use the present, future, or past tense when writing (or saying) your goals. For instance, consider the following: * I own a brand new Jaguar XK8 in British Racing Green with a red leather interior. * By 31st January I will own a brand new Jaguar XK8. It will be BRG etc... * I have owned a Jaguar XK8 for 6 months now, which I bought brand new... Some people argue that, by adopting the present tense, your subconscious mind will assume you've already achieved the goal and therefore it will not work towards finding ways of manifesting it in the real world. On the other hand, some writers will vehemently argue in favour of the present tense because it sets up an imbalance that the subconscious mind will strive to correct. In other words, you're telling it you own a car that, at that moment in time, you clearly don't own - so it gets to work straightaway to remedy this imbalance and provide you with the car you 'believe' you already own! In my experience, I don't think it matters too much either way PROVIDED you paint a very strong and clear image of the goal so that it will be imprinted on your subconscious mind with full force and impact. A simple measure which I use is to ask myself : Do I want this thing so badly it almost hurts? If the answer is YES, I know I'm setting my goal correctly. If the answer is NO, then I need to try harder, wording it differently until I come up with a powerful enough image for my visualisation.

In general I would recommend using the future tense and assigning a specific date to the accomplishment of the goal (as in the second example above). One thing to avoid though is setting goals like 'I will become more organised' because it doesn't set a clear time limit and isn't really specific enough for your mind to work on. In what areas do you need to be more organised? Financially? Socially? What exactly? It's too vague and this is why many people that have tried goal-setting in the past have given up, believing it doesn't work - because they haven't been clear enough about what EXACTLY it is they want.

Your goals must be DEFINITE and SPECIFIC - and don't forget to include an appropriate timescale too. What next? The next thing you need to do is draw up a basic plan outlining the steps you'll need to take towards the accomplishment of each goal. For example, let's say you set a goal of building an extension to the side of your house over say, the next 2 years. Breaking this daunting project down into individual tasks will give you something like this: * Speak to local council about planning permission * Discuss finance with bank manager * Find architect to draw up plans * Ask around for recommendations regarding good builders * Fill out planning application forms * Finalise plans with architect * Get quotes for building work * And so on... So you can see how, what initially seems like a mammoth task suddenly starts looking a lot more achievable when broken down into its component parts. By setting a time limit for the accomplishment of each task on the list, you can literally create a blueprint for the entire project from start to finish. This method also serves another function - by working steadily through the list, you imbue yourself with a sense of purpose and direction plus a strong sense of satisfaction as you cross off each item knowing you're now a step closer to where you want to be.

Essentially then, before we go any further, you need to sit down with pen and notebook and make a list of the things you really want to achieve in life. Try to aim for a good mix of say, half a dozen goals, spread over a period of time. For example you might have a couple of fairly straightforward goals you want to complete within the next 2 weeks, something else more challenging that may take a month or two, a couple of 'six month' goals, and finally a longer term goal for say 12 months time. A list such as this makes a good starting point and, as you find yourself crossing off the first goals once accomplished you'll be well on the way to understanding just how effective goal setting can really be.

TIP - Use this very first 'goal list' as a tool to help clear up any niggling jobs you've been putting off.

About the Author

Hugh McClelland is author of the self-help book 'Make Big Changes'from which the above excerpt is taken. He runs Moonsail Ltd, a small firm specialising in marketing for small businesses.