Goals! One of the single most important words linked to success. Goals keep you motivated to fulfill something in life. Goals are the light at the end of the tunnel for driven people. They place them in front of themselves, and then focus their efforts toward achieving them. This helps to push individuals toward profitable end results, and keeps their focus on the objective.
Face it! It’s the truth!
If you don’t aim for anything, what will you hit? “Nothing!”
Now you might be leaning back in your chair thinking I don’t know what I want in life..Maybe you don’t know what you want right now, but I bet you can name a few things that you want in the long run…dig deep and think quietly to yourself for a few seconds.
What do you want in life?
- I want to buy my dream house
- I want to drive my dream car
- I want to give my children the best education money can buy
- I want to live a stress free life and not worry about money
- I want to to travel the world
- I want to have holidays in 5 star destinations
- I want to give money to the poor
- I want to be able to build schools and training facilities
These are just a few examples that I have used. I can go on and on with this list, seriously…the sky is the limit. However, one thing that is shared by all the above goals in the list is that each point starts with the same words, “I WANT.”
So another question pops up, “Where do I start?”
1. Identify where you want to be in 20-30 years
Take a piece of paper and a pen and go outside. Find a nice cozy spot somewhere and sit down. Now start making a list of all the things you want in 20-30 years; where you want to stay; what you want to own etc. Use the list I made earlier as an example to start off with. For some this is going to be quite tough, but for others there minds will run away with them.
This list you are creating will serve as a guideline for laying out your goals in the end. So write down whatever your heart desires.
2. Identify your current living conditions
Now that you have your list all set up and ready to go it’s time to take a quick reality check. You might have listed some bizarre things ranging from million dollar yachts to private islands and more. This is obviously all do able, but you have to realize it doesn’t just come knocking at your doorstep and your current situation has a lot to do with where you will be in 20-30 years from now.
So grab another piece of paper and title it, “My Current Situation.” Basically what you have to list now is your current state you live in. From the car you drive, property you own, neighborhood you live in to the holidays you take every year. Basically anything to do with your current lifestyle that you want to upgrade in order to reach your end goal.
3. Calculate your current situation
Now that you have identified your living conditions, it’s time to calculate your current situation. The situation you will be in if you continue living your life as you are now. If you keep working for your current boss; every when will you receive a raise? Will you move up in the company you are working at? Is there better benefits the longer you work here?
All these different questions need to asked. You have to look at this from a different point of view, you have to analyze yourself and your lifestyle as if it was someone else.
4. The decision
Ok now that you know where you stand with yourself and your living conditions, you have to make a decision. A decision that will change your life forever.
Are you going to keep living your life or move up in the world?
If you decide that you love spending your evenings lounging on the couch, and that your life is perfect..that is great. I am indeed happy for you, but for those guys that want to make a change, work hard and reap the benefits, kudus to you.
Working hard comes hand in hand with success. However to be successful you need a strategic plan and an end goal because without those two hard work won’t get you anywhere.
5. Setting milestones to reach your long term goals
Now most of you know it’s impossible to compete in a triathlon if you aren’t fit. Well unless you want to die that is. So how do you get ready to compete in a triathlon? You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to jog 10km in 40 minutes. You have to physically prepare your body and start small…then gradually work your way up as you get fitter.
You have to set short term goals(milestones) in order to reach you long term goals. Ex – A 5 week plan to get fit
- Jog 2km everyday
- Jog 3km everyday
- Jog 5km everyday
- Jog 7km everyday
- Jog 10km everyday and keep track of time.
I’m not saying you are going to be fit as a fiddle or that you will be able to make it in 40minutes..because that is seriously fast. However, I’m just using an example. You have to start small and gradually work your way up to the top. Let’s get back on track here…
Remember the list you created in the beginning?
Well it’s time to take some of those things you wrote down and create milestones for them. You have to set short term goals for those long term goals otherwise you won’t have a sense of direction and in a years time you would have forgotten what you were working for.
Conclusion
Remember to keep those milestones and goals close by in your day to day lives. Looking at them everyday or once a week will keep your motivation levels high. Remember to work hard and always focus on the bigger picture. Being short sighted shouldn’t be on your agenda at all.
I hope I made some sense in the post. I would love to hear what some of your goals are?
Cheers,
Jacques
