How to write a powerful goal

3 key points about goals...

Choose one goal you really want to work on.  Make it something that really inspires you.  Goals that don't have enough passion behind them to motivate you rarely come to fruition.  It doesn't have to be huge, it just has to be exciting to you. 

A recent survey conducted by www.ChooseTheTude.com found that the biggest obstacles to achieving their goals were: 

1. Lack of funds.

2. Many people suffer from procrastination or lack of motivation.

3. Fear of failure and lack of confidence are extremely common obstacles.

A true goal is one you will spend time, energy and resources on to achieve. 

There are three key concepts you need to understand:

1. Goals are dreams with deadlines – so think big.

As the old adage goes, 'If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got.' I suspect the reason you are on this website is because you want something more or different than what you have currently.

When you feel fear or are learning something new you are expanding your comfort zone. This is where we learn, grow and achieve great things. We encourage you to play on the edge of the comfort zone.  If you are keen to achieve big goals, you need to be expanding that comfort zone continuously.

The second key concept to understand is:

2. There is no failure if you choose that to be the case.

Failure is a choice. Part of the ‘Tude E-Coaching program is about creating the right mind set to enable you to be and feel successful – whatever that means to you.

Let me ask you this…

Have you ever failed? And I don't mean according to someone else or the schooling system – I mean, do you believe you have ever failed?

It's your choice how you think about failure or success. It's not right or wrong – it's simply your choice. I don't believe there are mistakes – I see them as miss-takes.

Some people would rather not expand their comfort zone for fear of the unknown.  

You cannot not experience life. When you work towards a goal you are always learning – it comes down to how you interpret the lesson – do you look for the bad or the good? Do you let life happen to you or do you make it happen? The result you get shows you the success of the tactics you just tried. It is your choice to choose another tactic or give up.

The third key concept to understand today is…

3. Give yourself the best chance of achieving your goal by giving it structure.

You can dream big with no structure and your goal will remain an elusive mystery, somewhere out there just out of reach.  The way you write your goal is the first step in the 'Structure of Goals' Process.

So here is how to write a well structured, powerful goal.

 

how to write a powerful goal

Once you've decided what your goal is, you need to write it in a SMARTER format.  Here is the first part of the 'Structure of Goals'.  You may have come across the SMART acronym before.  We have added an extra two letters – it stands for:

S= Specific

M= Measurable

A = Achievable

R= Realistic

T= Time-bound

E= Exciting

R= Rewarding

Let's go through each of these individually:

Specific You need to know exactly what you want to achieve.  Write it so that it is perfectly clear to someone else and so you definitely know the point at which you've achieved it.
Measurable How will you know you've achieved it?  Try to make this as measurable as possible.  If the measurement is subjective it will be difficult to determine how close you are, so make the measurement absolute and real.
Achievable Is it within your control?  Do you believe you can achieve it?  It should be a stretch for you, however, you need to believe at some level you can achieve it.  Has anyone else in the world ever achieved it before?
Realistic Have you given yourself a realistic timeframe?  Are you physically able to achieve it?

Time-bound

 Give it a time frame.  "On or before day/month/year, or at a time the Universe presents it."
Exciting If you're not excited about the prospect of achieving it your motivation will be low.  The more exciting it is, the more likely you will do what it takes to achieve it.
Rewarding Will you feel you can reward yourself as you achieve steps towards making this goal a reality?  What will the ultimate reward be for you?

 

Traps to be aware of...

There are several things that can get in the way of achieving your goals.

  1. You are not clear enough on the outcome. 
    Make sure you are really clear on what you want to achieve.  Use all your senses when describing your goal.  What does it look like? How will you feel? What will people say to you?  What words will you be using?  What can you feel inside and outside your body?  Are there any tastes or smells associated with your goal?

    Some of these questions may sound strange.  It is important to get a full sensory experience of how your goal is once you've achieved it so you start creating neurological pathways in your brain enabling you to be the person you need to be to create the goal. 
     

  2. Your measurement is too subjective. 
    Really consider how you can physically and accurately measure your outcome.  For example, if you are developing your business and need more sales, simply stating "increase sales" is not specific enough.  You need to include a target such as "Increase sales from 100 units per month to 200 units per month on or before [date]".  Then you can measure your progress and know exactly how close you are to achieving your goal and whether you need to put more effort in or adjust what you are doing.
     
  3. It's something you don't want instead of something you do want. 
    This is termed as being 'motivated away from'.  Make sure the subject of your goal is positive in nature and descirbes what you want.  For example - "I want to get out of debt."  The subject is debt, so you are instantly focused on bringing yourself more debt.

    Make sure your goal is written in a positive 'motivated towards' direction.  For example 'I have $XXXXX in my bank account on or before [date]' is much more powerful and positive than the previous example.
     

  4. If your goal relies on someone else, it is out of your control. 
    You can only influence yourself.  Trying to influence other people usually leads to frustration and disappointment, and quite often conflict.  Find how you can achieve the goal without needing to depend on or include specific others.  You may need to 'chunk up' to find your highest value in order to find an answer.  Read 'Inspiring Values'.

    In the context of business goals, sometimes you need a team to be working together to achieve the goal.  In these cases, it is imperative that you have complete team ownership of the goal.  A great way to do this is to set the goal together as a team and do the 'Inspiring Values' exercise, then discuss the key values for each team member.
     

  5. If you can't physically achieve the goal, perhaps you need to revise what you are aiming for. 
    For example, if you have a medical condition that prevents you from achieving your goal, check to see if there is some other solution or way to achieve it that isn't affected by your condition.  If there is no other way, you are setting yourself up for pain and unnecessary stress, unless there is a way to heal the condition first.

    Don't use this as an excuse to not achieve something you really want.  If you want it enough, it will be possible.  it all depends on your attitude.
     

  6. You haven't given your goal a definite deadline. 
    People often say "I'll have my boat in six months time".  From when?  'Six months time' is a moving target.  Six months from today? Tomorrow? Last month?  Always have a definite timeframe stating the day, month and year.  It does wonders for motivation!  And it helps you to prioritise.
     
  7. You just don't want it enough! 
    Lots of goals go by the wayside prematurely because people aren't motivated enough to reach them.  That is why it has got to be exciting for you!  REALLY exciting!
     
  8. The goal seems too big. 
    People can often set huge goals that become demotivating because it seems like a life-time away and far too much hard work.  It's great to have big goals, and we certainly encourage it.  If you have got a HUGE goal, make sure it can be 'chunked down' to smaller goals, so you can reward yourself for your progress along the way.

Excerpt from ‘Attitude, Aptitude, Altitude—Choose Your ‘Tude! By Robyn Simpson

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'Attitude, Aptitude, Altitude—Choose Your 'Tude! by Robyn Simpson