Define What You Want
"To know yourself is the first and most important step to pursuing your dreams and goals." – Stedman Graham
Defining what you want is the critical first step in almost any situation. "You can have anything you really want but you cannot have everything you want."
Top 10 Essential Requirements To Be A Great Strategic Thinker
Essential Element #6: You must have clearly defined and focused milestones and goals. And these must be subject to frequent review to ensure your thinking is validated. Great strategic thinkers have an innate ability to identify the potential twists and turns and “potholes or landmines” that could destroy the possibility of reaching the desired milestones... More
Behind Every Great Success Is a Great Reason
Successful people aren't inspired from birth to achieve goals. They did what they did for a reason. But not just any reason. It was a reason so strong it overpowered any obstacles standing in the way. A reason that drove them past their fears and on to success. With a strong enough reason, the motivation to act will follow naturally.
Do you know what you want? It's pretty hard to develop a powerful reason behind a goal you don't have, which is why the first thing you need is a clearly defined goal.8
The Foundation of Leadership: Achieving Extraordinary Results
By: Brian Tracy
When you set clear goals and become determined and purposeful, backing those goals with unshakable self-confidence, you develop charisma. When you are enthusiastic and excited about what you are doing, when you are totally committed to achieving something worthwhile, you radiate charisma. When you take the time to study and become an expert at what you do, and then prepare thoroughly for any opportunity to use your knowledge, skill or experience, the perception that others have of you goes straight up... More
Case in Point Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett – the 2nd richest man in the world and the most successful investor – said his companies ability to generate such large profits is the result of being able to focus on what is important, and not paying attention to things that would distract the company.
Case in Point The Story of Monty
In the original Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield tells the story of Monty, who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer of little means.7 During his senior year he was assigned a writing project to describe what he wanted to be when he grew up. His seven-page essay minutely detailed the 200-acre ranch he wanted to own. It included a diagram of the ranch and a detailed floor plan of his 4,000 square foot home.
Despite the passion and effort Monty put into his paper, he received it back with a large “F” written on it and a note to see the teacher after class.
The teacher told Monty that the reason he had given him that grade was because his paper was unrealistic. He went on to cite all of the reasons why, and told Monty that if he would rewrite the paper with a more realistic goal, he would reconsider the grade. After considering it for a week, the young man turned in the same paper with no changes, along with the remark, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
The conclusion of the true story has the teacher bringing 30 students for a summer campout at the 200-acre ranch of the now grown (and successful) Monty who lives in his 4,000 square foot dream home.
If it worked for the son of an itinerant horse trainer it will work for you. The principle is simple:
create a dream that is so big that it will keep you excited
define the dream in minute detail
live in the dream so that it becomes real to you on the inside, and then
hold on to it so tightly that no one can take it away from you.
Combine Your Life Vision & Life Strategy
To get the most out of life, ask yourself if you have both a vision and a strategy. Think about your vision for your future – Do you really know what you want to achieve? Have you really thought about who you want to become? And what about your strategy for getting there – Have you set goals? Have you made plans for success? Clarifying both your vision and strategy will help maximize your motivation and your success, not to mention your health and happiness… More
What Goals are Worth Achieving?
Behind every great success is a great reason.
Goals worth achieving are mission-oriented goals. Channeling your grand vision into a specific direction and action makes the difference between being an idle dreamer and being a person with a mission.
"The achievement of one goal should be the starting point of another" – Alexander Graham Bell
Critical Thinking: Socratic Questions
Socratic questioning is at the heart of critical thinking – they enhance your critical thinking skills.
Socratic questions challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal... More
Set Stretch Goals
Stretch goals energize and push you to work harder at meeting more difficult targets and to achieve more than if you had set an easier goal. When you set a stretch goal for yourself you know that you may not meet it 100%, but by coming close you will likely achieve extraordinary results.
Say, if you set the goal to "120," essentially asking an extra 20% of yourself, and achieve "115", you have managed to achieve 15% more than if you had set an easier goal.
Visualize Your Goal
Take a few minutes right now to achieve your goals in your mind. Imagine a life that is exactly as you want it. What would you do each day? With whom would you do it? Nothing is too crazy or ambitious. A few seconds is all it takes to put you in a state of excitement and enthusiasm. If you can see your goal in your mind, you can make it a reality. Visualization is the first step to bringing a dream to life. If you can see yourself happy, successful, healthy and loving life, you can make it happen. The first step is to visualize it.6... More
Your Intention
Your intention is a synergistic combination of three elements: desire, belief, and acceptance. It determines your motivation and how successfully you attain your goals... More
The Power of Focus
Whatever you focus on – you will attract as your subconscious mind will make notes of what you are focused on and you'll start to notice things related to your goal. So if you want to achieve success then define exactly what success means to you and focus on being successful and the ways you can achieve success and achieve your goals.
The Low of Forced Efficiency
This law says that, "There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing."
The key question you should ask is "What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?" This is the question that dominates time management. This is the key to overcoming procrastination and becoming a highly productive person... More
Define and Prioritize Your Personal Values and Mission
The first step is to clarify your values. You ask yourself, “What values and virtues do I most admire and wish to incorporate in to my life?” If you want to discover your strengths in the work world, first you would define your values as they apply to employment. Often, both companies and individuals will choose values such as integrity, quality, respect for others, service, profitability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and market leadership.2
The second step is to use those values to define your position with regard to your life and work. The values you choose, and the order of priority you place on your choices, will determine your approach to your life and work.
Your next step in personal strategic planning is to create your personal mission statement. This is a clear, written description of the person you intend to be. This is often even more important than setting specific financial or business goals..