by ·Comments Off on What’s the Most Important Tool in Life?

There is a question on our student’s knowledge list that asks “What’s the most important tool in life?”

The simple answer is “goal setting.”

We are now in the middle of the first month of the year–January 2016.  By this time you should have 1 to 3 goals already set for the year.

Here are some thoughts about setting goals:

  1. Set no more than 3 goals for the year–anymore and you will be out of focus.
  2. Set goals that are realistic.
  3. When making a goal statement, it is best to state something that you are going to do versus something you aren’t.  For example, you might say that this year, I will stop drinking soda.  Instead, state that you will drink more water.  This replaces the bad habit of drinking soda, which is what you really want.
  4. Make sure to pick worthwhile goals.

Why is goal setting important?

Without a goal, a person can go through the year without direction or purpose.  Without direction, it is difficult to achieve anything.  Goals help us focus.  If you keep you goals in mind, it will help you take action towards achieving them.

by ·Comments Off on Goal Setting for 2015

One of the most powerful tools in life is goal setting.  Goal setting gives you direction and purpose.  Without goals, it is very likely your daily activities will have no relation to what you desire and possibly achieve in life.  By challenging yourself with a goal, you can take little steps daily to get you closer to that goal.  Goal setting is one of the key tools towards achieving success in life.

This new year, as with every new year, brings about the urge from everyone to resolve to do something.  This year, why not set one to three goals you can realistically complete before the end of the year.  Remember, when you set a goal, you need to keep these things in mind:

  1. I your goal realistic?
  2. Can your progress towards your goal be measured?
  3. Does your goal contribute to your or others’ betterment?

Is Your Goal Realistic?

The very first thing you need to look at is how realistic is your goal.  Is whatever you are aspiring to do even physically or temporally possible?

For example, let’s say you are a runner and wish to improve your time for running a 10Km race.  You set a goal to be able to run a 10K in 10 minutes.  Of course this is pretty absurd.  The fastest runner on record to do a 10K is Leonard Patrick Komon of Kenya.  He did it in 26 minutes and 44 seconds (26:44).  Here’s another example of an unrealistic goal for 2015.  Supposing that you are only a 7th grader struggling with your class in introduction to Algebra.  You set your goal to get a degree in Math so you can teach Math in school by the end of 2015.  Again, this is another example of an absurd goal which isn’t possible considering your age and that it takes about 4 years to complete a degree in college.

Here’s an example of a realistic goal.  Say you can run the 10Km (6.2 miles) race in 1 hour.  This year you want to set a goal to run a half marathon (13.1 miles).  This is definitely feasible.  If you are able to sustain the same speed as your 10Km run, you may even complete a half marathon in about 2 hours and 7 minutes.  And with consistent training, you can easily improve your chances of beating expectations.

Another example of a realistic goal is to read 12 books by the end of 2015.  This is definitely possible especially if you pick books that interests you greatly.  Some people are known to complete a book reading of a typical paper back book in one day!  So yes, reading 12 books in a year is extremely possible.

Can You Measure Your Goal Progress?

You can’t really tell if you’ve achieved a goal if there is no way to measure your progress towards it.  Here’s an example of a measurable goal.

You are a freshman in high school, and you set your eyes on getting straight As (or 4s) for all you classes for both the school year ending in June and the first semester ending in December 2015.  During the semester, you get feedback from the teacher regarding how you are progressing through your scores on pop quizzes, homework, mid term testing, and final testing.

This is definitely feasible if you study daily to ensure you understand the class topics, and ask for help on subject matter you don’t understand.  It may not be easy, but it is doable.  As you take your tests during the semester, the scores you get is measurement of your progress.  If you aren’t getting the scores you need to achieve the desired goal, you need to make adjustments to how you study or ask for help; perhaps you need to join a study group to help you understand the subject matter better.  Regardless of what you do, the point is that you can adjust your actions as a result of the means to measure your progress towards your goal.

Does Your Goal Benefit You and/or Others?

It doesn’t make any sense to set goals that do not help you or others in a positive way.  For example, setting a goal to reach 1 million points in a video game is most likely not a worthwhile goal for you or anyone.

On the other hand, setting a goal to run a half marathon can be beneficial to your health.  It may also help benefit others who you inspire to exercise, aside from helping fund the charity the event organizer is supporting.

Summary

Set one to three goals for the year 2015.  Remember to keep these in mind when setting goals:

  • Is the goal realistic?
  • Can you measure your progress towards the goal?
  • Does the end-result of the goal benefit your or others in a positive way?

If you’ve already set a goal this year, why not share it by posting a comment below.

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Goal for 2012

Got your goal set for 2012?(credit: Dream Designs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

With 2011 behind us, and 2012 ahead, have you met your 2011 resolution/goal?

If you said “yes”, then congratulations!

You have 2012 ahead, and should be setting a new goal for the year. If you answered “no” or “what goal?”, then remember that one of the most powerful tools in life is setting goals and going for them; so go set a goal already.

You can set any goal provided it is within the realm of possibility (be realistic).  Set a high goal and go for it.   This goal must be breakable into smaller objectives. These objectives must be realistic, as well, and be measurable (in some way); this way it is easy to see if you’ve met it.

Completing all your objectives should lead to your goal.  Sounds simple enough?  Well it is.  It is in the execution where most people fail; but you can do it; just stay focused.

Anyway here’s an example. Let’s say that your goal is to write a book by the end of the year. To do this, you must create multiple objectives as follows:

  1. Write an outline for the book by the end of January.  Book target size is 100 pages.
  2. Write 10 chapters–a chapter per month, starting in February, with an average number of pages per chapter of 10.
  3. Wrap up the book in December (add usual parts like acknowledgments, table of contents, etc.).

You can turn each item above into an objective.  You can probably make ten (10) separate objectivs for the second item.

If you approach your future goals this way, you will almost always reach them.  If you run into issues, learn from them so you can be better next time.

OK.  Now that we’ve got that straight, start thinking of your 2012 goal or resolution.  Don’t wait too long; make sure you get it set this week.