Setting Goals
photo credit: aussiegall
Well it has been a couple of weeks or so since I checked in here. Remember in my last post I mentioned that there was a first step that I needed to take?
Well, I’ve been working on that. That first step is to set out my goals. Yeah, I know, the goal is to make money and have a nice lifestyle. Really, that is the bottom line but it is not the whole goal.
Every goal breaks down into a series of steps. Every goal has images to go along with the goal. Yes, I may want to make a lot of money but do I want to just sit in the bank vault and have it surround me all day? Of course not, there are things I want to do as a result of having earned the money. That is the real goal.
My Needs
So, the first step was to spend some time and invoke the images of what I want to accomplish once I’ve made the money I’m seeking. The first major image that comes to mind for me is the peace of mind of knowing that my financial needs are met. I wont have to worry about having enough money in the bank to meet my monthly bills or those ones which crop up unexpectedly.
My Wants
The next image is continuing to earn enough to be able to meet my wants. There are some physical things I want, but, I also have a desire to be able to contribute financially to groups in my community which are in need. I currently contribute my time and my talents, I’d like to be able to add financial to that list. Your images of what you want to be able to do will have to match what matters to you.
How I’m Going to Get There
Now I’ve got the images of what I want to achieve, I need to then lay out how I’m going to achieve those images. Where am I going to focus my energy? How am I going to use my energy to achieve that focus? What do I need to learn in order to achieve that focus?
Spending some time thinking through and writing down those plans and images were an important part of actually being able to come up with my goals and focus. I also have set benchmarks on where I want to be when. What I want to have accomplished and how I’m going to accomplish my objectives.
Nothing Set in Stone
Those goals and images may shift a bit. I may learn things along the way which cause me to rethink the goals or process. BUT, I have to make sure I don’t keep shifting to the point that I accomplish nothing.
Here is a major learning aspect that I can never ever lose focus of. I have to be able to learn when it is time to call something a learning experience and move on and when it is time to think the problem through a bit more and try another angle.
The easy path is usually to call it a day and move on to something else. The tough path is to think from a different angle or reach out to get some guidance from someone else.
My Process
I’ve got my goals written down. I review them daily. Sometimes, if my mind seems to be wandering around like a lost soul, I read them more than once a day. Then I take some quiet time with a piece of paper and decide what my target is for today to move my goal forward.
Today, it was writing another post here. It’s also to spend some time learning how to create a Facebook fan page which will be part of a project I’m working on. As I progress, I’ll share that a bit more.
So, have you prepared your goals? Do you have your image of where you want to be? Your plan on how to get there? Have you set out today’s plan?
visit the Patti Network News to see where else I’m writing.
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