To ensure success it is important to create a strategic and structured plan, scheduling your objectives and goals – not only to accelerate your wealth but also to create the life you desire.
Before successful people write down their goals firstly they write down what their ideal life would look like – visualise in their mind images of how they want their world to be. They then use this to create a bullet-point list of dreams of which goals are then built around.
What you plant you must harvest so be sure to plant with intention. Mental creation always precedes physical creation. The blueprint you design in your head becomes the life you build – you are the artist and the creator.
“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” — Oprah Winfrey
To achieve your desired results, 3 key things to the magical formula are:
- Structure
- Discipline
- Routine
Understanding what you’re aiming for and having the correct steps in place creates the likelihood of reaching the destination, which gives you a competitive edge.
When I speak publicly I often ask the audience how many people believe in the written goal and most hands go up. However, when I ask how many people actually have their goals written down, very few do.
This always surprises me given most people know that those who write their goals down achieve significantly more than those who don’t.
Structure
I always ask people what they want to achieve as there needs to be alignment between their goals and what needs to be done to achieve them. We must have the will and determination to change what we ordinarily do to receive extraordinary results in our future.
Setting goals provides long-term vision to help us get past short-term obstacles. It provides focus and clarity around the exact actions we need to perform to achieve everything we desire in life.
If you want more than a one dimensional life – have good health, enjoy a good relationship, have the freedom of choice then you must decide in advance what you would like your life to look life and plan accordingly. You cannot just have good intentions as wealth doesn’t ‘just’ miraculously happen.
Discipline
Decide in advance how you want your life to be and then schedule your goals in to your calendar.
Having goals for things we want to do and working towards them is an extremely important part of being human. They give us a sense of meaning and purpose, point us in the right direction and keep us interested and engaged, all of which is good for our overall happiness.
Routine
Review your goals regularly so you can measure your results and reset as you go along.
Your goals should also be in a place where you can see them on a daily basis. For me, they are laminated and on the shower wall because I spend at least 10 minutes a day in there. I review them and then take action.
How to Effectively Create Great Goals
Most people have never been taught how to write effective goals. It is well known that goals big and small can be the stepping-stones to a happier life and the way we set them can make a difference to achieving them. Here’s how.
- Limit How Many You Have. Studies show that’s 5 – 7 goals are ideal at any one time.
- Must Be Smart Goals. To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
- Achievable (agreed, attainable, acceptable, action-orientated)
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic, results-based)
- Time bound (time limited, time sensitive, trackable, tangible)
- Write them down. When you write something down, you are stating your intention and setting things in motion. This is critical.
- Review them frequently.I review mine weekly but you could also do monthly and quarterly, and yearly. If they are front of mind it’s more likely that you will achieve them.
- Share them selectively.Only share them with select people who are committed to help you achieve them.
It is well known that people who make consistent progress towards meaningful goals live happier lives than those that don’t. So, what are you waiting for?
