Saturday, November 22, 2008

Setting and Achieving Goals - Your Success Depends on It

We all devote countless hours thinking of our present situation in life, and our future. During this thought process, you probably have found yourself wishing you could change something. The first step to making any change, whether personal or professional, is to set goals.

Many of us are fantastic at setting our goals, however, most of us are practically incapable of following through with them. When you think about it, how many times have you decided on a course of action and then simply couldn't follow through with it? Too often, we fail because we didn't take the time to create a realistic goal-setting plan.

By setting goals, and charting your achievement, you are able to see your accomplishments, and what you can successfully complete in the near future. When you analyze your goal plan, and assess your achievements, you gain a certain confidence in yourself, which enables you to conquer more challenging goals. Goal setting can be a relatively painless process, providing you have the self-discipline required to follow through. The outcome of a successfully achieved goal is extremely rewarding!

Benefits of Achieving Set Goals:

· Accomplish more in life
· Improve overall performance
· Feel an increased sense of satisfaction and pride
· Improve self-confidence and reduce negative thoughts

Think of goal setting as a process of personal development and planning. Setting goals enhances your ability to sort priorities in both personal, and business developments. When you know exactly what you plan to accomplish, you know what barriers you need to overcome. Goal setting is a way of life for many high-achievers: from professional athletes to multi-billion dollar companies. The idea is to create short-term motivation, with long-term triumph.

To effectively create a goal-setting plan, first think of what you hope to accomplish. Next, break it down in to more "bite-size" pieces. Consider your task as a completed puzzle--you see the whole picture at a glance. But, once the puzzle is in pieces, how do you go about re-assembling it? You start putting it together in sections, typically opting for the easier pieces--the ones that are obvious and make sense.

Set your goals in a format that includes time frames, such as the start date, amounts, completed-to-date, and the date of expected task completion.

When you have achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of your success. Absorb the implications of the achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards future goals. If the goal was a significant one, don't forget to reward yourself accordingly!

The Unsuccessful Goal
Failing to reach your goals can go wrong for any number of reasons. When you fail to achieve a goal, the effects can leave a negative impact on both your attitude and self-esteem. The end result is giving up.

Why Some Goals Fail:

· The goal was set too high-(unrealistic)
· The goal was set too low (No feeling of accomplishment or satisfaction)
· The goal was set at the "outcome" level, rather than a "performance" level
· Too many goals were set at once. Focus on one goal at a time

The biggest reason for the inability to reach a goal is the failure to take action. You cannot reach your goals when you do not set a course of action.

The concept of setting goals is a cumbersome task in itself, therefore, it is logical to set goals separately in accordance to specific areas of your business and personal life. For example: if you want to further yourself in your career, you set goals pertaining to your career enhancement.

You see, while setting the goals can be the easy part, reaching them is a whole new story. As mentioned previously, you need to complete your goals in parts, one step at a time. Once you have
moved in to the first step of your goal, you have taken action--the most important step.

Think of a toddler, learning to walk for the first time. He sees a toy on the edge of the table, and his goal is to get it! He slowly gets up and takes the first step; he has a plan and now taking action. Then, the toddler takes another step, and another, and another. While he may fall a few times in the process, he knows the toy on the table is attainable if he just pushes himself. Often that first step is the hardest, and the next step can be equally difficult. Once you complete a few more, the steps are easier to handle.

Determining what is holding you back is a key factor in successfully moving on to the next step. Many people are followers, and do well only when there is group encouragement. In most cases, your goal is exactly that--your goal. It's up to you to find and embrace the will power required to succeed in achieving your goals.

The process of goal setting should not be looked upon as daunting. In fact, it can be quite exciting and brain stimulating. Setting your goals early enough will make your journey to both personal and online success that much smoother.

By Jullieanne Matheson



Jullieanne Matheson - Online since '99. Successful ezine advertising campaigns begin at: http://www.ezines-r-us.com

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Monday, November 17, 2008

Why Do You Think Success Begins With a Dream?

Successful people from whatever country, race or culture all have a trait that is common among all if one were to analyze their route to success a bit closely. That is, there is no "by chance". Any success that comes by is a result of intense focus, dedicated heart and firm mind on nurturing the "seed" of an idea, and they believe their ideas can work.

In life, we really need a dream to complete us. All of us have a dream inside us. Even you have a dream, which can be as mundane as marrying a nice partner and settling down in life content. To achieve more in life, that is to say you just need to dream "bigger".

"Your success BEGINS with a dream..."

So ask yourself now, what is your dream in life? Never be too late to reward yourself with a plausible dream. Otherwise, life will be truly pathetic, won't it?

Recall that while we were young, we dreamed and imagined most of the times by seeing what the adults are doing and we wish to be like them or even better next time when we grow up. Somehow, this fire in the belly died down gradually as we are in the education system which focuses more on academic achievements and we are forced to "readjust" to the realities.

Why does it that when we grow up, the passion in the belly just died down? Only a minority will grow up and successful achieve their childhood dreams. For these people, I would say they have broken the "code" that hinders them to success. Maybe this is due to the pressures, strains and complicated emotions that arise when we are adults. And it really takes a lot to break this life "code".

I know there carries a risk if we venture into something that is "unknown". That is why most people are ordinary in life. However, let's carry on dreaming our life and keep that passion burning. There has to have faith that what you do is worthwhile. Somehow you will find that right place and time to do it.

If you believe that you can, you no doubt can.

If you believe you can't, most probably you won't achieve.

By Mere T.



Mere T is a spiritual researcher, blogger, conservationist and freelance writer. She has benefited a lot from the guidance of psychic Maria Duval in the topic of spirituality. She lives in New Zealand with her family and she enjoys the serenity of her country as it helps her to build up on her spiritual bonding with the environment. Her blog is Maria Duval.

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Future Goals - Give Yourself Permission to Dream

For years I've had a list entitled "The Things I Want to do Before I Die" - it started off as 50 things, then 100, now there are at least 250 items on that last. Some are small things, like I want to read every book written by Edgar Allen Poe, some are bigger things like I want to go on a month-long African Safari. Among many other things there are people I'd like to meet, languages I want to learn, and business goals I want to achieve. I've crossed many items off that list - to live overseas, to learn German, to own a home, to own a business, etc... Some of my friends thought it was morbid that I called my list "the things I want to do before I die." I just figured it was inevitable and why not start checking things off my list now. After all, it's never too early to start living your dreams! When I began my coaching business I discovered something called a dream inventory - it's the same as my list, it just has a better name, and it made me realize all those "things" on my list, no matter how big or small, truly are dreams!

Asking clients to complete a dream inventory has been met with a wide-range of response. Some clients think it's silly, others really embrace it. I do have to say, the people that start off thinking it's silly have all come around. If you think about it though, every accomplishment from time immemorial has emerged as the end result of a dream, a vision, or perhaps even a far-fetched idea.

Start your Dream Inventory Today

Do you have a dream inventory? If not, I urge you to start one today! Many of the dreams you put on your list might be totally out of reach right now and that's okay. As you begin to grow and achieve, some of your dreams will become goals and perhaps some never will. This is all about dreaming it is not an exercise in your ability to actually achieve those dreams (I'll never be 6 ft tall, but a girl can dream!). Sometimes our dreams may seem too small or too insignificant to list, but list them anyway; there is no such thing as too small a dream. If a dream has value and worth to you, then it is important enough to be included on your list.

Here are some ideas for you to start creating your dream inventory today:

  • Who do you want to meet?

  • What books do you want to read?

  • What plays do you want to see?

  • What have you always wanted to do but never had time?

  • What hobbies do you wish you had?

  • What business goals do you want to achieve?

  • What things do you want to do/offer your customers?

  • Where do you want to travel?

  • What do you want to own?



By Michelle Seyfarth



What's stopping you from achieving all that you can? Seyfarth Diversified Strategies was found on the belief that every individual has the ability, and can become empowered to be all he/she is capable of becoming. A day, a life, a company, can be changed by understanding and affecting the attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs that drive goals and lead you to success.

For more information, check us out: http://www.SeyfarthDiversified.com

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