The Right Way to Set Goals

by Ralph Jean-Paul

Ok so you decided that you want to set a goal. Good for you! What is it? Do you want to get in shape? Make more money? Maybe meet someone new and start a relationship? Whatever it is the important thing is that you've taken a step towards your goal. Now think about your goal. I'll give you a second. Ready? Alright. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being absolutely confident and 1 being not confident at all) how confident are you that you can reach your goal? If you answered any number other than a five you are off to a bad start. Confidence and belief in your ability is crucial to your success. It's not being cocky or egotistical but more like being sure of your ability. Read this quote and think about the idea.

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

Why can't most people keep their New Year's Resolutions? Every year people make promises to themselves to change or add something to their lives. But by the time May or June comes around, most people can't even remember what their resolutions were. I was one of those people until about 2003. After being frustrated about how my life was going and not accomplishing anything in my life that I wanted I decided to change. On January 1st 2003 I wrote down a list of things that I wanted to change. And I was determined to achieve everything on that list no matter how long it took. When I learned the right way to set my goals, achieving them became much easier

Write down your goals so they are clear.

Your goal should be clear enough to you that you can write it down. If you can clearly write down what it is you want to accomplish then it'll be easier for your mind to adjust your thinking in order for you to start moving towards your goal. Reaffirming your ability can make a huge difference in the outcome of goal.

Have you ever seen the movie Men of Honor with Robert Deniro and Cuba Gooding Jr.? Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Carl Brashear who is a man trying to become the first African American Navy diver. Throughout the movie he faces opposition from those who don't want him to succeed. Well the final test of his training is to assemble a flange while under water. To make it impossible for him to accomplish this, Deniro is ordered to cut the supply bag containing all of the parts and tools Gooding needs to do the job, and toss it into the water.

It's a great scene because Gooding is under water and he sees his bag cut open and his supplies scatterd all over the river bottom. Hours pass and now it's dark and cold and Gooding is still under water trying to put this thing together. Deniro is communicating to Gooding by radio saying "Give it up Cookie (Deniro called him Cookie in the movie) it's not worth dying for". Gooding answers with "My name is Carl Brashear, I am a Navy diver." He eventually puts the flange together and becomes a Navy diver. Why am I telling you this? One reason is because I love the movie. The other reason is I want you to focus on what Carl Brashear was saying to himself while he was underwater. He kept on repeating to himself that he was a Navy Diver before he even passed the test.

Now think about your goals. Are they clear enough to you that you can specifically write them down? Are they clear enough to you that you can see yourself already there even though you are not there yet? If you want to advance in your career then you should already be thinking and acting like you are already there. How would you act if you were department manager? How would you dress? How would you treat people? How would you speak? Be as specific as possible even down to what you would smell like. The purpose of writing down your goals and reaffirming them is so your mind and habits can align.

Remove Roadblocks
There are two major types of obstacles that you will come across when you are trying to accomplish a goal or succeed at anything, internal obstacles and external obstacles. Internal obstacles include fear, procrastination, lack of information, denial, pride, or anything that you do to yourself that stops you from reaching your goal. External obstacles are the things that happen that you have little or no control over. When I was building this site I came across so many external obstacles that I was tempted to cancel the entire project. I will have a section on how to deal with the external obstacles but for now let's look at what you can do to remove your internal roadblocks.

The first thing you should do when removing the road blocks is to identify what they are. Are you a big TV watcher? How much time a day or week does watching TV take away from what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to start your own business are there things you could be doing instead of watching TV that will help you succeed? The faster you identify your roadblocks and remove them the faster you will be able to see progress in your goal.

The way you set goals may be just as important as what you do to accomplish that goal. Before I knew the right way to set goals, I would fail miserably at almost everything I attempted. It wasn't until I realized that the foundation for my goal wasn't stable enough. It is like trying to construct a building with a weak foundation. This is a common mistake that many people make when they want something. The sooner you can get into the habit of setting your goals right the first time, the sooner you will achieve them with a lot less hassle.

About Ralph Jean-Paul
Ralph Jean-Paul is a motivational speaker and the founder of Potential2Success.com. He is a champion speaker mentored many to success. His desire to motivate people to become their best has lead him create a website with categories such as business, money, family, health, and relationships. The website’s sole purpose is to offer information, quotes, stories, and interviews so that all visitors will leave the site ready to harness their potential and turn it into success. Please visit us at Potential2Success.com or you may email Ralph directly at mailto:email@potential2success.com
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