Make Your Life Happen In 2006!
by: Michael Ochoa
Here it is again. The end of another year. Did this year go by in a flash? I know it did for me, just as it does every year. With 2006 just around the corner now is the time to sit down and write out our goals for next year. If we don’t, we will suddenly be at the end of the year again wondering what happened in the last twelve months and wondering why we are no closer to our dreams than we were when the year started. When we don’t set goals we see and experience the effects of what life brought to us rather than what we brought to our life on purpose.
We need to write our goals down on paper so we can refer to them often. They become a roadmap of the direction you are heading in. You can change them, tweak them, or refine them as often as you like. If they are in your head, you have to try to remember them as well as have the internal battle with your subconscious that keeps telling you not to worry about them anymore or that goals are too hard so you should just quit, and that can become difficult.
Setting goals is not that difficult. You remember the riddle, “how do you eat and elephant?” Well the answer is: “One bite at a time”. Obtaining the results you want in your life are very much the same way as eating an elephant. We certainly can’t expect to loose 20 percent or more of our weight in one month, just like we can’t expect to triple our income in one week. We must work through a process of steps and phases. Think about “what” it is that you want to accomplish or that you want to have in your life. Consider “why” you want it. Finally start to write down ideas of “how” you might reach or obtain it (also known as “action plans”). Goals and objectives aren't the same thing, although many people think they are. Goals are where you want to end up. Objectives are the steps to get there.
Use the SMART process when setting goals. You will find this method is simple and easy to execute.
The S stands for Specific. To have a goal that is not specific means whatever you get or wherever you finish is quite alright with you. To set a goal to have more money is not specific. It does not say how much more money. Make it more specific by saying, “I want to have $100 dollars more income per week”. This is specific. You can measure the progress. You will be able to see if you are on track or not and what you might need to do to adjust.
M stands for Measurable. We just discussed measuring. If you can’t measure it, how will you know if you are accomplishing it? You won’t. You will never get the satisfaction of knowing that you have accomplished your goal if you can’t measure it. Keep that in mind when setting goals. Think about how or what you will use to measure it. Many people trying to loose weight no longer use a scale. They use a piece of clothing they would like to fit into. It is their reference point and measuring tool. Once they are able to fit into it, they know they have accomplished their goal of loosing weight. When a plane takes off for Hawaii, the pilot doesn’t just set the course and drink coffee for the duration of the flight. The pilot is constantly reading where the plane is and where it needs to be. The plane is always drifting off course, a little to the left or to the right. The pilot is always making corrections until the final destination is reached. If they were not paying attention and constantly checking, or measuring, who knows where the plane might end up?
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Make Your Life Happen In 2006!
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About The Author
Michael Ochoa operates several websites and is a Success Coach to help people accomplish their dreams of financial success and independence. Michael has worked in professional management for over 20 years and operates http://www.aces.topratebiz.com, a website with sound home business information.
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