Three questions to help you realise your goals

This time of year we focus in on our achievements, whether personal, professional or business goals. Frustrationcan build and impact on our momentum. So to help you keep on track, here are 3 questions. These questions come from Jack Canfield- I love his can do spirit and his ‘Success Principles’ have guided me well throughout my career.

1. What motivates you?

Check what motivates you in each goal. If you approach a goal with the wrong mindset you are fighting an uphill battle. Take a look at your goal detox from last week – are these goals that:

Help you grow?
That you are driven to achieve or just a should do?
Bring you joy when you think aboutachieving them?

Use this checklist to review and to really consider how you will enjoy the accomplishment. If it helps write it down, draw pictures or cut them out from a magazine and focus on these, each day, to help you achieve.

2. How realistic is the goal?

Unrealistic goals are the ones that can stop you before you have even started. If you are in danger of doing this take some advice:

Raymond Aaron, a world-renowned expert on goal setting and member of Jack Canfield’s Transformational Leadership Council, teaches us to set three levels of goals:

Minimum. What is the minimum level you need to establish a strong foundation? This might be creating a positive stakeholder group who supports you in one particular business area/level.
Target. Once you’ve establish a foundation, what is a milestone goal that will stretch you? This might be, active consultation and involvement in the strategic decision making process
Outrageous. This is the level that looks unrealistic from where you are starting, but that is possible as a long-term goal. To be given ultimate decision making powers for an empowering L&D budget.

3. Do you have too many goals?

Last week we encouraged you to detox your gaols and establish a top 3. Now is a good time to check in with these and ensure they are the right goals for you. To help you with this:

Create a matrix of six columns.
List your goals down the left side of the page in column one.
In the remaining columns, answer these questions about each goal:

Column 2: How would my career improve if I make if I achieve this goal?

Column 3: What impact will achieving this goal have on the others in the organisation?

Column 4: How many hours will it take to achieve this goal?

Column 5: How many people need to be involved to achieve this goal?

Column 6: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing representing pain and 10 representing absolute joy, how much happiness will achieving this goal bring me?

By completing the matrix, we’re able to easily see which goals will generate the most money, impact and happiness as a return on our investment of time and energy.

Think about how you can share this with other managers in your business to help them increase their motivation and contribution in work. Please pass it on widely. Thank you.