60 Minutes To Clear Goals

I think that most people would agree that the people who have goals are more successful than those who do not have any.

I often talk about leadership and management. Leadership is about doing the right things while management is about doing things right. Often when we study time management, we study efficiency (doing things right) and make the assumption that we have the effectiveness (leadership) solved.

The first step in any time management system should be to work on goals and as such, I use the following 60 Minute Goal Setting Exercise.

Step 1: at the top of a blank piece of paper write down "values" and then spend 10 to 15 minutes writing down everything that you value. List several values to start your mind thinking in the right direction. After the time is up, stop doing this and move to Step 2.

Step 2: at the top of a blank piece of paper write down "lifetime goals". This is where you can dream; for example, what places would you like to visit; what experiences would you like to have; what would you like to accomplish within your lifetime. This might include traveling to the Bahamas; getting a college diploma; living in an 10,000 square foot house, etc. There are no rules to this brainstorming – simply make a list.

I have done this goal setting exercise many times and I tend to use the same list of lifetime goals and add to the list each time I do the exercise.

Step 3: at the top of a blank piece of paper write down what you would do if you had six months to live. This part of the exercise really came home to me this week when one of my childhood friends died at 28 years old. Some of us may have only six months to live; however, we may not know it yet. List everything that you would do if you had only six months to live. Part of the purpose of this exercise that I found works well for me is that it brings the truly important into focus. Often I find things that I would do if I had only six months to live that are not listed on my life time goals.

Step 4: at the top of a blank piece of paper write down your goals for this year. After doing the first three steps, you will find this step much easier than the others. These are the goals to focus on NOW.

This total exercise will only take an hour. An hour spent clarifying your goals can save you hundreds of hours.

How to be Successful

You may be smart, you may be talented, you may be handsome, but you aren’t successful. After all, the guy that never was that gifted or never had great ideas and he has less brains than you, is now your supervisor!

How did that happen? Why do all of us with the knack to be great, never saw our dreams come true? And what is the common characteristic between successful people?

According to statistical researches, what divides successful people from non-successful is that the former had a particular goal in their life and worked hard to achieve it. On the contrary, people that had many goals and ideas, but spent more time talking about them than working on them, never managed to make their dreams come true.

So, the first thing you have to do in order to succeed is to find a goal. How do you imagine yourself in five or ten years from now? Would you like to have your present job? Would you like to be sitting in a small office, working many hours for little money? Or do you see yourself on a quiet beach, on a vacation with your family? If the second option seems better to you, maybe you need a better paid job. Think of all the alternatives. For instance, is it better for you to keep your present job and try to get promoted, or should you apply for another job? Or maybe you should think of starting your own business?

Your goal must be specific. If your goal is not clear, you will never manage to achieve it. When you have your specific goal, write it down. It is always helpful when you see your thoughts in writing. If your goal seems too difficult to achieve, divide it into smaller goals. For example, divide your goal into four smaller ones, where each of them will consist of a small step which will bring you closer to your initial goal.

Moreover, it’s always good to have people that support you around. But you can’t expect our friends or family to push you to make your dreams come true. The only one responsible for your success or failure is you. Do not be afraid to follow your steps towards to your goal. Nothing is too difficult. After all, everything starts from a dream; and remember that you can achieve anything if you just believe in it.