Posts Tagged achieving your goals
To Achieve Your Goals Share Your Goal Widely With Others
Posted by karim101ismail in goal setting, life goals, setting goals on March 24th, 2010
Step 11 in my series, The 12 Steps to Achieving Your Goals
In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle can contain it or stand against it. – Jane Smiley
Sharing your goal with others is vital to your success. However, many people are uncomfortable doing this, so they make the mistake of hiding their goal, or only sharing it with one person.
When you don’t share your goals it may be an unconscious attempt at self sabotage. If you don’t tell anyone about your goals they will never become real in your mind. When they don’t feel real it will be hard to be serious about them. You might feel uncomfortable at first, but hiding your goals will not help you.
Instead, you will find that when you have the courage to share your goal, you articulate it more clearly for yourself, and you strengthen your commitment to it. Sharing your goal also allows you to receive objective feedback. By sharing your huge goal, you will undoubtedly inspire friends, family, and colleagues. So please consider doing what we always ask children to do, and share! Read the rest of this entry »
To Achieve Your Life Goals, Set Clear Milestones on Your Path to Success
Posted by karim101ismail in goal setting, setting goals on March 15th, 2010
Step 10 in my series, The 12 Steps to Achieving Your Goals
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo de Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H. Jackson Brown
Sometimes reaching a goal feels miraculous, like a quantum leap. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that the goal was attained by moving from one step to the next. To make steady progress, it is critical to define steps and time frames along the way. Time frames allow you to assess your goal, determine your progress, and take corrective action if needed.
Many people make the unfortunate mistake of not setting clear milestones or well-defined steps with clear time frames while trying to achieve their goals.
I have found that it is best to define 90 day milestones. Why 90 days? It’s long enough for you to achieve meaningful progress (rather than a 30 day time frame, which can sometimes be too short). But it’s much shorter than an annual milestone, thus allowing you four times in a year when you can measure progress and take any required corrective action. Read the rest of this entry »
Goal Setting – To Achieve Your Goals, Focus on the Solutions to Overcoming Your Obstacles
Posted by karim101ismail in goal setting, setting goals on February 22nd, 2010
Step 8 in my series, The 12 Steps to Achieving Your Goals
The next step in achieving your goals after you define your obstacles is to find solutions. If you have defined the possible obstacles to your goal, your mind will suddenly perceive solutions where none existed before.
This is because as humans are instinctive problem-solvers. Most people make the mistake of not listing their obstacles on paper; maybe because we are afraid to acknowledge they exist. But once you do your perspective usually changes.
Don’t make the mistake of not thinking of solutions. For each obstacle you defined brainstorm one or more possible solutions and write them down. If you find that you are unable to define all your solutions on the first try, don’t worry. Just keep coming back to your list, and eventually solutions will become apparent to you.
Remember, problem solving is ingrained in our nature as human beings!
I have used as an example for outlining the steps to achieve your goals, my audacious goal to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I set a clear time frame to reach this goal in 1.5 years. My measurement of success was to get to the top of the mountain without endangering my life or those in the group. I defined 10 compelling reasons why I was undertaking the climb and printed these out to review whenever my resolve waivered. I defined the key benefits I would gain by reaching my goal. I then defined and listed the consequences of not achieving my goals. I wrote down the many obstacles there were many in my path. Read the rest of this entry »
Goal Setting Step 4 – Define the Compelling Reasons to Achieve Your Goals
Posted by karim101ismail in life goals, setting goals on December 2nd, 2009
The next post in my series 12 Steps to Achieving your Goals
Strong reasons make strong actions.—William Shakespeare
If you cannot articulate a clear, compelling reason for why you must achieve a goal, especially a huge goal, you will likely not achieve your goal. Why? Simply because achieving any large goal will likely involve changes in your life. It will possibly take you out of your comfort zone.
It will most likely challenge your thinking. It may require hard work. So unless you have compelling and powerful reasons for why it is important for you to achieve your goal, you significantly diminish your chances of achievement.
Focus on why it’s really important to you to achieve this goal. Your reasons could stem from a huge challenge, from your pain, someone else’s pain, an image, etc. Think hard, and make these reasons as emotional as possible, as we are all driven by our emotions, no matter how rational we think we are.
Be careful not to focus on benefits, (define benefits) as we will look at the importance of benefits soon. Instead simply list why it’s important to achieve this result.
Here are the compelling reasons I listed to accomplish my huge goal.
- To prove to myself that I can take on a huge physical challenge and accomplish it
- A 21st birthday gift for my daughter Aliya that she will cherish for the rest of her life
- To inspire others to set and accomplish huge goals
- To experience and celebrate nature through a photo essay/s
- Because I have told the world I am doing it! Read the rest of this entry »
12 Steps to Achieving Your Goals – Step 2 Set a Clear Deadline
Posted by karim101ismail in life goals on October 21st, 2009
In my first blog post about the 12 steps to achieving your goals we discussed the SMART (or S.M.A.R.T.) system of goal setting, which is based on goals being specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. While I agreed this is a very useful way of looking at goals, I believe it misses out on MANY other key factors that you will want to consider if you wish to achieve huge goals.
We also learned that Step 1 to achieving your goals is to focus on the goal that has the most meaning in your life. Did you decide on your huge goal?
Today we will concentrate on Step 2 in goal achievement which is Set a Deadline for your goal.
Think about a time in your life when you had a deadline. Perhaps before leaving for a trip, handing in a school assignment, or completing a project at work? You were likely extremely focused when you had a deadline.
Likewise, it is important to define a deadline or timeframe for achieving your goal. I highly recommend a three-year timeframe for a huge goal. But go with whatever timeframe your instincts tell you to pick.
My audacious goal was to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet, one of the world’s seven peaks and Africa’s tallest mountain. In mid 2003, most people would have dismissed it as a pipe dream, given I could not walk to the end of my driveway.
I then set a very clear timeframe of reaching this goal in 1.5 years, taking the opportunity of a three week school break in January 2005 that my daughter would have to undertake the trek with me, and selecting the best possible time for good weather. Read the rest of this entry »
Can You Really Think and Grow Rich?
Posted by karim101ismail in General, Tips, tools, tricks, Travel on July 14th, 2009
Today, I want to answer the question: can you really think and grow rich?
As you probably know, the concept behind the Law of Attraction is not new. Most ancient religious texts talk about the importance of how thoughts influence our actions. Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” In the 1930s Napoleon Hill wrote the book “Think and Grow Rich” that has gone on to influence millions of people even today. “The Secret” is only the most recent variation on this theme.
I confess that I don’t really believe in the Law of Attraction. At least not as a law unto itself. The Law of Attraction works when paired with what I like to call the Law of Action.
Therefore you can’t merely think and grow rich (and I think Napoleon Hill would agree with that). As a former manager of large building projects, I know that you can’t think a building into being. That would be absurd. Yes, every project begins with a vision and inspiration. But you can only visualize for so long. You need detailed blueprints. Then you need to assemble the right materials and the services of skilled laborers. . MORE>>>
A Bad Economy is the Best Time for Reinvention: Part 2 of 2
Posted by karim101ismail in Tips, tools, tricks, life change, life goals on June 3rd, 2009
Think of your life as a building project. No architect would attempt to build something without a blueprint, so why would you approach your life plan without one? The details may change over time but it will always remain the building block on which to focus your energies and base your decisions.
The best way to start creating your own blueprint? Take stock of where you are right now. Start by writing down the ten most important categories in your life. They can be career, relationships, spirituality, health, or whatever is important to you.
Next, make two columns next to each category. In the first one, write down where you are right now in your life in that area. Be brutally honest. For the second column, close your eyes and think of where you’d like to be in the three years if no obstacles were in your way. Think hard and big. No idea is too big or impossible and the more uncomfortable or daunting the vision, the better. MORE>>>
A Bad Economy is the Best Time for Reinvention: Part 1 of 2
Posted by karim101ismail in Tips, tools, tricks, life goals on June 3rd, 2009
The 1st Step is to Create a Blueprint for Your Life
The numbers are frightening. Millions of people are out of work or crossing their fingers they won’t find a pink slip in their next paycheck. Many have watched their retirement funds slip away. More North Americans than ever face foreclosure. Who wouldn’t be afraid?
Do you wish you could close your eyes and wake up on the other side of this mess? If you did, you’d miss one of the greatest opportunities of your life. Did you know that more millionaires were created per capita during the Great Depression than ever since? There is no better time than now to figure out your life purpose, set goals, and design a life blueprint. And the best part is that the process won’t cost you a dime. . MORE>>>
Let your greatness light up the world
Posted by karim101ismail in General, life goals on June 3rd, 2009
Welcome to the first post in my blog! The blog is based on my fundamental belief that each of us has a bright spark in us that has the potential to brighten the world – if only we let our inner light shine strongly. I hope to share with you success stories of real people just like you and me, so that you too can be inspired to let your greatness light up the world.
What will you gain from visiting the blog, or better still, subscribing to the RSS feed? I will start by sharing the stories, in the next few weeks, of the 12 ordinary-yet-extraordinary people featured in my recently published book, Keep Any Promise: a blueprint for designing your future.
These are people who have met great challenges, overcome obstacles, made fear work for them —and have gone on to achieve undreamed-of heights! MORE>>>
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