Goal Setting Part 2

Planning for 2011

“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know.  Knowing is not enough!  You must take action.” -- Anthony Robbins

Now we have come to the most critical and difficult part of goal setting: ACTION.  Without action, a goal is nothing more than a wish.  Wishes are made of smoke: You may see them but cannot grab hold and they disappear quickly.

Action is difficult.  For most, this is where the process of goal setting breaks down.  Many complete the brainstorming and planning steps with success, but neglect to take even a tiny step of action to ignite the process.  Action is easy in our minds, but difficult when it comes to making it a reality.

Action is the most satisfying and exciting part of the goal setting process.  Action brings your dreams into focus and puts them within your grasp.  It creates joy in the process of seeing your dreams come true.  Philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it.  Action has magic, grace, and power in it.”

Action builds momentum as it is exercised.  The more steps you take toward your goal the more you will want to take.  Action builds power that allows nothing to stand in its way.  Action produces results and victories.  Every great accomplishment throughout history was only achieved when action was taken.  There is no difference between you and those who made history.  They had no more resources, education, or ability than you do, right now.  In fact, some had much less.  What they did have was the ability to take action.  It was action which made the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.

“I like things to happen; and if they don’t happen, I like to make them happen.” – Winston Churchill

Question:  “But where do I start?  I would take action but I do not know where to start.”

Answer:  As the White Queen told Alice, “When one wishes to start it is best to start at the beginning.”

Let’s say that your first Personal Goal is to read 15 books this year (your main goal may be to become a teacher).  First, you will define the goal in detail: You plan to read 10 books on educational development (learning styles, teaching techniques, educational trends etc.).  The other five books will be historical fiction just for the joy of it.  (Specific)

Now ask yourself, “How many books do I need to read a month (on average) to accomplish reading all 15 in a year?”  That of course would be 1.25 books a month, but we will average it to about a book and a half a month.  Remember, some months you will read two or three books, and some months you may get only a few chapters in.  We are not setting a timetable for the sake of keeping the books moving.  This is just to give us a working idea of what is needed.  (Measurable)

Reading should always be an enjoyable process.  If you feel you need to fill a quota you will loose interest and find the whole thing a drag.  We are developing an action plan, not a law.  Your goal is to read 15 books in a year.  If you read 10, you have not failed.  Instead, you have read 10 great books and have gotten all the rewards from those.  If you read 20 (very possible) you have done well.

Just a side note here, I am not a fan of the idea that you should learn speed reading for speed reading sake.  In some careers, it is important to go through huge amounts of material in a short time.  In those cases, speed reading is a wonderful tool.  However, for the average reader, it is not needed and often not enjoyable.  Read at your own pace and for your own enjoyment.  Just read.  The power and magic is in the action not the plan.

“A truly good book teaches me better than to read it.  I must soon lay it down, and commence living by its hint.  What I begin by reading, I must finish by action.” – Henry David Thoreau

Make sure that your reading plan is something you can do.  For this plan, I would suggest that you read the non-fiction books (one a month or so) from January to May and August to December.  Leave June and July for relaxing and reading the fiction (not all five but maybe two).  The other three can be scattered through the year as a second book when reading the heavy stuff).  This helps keep you sharp and ready to learn.  You will find the process is not only something you can do but something you enjoy doing.  (Attainable)

Here is another side note.  Disagreement with an author may not be a good reason not to read the book.  In fact, it could be one of your more enjoyable experiences.  For instance, last summer I read a book on how to get along with people.  I found the author to be very intelligent and capable to handle the topic, however, I passionately disagreed with 90% of the book.  Instead of putting the book down, I wrote my own comments in a small notebook (they were too many for the margins).  This dialogue helped me to better understand what I believed and why.  For this reason alone, I felt the book was one of my most worthwhile reads last year.  Be open to different opinions and learn from them. 

Throughout the course of your reading goals you will find new books brought to your attention.  Allow yourself to read those as well, rather than an old book that happens to be on your list.  You will find that once you start studying a topic, books come out of the woodwork.  Pick and choose.  It is a feast, enjoy it all.  You will read some but not all.  You may set some aside for another time, but not all.  You will put some on the shelf and forget them forever.  Be flexible and enjoy your experience.  (Realistic)

By six months into the year (review time- more on that later), you should know if you are on track to reach your goal of 15 books in one year.  It is okay to change your goal if it is not working.  Perhaps you found a book you enjoy reading, but it is a monster and will take you four months to complete.  No problem.  Simply figure what the goal should be (let’s say, 12 books) and adjust it.  Again, it is a goal not a law.  The timetable is to help you, not restrict you.  Goals need an end date and that is what the timetable is for.  (Timely).

Now you have a plan to follow.  You know what you want to do (15 books in 12 months); you know how you want to do it and you know where you will start.  Now it is time to share the most important key of all.  It is a fact that without this step after setting every goal, you will NOT succeed.  If you miss this, you will miss it all:

Within the next 24 hours, do something to start your goal.

You may say, “Is that all?  I can do that.”  Well of course you “can”; but “will” you?  I have seen it repeated time and time again:  People plan their goals to the last detail and never get started.  Research has shown that if you do not take action within 24 hours of setting a goal, chances are tripled you will not do it at all.  Do not miss this!  Take action right away.

So, what kind of action should you take in those 24 hours?  Using the reading example as our goal, here are some good first steps:

-       Choose the first book.

-       Order a book.

-       Open the book and start reading.

-       Create a pile of books in the order you wish to read them

It’s easy to start, once you start.  Now, do something every day: Read.  You do not have to read for hours, but you can if you wish.  Just a few minutes a day.  I like to read for about 30 minutes to an hour a day at various times.  In the evening my wife and I often read rather than watch TV.  You will find the time; you just have to use it.

“I find television very educational.  Every time someone turns it on, I go in the other room and read a book.” – Groucho Marx

Use these steps to follow each of your goals.  They work every time for any kind of goal.  You will find your goals are possible and will enjoy the process rather than dread it.

“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” – Andrew Jackson

© 2010 Jack Hickey