Goal Management

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We all have goals, but an important distinction between successful and unsuccessful people is their single-mindedness in achieving specifically defined goals. Brain Tracy, a self made millionaire and the author of "Goals", claims that a common denominator of successful people is goal focus. Like icons on a computer desktop, their goals are constantly viewable in both short- and long-term memories. By continually dwelling upon what your goals and how to achieve them creates a rapid movement of energy and action where you and your goals draw together.  This is because you invariably attract into your life people, circumstances, opportunities that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts.

Unsuccessful people, in contrast, recall their previous failure experiences. They think about the last time they failed and they imagine failing again. This programs the subconscious mind for failure. According to Joseph Murphy, our subconscious mind doesn’t differentiate between positive and negative statements. Nor does it differentiate between physical reality and desired results. Consequently, outcomes reflect dominant thoughts.

This is why correct visualization is an important technique to acquire. Visualization sends a message to your subconscious mind, the soil in which behaviors grow. When the brain clearly and continually visualizes an end result with deep emotion and concentrated intent, it creates energy that is then converted into its equivalent in mass - ie. the result desired.

According to Dr. Philip E. Humbert, high achievers always know precisely what they want, often by putting goals into visual form. For example, writing a short description of their goals each day acts as a reminder of their priorities and objectives. He claims that the act of writing your goals down vastly increases your chance of success. The results of the Harvard study conducted between 1979 and 1989 supports statement. According to the study, 3 percent of graduates who had clear, written goals when they left Harvard earned an average of ten times more the other 97 percent of graduates totaled. The differentiating variables between the groups was specific goals and goal management techniques.

In his book “Goals”, Tracy advises to write down the goals you want to accomplish within next twelve months. Ask yourself: "If I can only accomplish one goal from my list, which one would have the most positive impact on my life?" Circle this goal, turn the page over, give it a deadline. Now write the steps necessary to achieve the goal. Now empower the goal with action by doing at least one step from this list every day.

People become great if they determine their major purpose in life then work on it every day. By selecting one goal, establishing a plan and daily implementing the plan will change your life in radical ways. By taking small steps toward the goal, we move closer and closer to the goal. Author Jack Canfield attributes selling over 150 million books to promoting his book in 5 ways every day. Interestingly, we will find that our focus also brings more opportunities to us.

When we set a big goal, we may feel overwhelmed by it’s size and perceived obstacles to attainment. However, we can re-size the big picture by using goal management techniques. Practicing goal management makes you solution oriented rather than problem oriented. In short, goal management means to select one definite goal, make a detailed plan and work towards your goal each day. Goal management makes achievements both easy and achievable.    ©Debra Contreras 2010©   

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