“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals” ~ Henry Ford.
As the year comes to an end and as you prepare for the coming New Year, I thought I could just remind you and probably give you a few tips on how to set out your future goals.
Goal setting is one activity that distinguishes successful people from the average ones. It is hence important in life to set your own achievable targets that are measurable.
However, before you set your goals, you need to have your life’s intended purpose written down. The goals you set are aimed at helping you achieve your intended life’s purpose.
For more on goal setting please read this article Goal-Setting Tips.
What Are Your Strengths?
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender that is strength” ~ Mahatma Gandhi.
It is very important to know what your strengths and weaknesses are as a human being. Before you step out to set your goals know what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Know what flows from you naturally and what does not. I have noticed that the best goals are those set around our strengths.
This makes life very easy and the journey to success enjoyable. You cannot set a goal as being a better mathematics teacher when your God-given call is being an athlete.
You will surely fail terribly. This goes to parents who are in the bad habit of deciding their children’s careers. Just because you are the one paying school fees, does not give you the right to prescribe a career for your children.
Or put straight, stop forcing them to become what you failed to be, or keeping the family tradition. I have two boys and all that I do is help them build on what they want to be.
My first son tells me he wants to be a medical doctor because he feels pity when he sees sick people. He wants to help them get better.
The only thing I do is to help him work hard and tell him that he needs to work extra hard in sciences, to be accepted in medical school. So far so good and I pray to God that he continues on this path.
Write Down Your Goals
There is power in writing down something. One sure way of reminding yourself about your goals is to put them in black and white.
Please make sure that you are the one deciding your own goals and they are not borrowed. It is much better and easier to set your own targets than copying some else’s. Your life goals are based on the unique talents you have.
The targets you set must be your own blueprint that can be adjusted as you go along.
Writing also acts as a measure and monitor, as this helps you to review them from time and again. I find goal writing fun and interesting.
A lot of things pop up that I could have easily forgotten about if I had not put them in writing. Your targets are your blueprint; the final product is your white print.
All successful people have their life’s intended purposes written down and broken down into smaller manageable and achievable targets.
Dream Big
“If one advances confidently in the direction of their goals and endeavours to live the life that they have imagined, they will meet with success unexpected in un common hours” ~ Henry David Thoreau.
Our lives are made of what we dream about. It all starts with your mind. If you dream, small you are more likely to achieve less in life.
The bigger your dreams are the bigger your requirement for dedication and the bigger your expectations are. Zig Zigglar rightly says “if you can dream it, then you can achieve it.”
Am sure that you have dreams of what you want to be. I believe that every one of us dreams of what we want to be. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big. You are only increasing your chances of success.
Imagine Yourself Succeeding
I would say dreaming and imagination go hand in hand. When you are dreaming you are visualising yourself living your dream. Your imagination is the preview of things to come. Only you can see them.
Use your imagination to keep your dreams alive. If you want to achieve your goals you need to continue imagining yourself as a success.
Such positive thoughts send out strong energies that attract complimentary thoughts from people that can help us achieve what we want.
Constructive imagination means mental labour, by some considered to be the hardest kind of labour, but, if so, it yields the greatest returns, for all the great things in life have come to men and women who had the capacity to think, to imagine, and to make their dreams come true.
“The cultivation of the imagination leads to the development of the ideal out of which your future will emerge” ~ The Master Key.
Pursue Your Goals with Passion
The driving force behind your goal achievement is your desire. You must develop a burning desire that transcends everything else to achieve your purpose.
That is why I said in the first place that you set your goals based on your strengths. Whatever life’s purpose you have in life always make sure that you enjoy what you do. Life’s too short to be lived miserably.
Inject some passion in the things that you do. If you are an artist’s draw like that is your last drawing.
Imagine that you are going away and you want people to remember you for something, you will surely give them the very best of your being.
If you are in the service industry being good and just smiling at your customers makes them want to come back frequently. Live life with passion.
Conclusion
I will end with one of my favourite quotes by Thomas Jefferson ~ “nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”