Alan W. Goff
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Designing Your Best Year EVER
A lot is written and taught on the subject of goal setting. The process doesn’t have to be as complex, all consuming or as mysterious as is led to be believed.
The one discipline most responsible for the abundance in my life is my learning how to set, stick-to and achieve well designed goals. Something almost magical happens when you organize and focus your creative power on a well-defined target.
Every year on New Years day I challenge myself to spend an extended period of time going through my annual goal development process.
If you know why, you’ll figure out how. As Friedrich Nietzsche says, "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."
If the ‘Why’ is big enough the ‘How’ is easy. Conversely if ‘Why’ is not identified or significant, any level of difficulty in the ‘How’ will be enough to defeat you. For example, if I put a 20 foot steel 2X4 on the ground and told you to walk the length of it as a fun challenge, you would do it without problem. If I then took that 2X4 and placed it 10 stories high, bridging two buildings, and told you to do it for fun, I’m sure you would say, “No way!” Why? The “How” is too difficult and the risk and the reason for doing it is too small.
Now, if on the roof of the second building was your one-year old child and the building was on fire and your child was about to be engulfed in flames if you don’t cross the 2X4 and save her/him, would you do it now? Of course! What’s different - same 2X4, same length, same difficulty? The “Why”, the reason for doing it became far greater than the difficulty or risk of the “How”.
Any “How” is possible if the “Why” big enough. As the old saying goes…You cannot hit a target you cannot see.
"If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” ~Yogi Berra
The world is goal oriented. An airplane needs to have a destination set in order to design a flight plan to reach it. When you get in your car you have to know where you want to end up before you even pull out of the driveway.
Three boys hiking came to open field. They created a contest to see who could walk the straightest line. The first two were winding and zigzagging, but the third boy focused on two trees at the edge of the clearing and walked a straight line.
When you know exactly where you are going and focus on that point, you will more directly and expeditiously go directly to that end. Without a focus for your direction in life you will wander aimless until you are hopelessly lost and confused.
Consider the following:
"The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get." ~Jim Rohn
"You will become as great as your dominant aspiration” ~James Allen
"Man alone has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man alone can dream and make his dreams come true." ~Napoleon Hill
Set big goals that challenge you to ignite the great potential that lies within you – to become the person you were meant to become.
There is an important process I learned in life called - Plan, Do, Review.
Before venturing off into another year it is important to stop and take a look back over the year just finished – take an inventory, add it all up and see how you did. What were the successes and where did you come up short? What has worked, what didn’t? Which were good decisions, which were bad?
Otherwise you might stray off course and never realize it until too much time has passed, too many resources have been spent and your life is on the rocks. Take significant time on your own to completely answer these two lists:
Short list:
- 10 great happenings in 20__
- Lessons learned in 20__
Long list:
- What was your biggest triumph in 20__?
- What was the smartest decision you made in 20__?
- What was the greatest lesson you learned in 20__?
- What was the most loving service you performed in 20__?
- What is your biggest piece of unfinished business in 20__?
- What are you most happy about completing in 20__?
- Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life in 20__?
- What was the biggest risk you took in 20__?
- What was the biggest surprise in 20__?
- What important relationship improved the most in 20__?
- What compliment would you liked to have received in 20__?
- What compliment would you liked to have given in 20__?
- What one word best sums up and describes your 20__ experience?
- What else do you need to do or say to be complete with 20__?
Now… what are you going to do differently to make this next year your best year ever?
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