New beginnings call for new goals. Whether it’s a new year, new month, or new stage in life. These 7 steps for goal setting will put you on the right course for achievement.
Every business has goals for growth. Has that growth plateaued? Maybe it’s dropped off. It could be time for some new goals and new strategies to reach those goals.
In this blog we’ll talk about the 7 steps for goal setting as outlined in the book “Soaring Mind Power” written by Larry D. Judd and Irene W. Hunt.
SOARING MIND POWER
In 2013, my dear friend commissioned me to help her father refine the goal pamphlet he’d created for his family and make it into a book. After three years of hard work, “Soaring Mind Power” released in June of 2016. It was an amazing experience. Larry created the bulk of the concepts in this book, and I brought them to life with words.
I love the SMART approach to setting goals and have used it in my own business and personal life. We cover this in the 7 steps for setting goals. SMART is an acronym for:
- S – Specific: your goal must concisely answer the question of what it is you want to accomplish.
- M – Measurable: you must be able to measure progress by breaking the goal into specific actions.
- A – Attainable: the action you want to happen must actually be reachable in a realistic time frame.
- R – Relevant: your desired goal should relate to your overall values and long-term objectives.
- T – Timed: setting a time to reach your goal helps you attain it.
In “Soaring Mind Power”, we break these steps down even further. The following blog is exerpts of Chapter 4, Planning for Successful Goals. We call it The Seven Stepping Stones to Goal Achievement. This approach helps you set SMART goals.
PLANNING FOR SUCCESSFUL GOALS
Do you have a dream list of everything you have ever wanted to do or become? Is it a list of impossible dreams? No! Dreams can come true . . . IF you know how to make them happen. Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.” The goal systems listed here will assist you in the pursuit of your dreams.
The first step is to ask yourself a question. What do you want to do or become? Compose a dream list, and let your mind soar. See yourself (or your business) as you can become. Write the ideas as they come. Then choose the one that you want to focus on. I suggest starting with the simplest, to gain momentum from success.
There are several tools to help you accomplish your goals. The first move will be to look at your goal and dissect it into smaller, manageable objectives. Organize a weekly plan to accomplish these objectives.
7 STEPPING STONES TO GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
Let’s explore ways we accomplish these goals that never seem to get finished. Sometimes the task at hand overwhelms us. Other times we simply don’t know where to begin. Apathy might plague us occasionally. We must first have the desire.
Your desire might come from fear or a longing for more peace, prosperity, and joy. Whatever the reason, let it be the catalyst for action. How? It’s so hard! My Momma received a humorous card from a friend that said, “It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys.” Your attitude about your goal, and the people you surround yourself with play a large part in your success.
Picture yourself on one side of a wide, swift-moving stream. Your goal is on the other side, and you do not have a bridge to get there. Have you ever played, We’re Going On a Lion Hunt? “Can’t go under it; can’t go over it; can’t go around it. We’ve got to go through it!” Going through that river is a lot easier if you have stepping stones taking you inch-by-inch and foot-by-foot to your destination.
We’ve created a worksheet to assist you in this endeavor, but as I work on getting it available as a free download, you can use a blank piece of paper.
Stepping Stone #1: Guidance
The first step is to have desire. If desire is low, look for inspiration — through motivational material, prayer, meditation, and guidance from whatever Higher Source that wants you to succeed. Study what you desire and ask for help from your Divine Source of Power. That power is commonly known as God, but you may refer to it with whatever term rings true for you.
Stepping Stone #2: Define
After attaining desire, the second step is to define your goal. Be specific. “Grow my business” is a great goal, but what exactly is it that you want to accomplish? Why do you want what you want? “Grow my business” is worthwhile and important. It’s not specific, though. “Increase my sales by 25%” spells out specifically what you want to reach.
I suggest you start with questions, as defined in Chapter Two of “Soaring Mind Power”. What can I do to increase sales? When do I consider my business to be growing? See how these questions can lead you to your goal?
Stepping Stone #3: Minor Goals
The third step is to break your main goal into smaller tasks — objectives — or minor goals. This may take some research and studying on your part. What exactly do you have to do to accomplish your goal? WRITE down your minor goals. For example, your minor goals for growing your business might be:
- Contact my mentor for suggestions.
- Create content to increase traffic to my website.
- Hire a bookkeeper so my financials are clearer.
- Spend three hours a week on marketing.
- Cut costs by utilizing free shipping for supplies.
Whatever your main goal is, create minor goals that are also specific — giving time and frequency to measure their success.
Stepping Stone #4: Determine Value
Utilizing questions will cement in our brain why it is important for us to accomplish our goal. Giving meaning to our actions leads to success. Through researching what minor goals will help reach our major goal, we come across advice and experience of others. We are inspired as we think about why each step is important. By defining value, you might actually eliminate some objectives you originally thought were important but that might not be useful.
For example, contacting your mentor not only gives you encouragement, but they may point out something you’ve overlooked. On the other hand, utilizing free shipping might actually take more time to find supplies with that option — is the time worth more than the shipping savings? The value is outweighed by the reality of time. Rework that minor goal, or choose something completely different: perhaps negotiating with a vendor you already use.
Stepping Stone #5: Identify Obstacles
Every goal is going to have obstacles that stand in our way. Be realistic. This is easy for the cynics, slightly harder for the optimists. Return to the task of asking questions. “Soaring Mind Power” gives suggestions for using provocative questions in chapter five.
- What skill/knowledge do I lack in order to achieve the goal?
- Does this goal require a financial obligation?
- Is it going to be hard for me to stay on task?
- Are there time constraints that are going to make this complicated?
- Can I do this alone, or will it require help from outside sources?
Brain surf every obstacle you can think of. There might be many or few. When you’ve identified obstacles, move on to the sixth step.
Stepping Stone #6: Create an Action Plan
Creating an plan of action is an important step. How are you going to go about implementing your plan? Use a planner. Identify who will help or give you support. Be sure to include a timeline for each objective. Divide these goals into manageable chunks. You’ll find useful tips called “The Fabulous Four” in chapter seven if you choose to use the book in creating an action plan. They include Brain Surfing, Ten Helping Hand Keywords, Idea Doodles, and 9 Minutes – 9 Questions.
Stepping Stone #7: Implement, Analyze, and Adjust
Implementing the plan, of course, is the most important step. But we often forget to step back and analyze how it’s going. Step back and evaluate. The saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees,” might apply here. If your nature is to be positive and excited (like me) this might be a difficult task. Once a plan is established, just go for it, right? Others, like Larry, are more practical and logical. The holes in the plan may be slightly more evident once underway.
Examine your progress and adjust for things that might not be working.
Creating more website content might be taking more time than you anticipated. Maybe outsourcing this task will be a better use of your time.
SUCCESS!
As you implement your plan, you’ll begin to accomplish your objectives — each of which is a stepping stone towards your destination. Each success will rejuvenate you. Envision yourself flying higher and higher. Acknowledge your accomplishments and soar!
I’ve seen personal success in these 7 steps for goal setting and hope that you will as well. For more from Soaring Mind Power, click here.