To Achieve Personal Goals, Focus on Bigger Picture

I’ll bet you’re pretty well governed by goals at work—goals that flow from your organization’s long-term strategic plan. Goals that are aligned with your company’s mission and vision. And you may be operating with some goals in your personal life as well. Do you know that it’s just as important for you to have your own strategic plan, vision or mission?

Let’s say an important event looms on the horizon, and you want to accomplish something impressive by that date. Maybe you want to lose weight, to stop drinking or smoking, or to be financially secure, for instance. So you compose some SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based) goals, just the way you’ve learned to do at work. Then you achieve them, right?

Well, it’s not quite that simple. There are enticements, set-backs, and (the most pernicious nemesis of all) a slippery slope lying in wait to trip you up! And even if you do attain your goal in time for that big event, how can you maintain this new self? It’s not great to dazzle everyone at your high school reunion if your next trick is to dominate a bag of Doritos or move a mountain of M&Ms!

This is where tying your goals to your “strategic plan” …. to a bigger, longer-term picture….comes in.

When you’re setting your goal, think hard about why it’s important to you not just to be a certain someone by a deadline, but to stay a certain someone for a lifetime. So don’t stop with a few of the short-term reasons, envision the long-term ones — the big picture.

Allow yourself plenty of time to brainstorm and list all of the benefits that will accrue when you’ve attained and can maintain your goal– more energy, less pain, more flexibility and more money (formerly frittered {or Frito-ed} away on costly processed foods or spent on medical care)….even some positive new relationships. The consequences of success and failure must be specific, abundant, and crystal clear to you before you start out.

Then compose a supporting vision statement, such as, “I see myself as a strong, healthy person who enjoys physical activity. My meals are interesting and delicious, but food does not rule my life.”

Then when you feel yourself starting to slide down that slippery slope, you can catch yourself. Revisit your list with those powerful motivators. Consider everything you have to gain by staying strong and all you could lose by surrendering to instant gratification. And clearly envision yourself as that strong, healthy person.

What if you’ve set some personal goals that you never “get around” to accomplishing? You “just never seem to have time to devote to them?” What’s going on? Let’s talk about that next month.

If your organization would like a keynote speech on this or other topics, contact Jeanne at (402) 475-1127 or (800) 410-3178, see her website at www.cts-online.net, or email her at jbaer@cts-online.net.