Goal Setting

Ok, so today's message is inspired in large part from our conversation I had yesterday from a very dear friend of mine.  We talked about the importance of goal setting and the need to consistently do it in all areas of life.  

Just keeping it real for you all...I have always been a very goal driven person.  I credit my mom for instilling it in me because it started in school with me.  My mom was a teacher and so she put a lot of emphasis on how important it was to do well in school and the value of education.  Consequently, I was the student who loved getting the syllabus sheet at the beginning of a semester and seeing everything laid out for me on what it was going to take to get an "A" in the class.  Yes, I am one of those nutty-nut people who even liked homework and tests.  

Fast forward into adulthood, and my inspiration for goal setting morphed into something so much more.  My sister sent me a book as a birthday gift in my early 20s - it was called The Secret and it truly changed my way of thinking about life, goal setting and the power of positive thinking.  If you've read the book you know what I mean here, it truly can revolutionize the way you approach life.  

In a nutshell its summed up in 3 steps:

1.  Ask the universe for what you want in life

2.  Believe with every ounce of your being that its possible

3.  Receive what it is that you want

Talk about the power of visualization here...this system of Ask, Receive, Believe when truly used is no joke!  It has worked for me so many times in life.  Whether it was when I was in my mid 20s and in some serious debt and visualized what it would feel like to finally pay off all of that debt, to when I ran my first 5K and the feeling of completing a race, to my first year in sales and how it felt to exceed my quota.  I personally have used this approach so many times and it never fails so long as you do it 100% and stay committed to what you are putting out there in the universe.  

The motivation behind setting a goal is unique to each of us.  We are all driven by various things.  In sales we always use the analolgy that "salespeople are coin operated" meaning that we will focus on selling that which is going to put the most money in our pocket.  That is a  pretty strong motivator for a lot of people.  Whereas, others find motivation in the acknowledgement or recognition of they get when they achieve a goal.  But the real secret here is this...the real value of setting goals is not about the recognition or the reward you get, its about the person you become by finding the discipline, courage and commitment to achieve your goals.  That is the absolute 100% truth!  There is so much character building that happens along the way of goal setting.  As Henry David Thoreau says, "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."  After all every great accomplishment in life came from the decision to try.

So, get out there and set some new goals and visualize yourself accomplishing them.  Even write them out as if they have already happened and focus on how that will feel when it happens.  I promise you it will be worth it!