The Cerebral Nuggets of Goal Setting (2)

By Bayo Ogunmupe "Goals are dreams with deadlines,"- Diana Scharf Hunt. Parkinson's Law says, "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." The more time you give yourself in accomplishing a task or goal, the more time it takes you to accomplish the goal. Thus, you must learn to use Parkinson's Law to your advantage by setting short time frames to finish your goal. Which is why setting an achievement deadline is the sixth principle of goal setting. Score yourself average whenever you failed to meet the target date you gave for the accomplishment of your goal. Seven, identify every possible roadblock and setback to your goal. You begin solving a problem when you confront it. Therefore, by the application of creative problem solving methods, identify roadblocks to avoid any unexpected setbacks that may occur. This enables you create the most effective plans possible. By recognizing obstacles you should order your subconscious to find solutions to them. Nugget eight, create the key indicators of your goal by first, writing your goal down, second, break down your goal into a series of steps beginning with the easiest step. By doing what needs to be done first, and seeing the task to the end, you avoid spending more time on the goal. Nine, make definitive plans to accomplish your goal to deadline. Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. Trying to accomplish a goal without a plan is like building a skyscraper without foundation blueprints. Make plans so that you begin creating the future you want now. Nugget 10, be resourceful by being organized. "In this world no one rules by love; if you are but amiable, you are no hero; to be powerful you must be strong; and to have dominion you must have a genius for organizing,"- John Henry Newman. If you must have dominion over your own life, you must be organized. But to be truly organized, you must be organized in each and every sphere of your life. If your physical surroundings, your work bench are cluttered then so will be your mind. So to be sure of accomplishing your goal, that your workspace must be spotless. 11: Use leverage. "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world,"- Archimedes. Leverage is the ability to exert minimal effort for maximal achievement. An example is OPK: Other People's Knowledge. A great way to leverage is to seek a mentor. By so doing you save yourself time and money through eliminating the trial and error stage and instead begin seeing results. By creating a mastermind group you leverage other peoples knowledge along with their resources and networks helping you reach even more people that could help you reach your goal. Twelve: motivate yourself to be disciplined. But desire is the key to motivation. Discipline is buoyed by determination and the commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal. Withal, a commitment to excellence enables you to attain the success you seek. Think of only the reasons why you should accomplish your goal rather than excuses not to do them. If you do not see results immediately, keep going anyway. By keeping the end in mind you gain the momentum to forge ahead. 13: Be accountable to yourself. When performance is measured, performance improves; when performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates. Which is why participating in a mastermind group, like membership of a newspaper editorial board is very beneficial. It gives you someone to report to who will not only encourage your progress but hold you accountable for what remains to be done on the achievement of your goals. Perhaps, you should have a mastermind group; with a minimum of five members and maximum of nine. The assessment of progress at every meeting hastens your progress. Remember, the more accountability, the greater the results. 14: Always remind yourself of your goal through autosuggestion. This is a process by which you train your subconscious to believe your set goals and systematically schematize your mental associations for your given purpose. One way of utilizing autosuggestion is to write down a few statements such as "I'll earn N1,000,000 per month in 2022," on an index card, and carry the card at all times. Whenever time permits, first thing in the morning, before retiring to bed, on break at work; you begin reciting your write- up on the card with conviction and inner belief that what you are saying is true and correct. But you must keep your statements positive and in the present tense because the subconscious sees in pictures. For instance you should never say "I am debt free," for the subconscious would only see "debt" and would focus on multiplying for you more "debt." A positive, present tense autosuggestion for this should be. "I am financially independent or money flows to me easily." To CC / BCC Show Original Message Saved