You’ve finally arrived!

If you have been through the 13 sessions up to this point, you’ve read and absorbed 6,050 words, or the equivalent of 24 pages of content on Goal Setting Tips and S.M.A.R.T. goals.  (Yes, I counted them!)  Sounds like a lot, but all we’ve really done is taken baby steps together over time.  Congratulations for sticking in there!

In Session 13, we talked about the eight life categories and also began defining them.

As a reminder, here they are again:

1. Career
2. Spiritual
3. Educational
4. Financial
5. Physical
6. Family
7. Social/Relational
8. Fun/Recreational

You were also asked to rate the eight categories on a scale of 1 to 10.

Now it’s time to,

TAKE ACTION!

The famous American business magnate, T. Boone Pickens said:

“Be willing to make decisions.  That’s the most important quality in a good leader.  Don’t fall victim to what I call the ‘ready-aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome.’  You must be willing to fire.”

Sounds good to me, so . . . “So Let’s Fire!

Stop what you’re doing right now, pick one of the goal categories, grab piece of paper, and write a goal.

Remember, your goal needs to be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time specific (Make your ending date either April 30 or May 31).
• Only one sentence long
• An affirmation statement beginning with the words, “I have,” or “I am”
• Written in the positive tense

Keep in mind a couple of other things:

1. We’re not writing down any actions yet.  The goal and the actions to accomplish the goal are two different things.
2. Try to use words that excite you.  When you read your goal, it should energize and stimulate you to action.

Now the last action:

SEND YOUR GOAL TO ME RIGHT NOW!

Step over the line, and send it now!  My email address is Robert@RMallon.com.  Copy it into an email and send it to me.  Do not wait.  Don’t say you’ll do it later today.  Take action.

There are two reasons for this:

1. To prove you are committed
2. The world rewards action

Once you have written the goal and sent it to me, it is Your Goal!  You own it.  Nothing will happen until you take this step.

Here’s what I will commit to do.  I’ll pick several of these and dissect them in the next session.  If they’re not exactly right, they will be!

My promises to you:

1. I promise that I will keep your name anonymous.
2. I promise not to judge you on your goal.  If it’s different–GREAT!  If it’s wacky, all the better!

Fantastic!  You have just completed something that fully 97% of people never do—set a goal on paper!  Your life has now changed for the better!  Give yourself a pat on the back.

Again, Congratulations!!!

Over the last several years of coaching people, I’ve figured out that there are eight different categories in life that you can set goals for:

1. Career
2. Spiritual
3. Educational
4. Financial
5. Physical
6. Family
7. Social/Relational
8. Fun/Recreational
   

Let’s discuss each, so that you know what we’re talking about.

1. Career: This has to do with what you do for a living, and how much you enjoy it.  Does your work energize you or are you part of the “Walking Dead”?

2. Spiritual: How is your relationship with God?  Do you have a close relationship with Him?  Do you regularly spend time working on your spiritual life?

3. Educational: Are you where you want to be with your education?  Are there some courses, or fields of study that you’d like to pursue?  Is there a certification that could help you move up the ladder in your career?  Are there some things that you’d like to learn to do as a hobby?  Are there some classes you would like to take?

4. Financial: How are your finances?  Do you work off of a budget?  Do you control your expenditures?  How is your debt level?  What’s you net worth?  Will you be able to retire when you choose to?

5. Physical: Do you feel good about your body?  Do you have plenty of energy at the end of the day, or are your exhausted?  Are you up to date at the dentist and/or with your annual physicals?  Do you have a good exercise and nutritional program that you adhere to?  Are you overweight, or sleek, and muscular?
   

6. Family: How are your family dynamics?  Do you have good relationships with all of your family members or do some of them need help?

7. Social/Relational: This would be your friends and possibly extended family.  Do you regularly take time to be with the friends in your life?  Are you socially active?  Do you have one or two people that you could call “best friends?”

8. Fun/Recreational:  This would pertain to your hobbies, or things that you like to do for fun.  Are you taking vacations?  Is it past time for one?  In your spare time, do you participate in extracurricular activities that bring you joy and happiness?  How do you nurture yourself?

As you read these, please realize that they are in no particular order.  No one is more important that the others.  If you want to make Fun/Recreation #1, I’m fine with that!

As you look at these, think about a scale of 1 to 10, where “1” is “terrible” and “10” means “couldn’t be better.”

Can we admit that no one on the planet is a “10” on all of these.  (At least I have never met them!)  I would say that Bill Gates is a solid “10” when it comes to finances.  Billy Graham is about as close to a “10” as it comes in his spiritual life.  Carl Lewis, the former Olympic track star, was probably a “10” when it came to the physical category.

But most of us fall somewhere between the “1″ and “10″ ratings in each of these areas.  We may have a “5″ in one area, a “9″ in a couple, and a “2″ in another.  If your life was a tire, it would be a bumpy ride.

But what if you were to get all of the areas out to a “7″or an “8″?  That would be a much smoother ride.  And you’d enjoy it so much more.

So right now, take a couple of minutes and rate yourself on each of the life categories.  (Don’t put this off–it will take about 1 to 2 minutes tops!)  Write down all eight of the categories, and then put a number between “1″ and “10″ by each.  Be honest with yourself.  Don’t say you’re an “8” when you’re really a “6”.

We will use these ratings in the next several sessions.  For now, all we’re trying to do is find the base line for where you are at the present time.

In the next session, we will pick one of the areas and begin to write a goal for it.

PS: Are we connected yet on Facebook and Twitter?  If not, please hit these links:

Facebook: Robert Mallon

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Bůh vám žehnej!

Okay folks, in session 11 we did a little practice on writing our goals.  We looked at a “Not-S.M.A.R.T.” goal and found six things that were incorrect with it.  Then we re-wrote the goal and turned it into a S.M.A.R.T. goal!

Remember the S.M.A.R.T. goal acronym:

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Attainable

R = Realistic

T = Time Specific

Now, let’s take a look at two quick little goals that aren’t S.M.A.R.T. and turn them into goals that we can work with:

“I’m going to get more organized this quarter.”

Based on what you’ve learned so far, what problems do you see? 

1. It’s written in the future tense.  Remember, your subconscious mind doesn’t believe future tense!
2. There is no specific date.
3. It’s not specific.
4. It’s not measurable.  The way it’s written, your goal would be accomplished by just straightening your paperclips!
5. It’s not written as an affirmation statement.  Remember to use the words, “I am,” or “I have,” at the beginning or your goals.

So, let’s re-write it as a S.M.A.R.T. goal:

“I am learning six new organizational techniques and implementing them by March 31, 2012.”

The goal is now:

1. Written in the present tense
2. Measurable—(six techniques)
3. Has a date
4. Specific as to what you are going to do
5. Starts with “I am.”

One more, quick example of a “Not – S.M.A.R.T. goal:

“I’ve got to lose some weight.”

There are lots of problems with this goal.  See if you can come up with some of them.

Now, look at it re-written as a S.M.A.R.T. goal:

“I am increasing my energy and looking great by losing 12 pounds by April 30, 2012!”

It’s now specific, measurable, date specific, written in the present tense, and attainable.  (From the time I am writing this, April 30^th is three months away.  That’s only four pounds a month, and anybody can do that!)

I hope these two examples help you.  In the next session, we’re going to talk about your life.  We will identify some areas that need some work so that you can begin setting your own goals.

Until then,

Robert

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