How to stay motivated to your goal?

Its last day of 2013 and I am still seriously concerned to help you set goals and achieve them. Goal setting is the only key to your success. When you set clear and most specific goals you are likely to achieve them provided that you stick to your plan and keep evaluating your progress every day. I have already done review of my 2013 and also set goals for 2014. I love to start New Year powerful and want you to do the same as well. Someone nicely said that good beginning is half done; if you start your year in high note you are likely to stay motivated all year long. If you achieve goal set for a single day you will get motivated to achieve more the next day, similarly, if you achieve goal set for a week you will be excited to achieve your month’s goal and at the end you will be elated to see that you have already accomplished goal for a year. Superb! It’s magic of getting bigger things done by breaking them into several smaller fragments.

Click here: What is importance of goal setting?

Breaking bigger goals set for 1 year or 2 year or even for 5 years to smaller goals for months, weeks or day will help you keep in track. We always tend to escape from the job that appears to be too difficult or too hectic. Bigger goals might seem too cool on paper but when it comes to take action we might get demotivated or frustrated or tend to procrastinate. But if we break them to smaller fragments the task appears to be easy and you are less prone to procrastination and chance of achievement increase dramatically. Hence, break your bigger goal to smaller slices of tasks for every week or days. I want to express it more clearly by giving example of my own goal; I have set a goal to run half marathon in December 2014. This goal seems to be too big for me if I don’t plan it properly. I will never be able to build such a huge stamina to run 21 kilo-meters at one go if I prefer not to break it to smaller weekly goals. I have got almost 12 months of time to work on it. I can run 3 kilo-meters currently so I gradually have to build stamina to reach my finish line. I broke it to monthly goal to boost my running distance by 2.5 kilo-meters per month and still broke to boost by 600 meters every week. Finally, I have to increase my running distance by about 80 meters a day. Does it sound easy now? Oh yes! It looks like that I can achieve it as increasing 80 meters of running distance every single day doesn’t sound as  tough as achieving stamina to run 210000 meters in a year. Eventually, at the end of year I will be able to cross my finish line as I broke it to very small daily task. Similarly, you can break your bigger goal to small daily goal before you give up on your goals.

Activity:         

1.      Carry a piece of small paper inked with tasks for a particular day in your pocket (which I usually do), it will remind you of your goal all day long. And yes you can’t even imagine how irresistible you will be until you get all those works mentioned in that small paper piece completely done. Isn’t it powerful tool to achieve your daily goal?

2.      When you wake up in the morning, the very first task you have to do is to plan your day. Once you plan our day, list down the tasks that are to be accomplished on that particular day and promise to yourself that you will get them all accomplished before you go to bed.

Click here: Learn how to set goals.

Set award and punishment for every goal

While setting my goals for 2014 a smart idea of declaring award and punishment trickled down my nerve. We tend to stay in our comfort zone until we are pressurized by deadline or punishment. We are habituated to this behaviour from our childhood so it’s too hard to change at once. So why not use same pressure to get ourselves out of that couch. Declaring award for your goal will help you stay motivated and you will feel tempted to your goal. Not necessarily, your award should be too big it could be as simple as walking to your favourite food palace for dinner. I want to cite example of my own goal; if I complete my goal to run half marathon I will get myself a pair of best sport shoes from my favourite brand.

In the similar manner, having punishment for not being able to achieve targeted goal will create a kind of fear in your inner heart that eventually will force you to take actions that help you achieve your goal. As Robin Sharma explained in his book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari that, The monks in Himalayas used to bath in ice-cold water until their body goes numb if they fail to achieve their goal or slip off the task they were supposed to complete. You can also decide punishment for yourself if you fail to achieve your weekly, monthly or yearly goal. The punishment could me cutting off your luxury like T.V, internet or even your cell phone. One of my friends is getting married on first week of February and I am really very excited to attend his wedding ceremony. But before being eligible to attend his wedding I should have to accomplish all the goals I’ve set for January. Now you can imagine how much effort I will put on to get all my tasks done by end of January. My goals for January are:

1.      To complete 5kms of race by 28^th of January.

2.      To remember 200 GRE words.

3.      To prepare complete handwritten notes of all subjects I read.

4.      To post 4 blog posts on bjaygtm.blogspot.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 to you and your family. I send you all the best wishes for your success.

Thank you very much for reading this post. Please like blog on Facebook and keep sending your feedbacks at bjaygtm@gmail.com. 

Your friend,

Bijay

9 Easy steps for goal setting

I just came back from jog and wondering that how easy it is to give up on our goals and priorities once meant everything for us. We false assume that our goal is too high for us when we have to face a difficulty, even a minor one. But it takes a man with strong determination to stand strong enough to slip off the path and achieve his goal. And he is the one bound to be a success and go higher and higher.

Today I am going to share about goal setting process. Before that I would like to thank you very much for your absolutely fantastic support and feedbacks. I am hungry for your feedbacks; I really love hearing you back

Most of the peoples say that they want to set goals and work on them but they are confused where they should start from. I am going to make it easier for you and help you in your goal setting process with this post. I will explain the entire goal setting process in simple 9 steps. Though there is no any hard and fast rule for setting goal, you can do it in your own way. But you can also follow this model for setting your own goals.

1.      Decide your goal:

The very first thing you have to do while setting your goal is to decide your goal. There are millions of thoughts flooding your brain every minute. You feel like to be an actor in the morning, a cricket player all day long and think that you can do well as a singer in the evening. It was just a simple example of a confused and unclear mind. Our mind don’t remain stable on singe thought all the times, it changes every second. And our goals also changes seasonally if we don’t write it down and focus it time and again. It happens to everyone until they find out what exactly they want to be or achieve. You will end being nothing than frustrated person if you are not clear on your goal. Hence, listen your inner voice and determine what you really want to achieve. Set your goal that you will love working on and is something you truly want. Be clear and specific on it. For example, if your goal is to get good marks in your next exam, then be clear and specific on what does “good mark” mean to you. Specify it!   Is it 50% or 90% that makes good mark for you? Don’t afraid to set higher goal for you. There is nothing to lose in wanting big so just go ahead and set a bigger one if you sincerely want to achieve it.

2.      Write it down:

             Once you set a goal for you start working with pen and paper, write your specific goal on it. Writing your goal on paper makes you feel that you can achieve it and are bit closer to it. It makes you believe that your goal is realistic and you are on the way to success. Besides writing your goal, write at least five points that best describes why do you want to achieve that goal. For e.g. if your goal is to reduce your body weight then the points could be something like- “To get good body shape”. These points work as motivation for you whenever you feel like quitting. Hence, brainstorm as many points as possible that are quiet motivating to help you achieve your goal and attract you toward working on your goals.

Note: Don’t write your goal in future tense like- “I will earn 1 million this year”. It creates mental image that you are far from your goal whereas writing goal in present form like- “I earn 1 million this year” makes you feel that you are almost there at your goal.

3.      Set a deadline:

      Having deadline for your work indirectly pressurizes you to achieve that goal. It acts as continuous jerk for you to work on your goals. Without deadline your goals are just dream, you are allowing yourself to slip off the path if you are not having deadline for your work. While setting deadline for your goal make it sure that you provide yourself enough time to achieve it. Be specific on you deadline, write the exact date for your goal achievement. If you have bigger goal then break it down to many smaller goals and set deadlines for each of them.

After having deadline your goal should look like this:

Goal: I loose 15kg of my body weight.

Why do I want to achieve this goal?

·         To look more younger

·         To get in good body shape, etc.

 Last date for goal achievement: 15^th Feb. 2014

4.      List the things you should do:

Now, you have to list all the things you have to do so that you achieve your goal. Your list should include everything you think you have to do and need in order to reach your target. You can include skills and knowledge you need to reach that goal. Also sort the things you already have or know and things you have to learn. Writing these things down make you aware of what you are about to do and what are the tools you need to achieve goal. This list will also help you in planning your goal achievement path.

5.      What are possible obstacles?

            Whatever you do you have to deal with minor or major obstacles. In fact, obstacles make our journey even more interesting. For e.g. Movie become much more interesting because villains stand as obstacle to hero’s journey. What’s the joy of watching movie when hero achieves his target in absence of obstacle? Hence, when you are done with your list, prepare one more list which includes obstacles you are likely to face while reaching your goal. You can smartly plan your journey when you are aware about your obstacles prior to their appearance. Listing them down will also help you in tackling them wisely. List everything that tend to pull you off the track like criticism from your friends, lack of motivation, unsupportive behavior from person you expect to help you in your particular step, spending time unnecessarily on internet or TV.

6.      Make an action plan:

When you list things you have to do and are aware about your possible obstacles now it’s time to plan your goal. Proper planning is a key behind every successful story. You can’t afford to lose your game due to poor planning. While planning, sort the things on the basis of priority.

•           Make separate list of high priority tasks and less valuable ones.
•           Break your bigger goal into smaller daily goals and allocate time for every single task.
•           Commit to complete every works not on deadline but even before it.
•           Write the possible solution to your obstacles
•           What are skills and knowledge you need to learn

Once you are done with above tasks put them in order and organize them. Finally, create the stepwise list of action that you must do so that you can start your work. Now, you are ready to take off!

7.      Let the world know about your goal:

Most of the peoples hesitate to share their goals with others so that they easily give up on their goals. Letting other people know about your goal is one of challenging yet powerful tool to help you achieve your goal. It keeps pulling you to your task and you will strive hard not to be a loser in others eye. At the same time if you keep a secret goal you will find 101 excuses to stop working on your priorities. Hence, let your friends, family and neighbour know about your goal. Post it in your Facebook account, share with other readers in my blog, and tell every single person you meet about your goal. It pressurizes you indirectly to achieve your goal.

8.      Take action:

Your plan is ready and you have already let the world know about your goal. How about taking action now? Stay focused and clear on your actions. At this point you must take action every single day to bring success a step closer. Don’t let a single day go by without engaging in work that adds value to your life and goal. You can carry a goal card (a small paper or card where your goals are written) in your pocket every time so that it work as constant reminder of your goal.  If you keep taking actions and work on things that are important, on a long run you will develop a habit of doing only good things. I bet!

9.      Review:

This is the last step. You should keep reviewing your tasks on regular basis; daily, weekly or monthly. You can carry your assessment by writing the tasks you already accomplished and tasks that are yet to be worked on. It is important because it help you know that you are moving on right direction toward your goal. You can’t know where exactly you are until you evaluate your job. It is a tool that makes you sure that you are not doing any mistakes and your plan is working. You can also create an achievement chart showing the status of your goal. For e.g. you can constantly update your work progress in terms of percentage or rating on scale 1-10. It motivates you to work even harder so that you could reach your mark quicker.

Thank you very much for reading this post on Goal setting. 

I would love to hear you back. You can write me at bjaygtm@gmail.com and like blog page in Facebook for updates and motivational posts.

 Have great time working on your goals!

Why goal setting is important?

I am here in Rishikesh, Uttrakhand sitting on a hotel lobby this Thursday night. It’s almost 9.

I came here with my friends for rafting and to enjoy serene and peaceful environment of River bank.

Stars above are enthralling and moon in the sky is wonderfully vivid...…. Ganga River is immaculate and flows with great enthusiasm and pride.

Creativity started flooding my mind so I started typing straight. This time I am blogging about importance of goal setting.

Most of the successful people reveal that the most important action they took to enjoy the taste of success is setting goal followed by smartly created action plan to achieve that goal. They highly value the importance of goal setting and never forget to set higher goals for themselves. Peoples having clear goals for their future have vision about their future and life. They work hard to achieve the goal set for themselves and enjoy success. But not necessarily everyone setting goal would be a success unless he create his action plan and work hard with persistent determination in tough times. Success is bound to only those who have clear vision for their future and put continual efforts in achieving their goals every season.

            The very first and most important step in success is setting a goal for yourself. Having a clearly written goal in life help you stay focused only to the works that are important for your success. Most of peoples spend their time doing things that are of no value for shaping their bright future. They move round the circle doing less worthy things again and again and confused of what actually they should be doing to live the future full of happiness and success they are dreaming for so long. These people change their aim very frequently and are much frustrated and bored with life. Goal works as a constant remainder of things that you must do if you want to succeed. It helps you keeping your eye on success and travel the path of happiness. Let me take an example, if you aim to be a successful industrialist you have to work on building your business skills, learn to work in competitive market and learn how to deal with different peoples and their needs. This is possible only if you have first priority of being successful industrialist and create a goal followed by stepwise action plan. At the same time if you have no any written goal and action plan about being industrialist then it’s nothing much then a wish. It’s not going to make you an industrialist rather you will end up as a confused, frustrated and unsuccessful person stuck in stagnant life.

Clearly expressed goal makes you more organised and balanced. You will learn to manage things according to their priorities and focus only on tasks that are worth doing. You will know your needs and you become clear enough to know where you are going and how your life would be like. You will learn to do things that are really important and add value in your life and cut off those things that distract and impoverish you. You are bound by the daily works that must be accomplished by the end of day so that you bring success a step closer. Robin Sharma on his book, A Monk Who Sold His Ferrari wrote “Clearly defined priorities and goals for every aspect of your life will serve a role similar to that played by a lighthouse, offering you guidance and refuge when the seas become rough”.

Your goals help you value your time and being punctual on action plan you designed. Goals motivate you in valuing time and letting go of those things that are consuming your time with very less output. Peoples having well planned goals seems to be happier as compared to others as they are clear about future and know what exactly they are doing. Goals lead to action. It forces you out of comfort zone to work on your priorities. Goal works as a hook that pulls you in track if you tend to slip off the path. It gives jerks in times when you divert your focus and attention somewhere else. It always inspires you to take action and make most use of the time. We all have same 24 hours a day to get our job completed. Only planning can help you make most use of your day. For example, if you revise your goals every morning and feed your mind with plans for the day it is sure that you will increase your productivity and get most of your work done as compared to day without any planning and focus on your goal. This is simply because a flood of thoughts run our brain every seconds and a bundle of distractions tend to knock you out of your track every minutes and if you are not focused on what you should do you will get carried away by these thoughts and forget your priorities of life. So spending 5 minutes every morning to set daily goals and half an hour a month to write your goals make great value of time.

            It is not necessary that your goal must be a bigger one you can set smaller goals for every single day or for a month. The goal may be for one specific aspect of life such as health, career, wealth, education, pleasure, public service etc. or you can set separate goals for every single aspects of your life. Before setting goal you must ask yourself what do you want to be, have and do in your life. Being clear in your need makes you more specific and more likely to achieve that goal. For example, if a fat person is seriously concerned about losing his extra 15 kg weight and wants to look fit he must set goal with clear plan of his diet and exercise. When he revises his goal every morning and plan to exercise and cut fat from his diet progressively he will certainly see changes with time and ultimately reaches his goal.

Goal setting is a powerful and effective tool for your success. You can’t take chances in your life when you have right to live more successful and happy life. I sincerely request you to determine what you want to be or do in your life and set a goal to achieve it. I know life is not always easy and there are hard times as well but it’s our duty to plan our life so that we can fight with odds and live better life.

Thank you for reading this blog post. You are always welcome to share this with your friends. You can write me at bjaygtm@gmail.com and like blog page in Facebook for updates and motivational posts.

 Have great time working on your goals!

In coming week I will be posting on how to set goals. This post will help you in your goal setting process step by step so stay connected.