GOAL SETTING AND ACHIEVING IT
By Mr. Misana Manyama
CEO Goig
Do not doubt your Faith doubt your doubts, for they are unreliable. James 1:8
DREAMS
People confuse goals with dreams and wishes. Dreams and wishes are nothing more than
desires. Desires are weak. Desires become strong when they are supported by
direction
dedication
determination
discipline
deadlines
That is what differentiates a desire from a goal. Goals are dreams with a deadline and an
action plan. Goals can be worthy or unworthy. It is passion, not wishing, that turns dreams
into reality.
Steps to turn a dream into reality:
1. Have a definite, clear written goal.
2. Have a plan to accomplish it.
3. Read the first two twice a day.
Why Don't More People Set Goals?
There are many reasons, including:
1. A pessimistic attitude--Always seeing the pitfalls rather than the possibilities.
2. Fear of failure--What if I don't make it? People feel subconsciously that if they don't see
goals and if they don't make it, then they haven't failed. But they are failures to begin with.
3. A lack of ambition--This is a result of our value system and lack of desire to live a fulfilled
life. Our limited thinking prevents us from progress. There was a fisherman who, every time
he caught a big fish, would throw it back into the river, keeping only the smaller ones. A
man watching this unusual behavior asked the fisherman why he was doing this. The
fisherman replied, "Because I have a small frying pan." Most people never make it in life
because they are carrying a small frying pan. That is limited thinking.
4. A fear of rejection--If I don't make it, what will other people says?
5. Procrastination--"Someday, I will set my goals." These ties in with a lack of ambition.
6. Low self-esteem--Because a person is not internally driven and has no inspiration.
7. Ignorance of the importance of goals --Nobody taught them and they never learned the
importance of goal-setting.
8. A lack of knowledge about goal-setting--People don't know the mechanics of setting
goals. They need a step-by-step guide so that they can follow a system.
Goal setting is a series of steps. When you buy a plane ticket, what does it say?
Starting point
Price
Destination
Starting date
Class of travel
Expiry date
If you ask most people what is their one major objective in life, they would probably give
you a vague answer, such as, "I want to be successful, be happy, make a good living," and
that is it.
They are all wishes and none of them are clear goals. Goals must be
SMART:
1. S--specific. For example, "I want to lose weight."
This is wishful thinking. It becomes a goal when I pin myself down to "I will lose 10 pounds
in 90 days."
2. M--must be measurable. If we cannot measure it, we cannot accomplish it.
Measurement is a way of monitoring our progress.
3. A--must be achievable. Achievable means that it should be out of reach enough to
be challenging but it should not be out of sight, otherwise it becomes disheartening.
4. R--realistic. A person who wants to lose 50 pounds in~30 days is being unrealistic.
5. T--time-bound. There should be a starting date and a finishing date.
Goals can be:
1. short-term--up to one year.
2. mid-term--up to three years.
3. long-term--up to five years.
Goals can be longer than five years but then they become a purpose of life. And having a
purpose is very important because without one, it is possible to develop tunnel vision, where
we are only obsessed with achieving our goals. Goals are more easily achieved if they are
broken into small ones.
Goals Must Be Balanced
Our life is like a wheel with six spokes.
1. Family. Our loved ones are the reason to live and make a living.
2. Financial. Represents our career and the things that money can buy.
3. Physical. Our health, without which nothing makes sense.
3. Mental. Represents knowledge and wisdom.
4. Social. Every individual and organization has social responsibility without which society
starts dying.
6. Spiritual. Our value system represents ethics and character.
If any of these spokes is out of line, our life goes out of balance. Take a few minutes
and just think. If you had any one of the six missing, what would life be like?
