Unfortunately, many people go through life without ever identifying what they want, where they want to go, or who they want to become. They wonder why they feel frustrated, never achieving anything significant. What they should realize is that the difficulty is in finding something you’ve never visualized, or returning from somewhere you’ve never been. People who have no goals, have no direction, and are almost always very busy, but rarely achieve what they want to achieve.
Now is the perfect time of the year to stop and evaluate what you have accomplished, and what accomplishments 2011 will bring. People who experience high levels of achievement and success have clearly defined personal and professional goals with specific action steps and benchmarks. As goals are achieved, confidence and knowledge heightens and expands; therefore, even higher goals become realistic. While there is no guarantee that you will achieve your goals within the given time frames, establishing them helps to ensure you will. The more passionate you are about achieving your goals, the less you will worry about possible problems, details, and day-to-day challenges. Having clearly defined goals allows you to have a sense of control over your action, your life, and your organization.
Developing personal goals that you are committed to as well as a solid plan for your organization will help to minimize setbacks. However, there will always be setbacks so expect them. Look forward to them and use them as springboards to higher levels of success. In adversity, there is opportunity. Successful people are those who have learned to face adversity with anticipation because they know that they are the greatest opportunities for learning. If you want to succeed, you must develop a positive attitude about failure. You only fail when you stop trying. In fact, failure can be your most important learning opportunity. Those that succeed are those who do the things that failures don’t like to do. Failure provides you with a chance to grow, learn, and to become better.
Creating focused and purposeful goals takes time and careful thought. It is not an exercise to be done quickly or taken lightly. It is only when you seriously evaluate what you want to accomplish, do, and become that you begin to see the future you want. Once the vision is in place it becomes much easier to create a goal and actionable plan. Start by asking yourself some seemingly easy, but often tough questions about your future.
- In 2011, what do you want to achieve for your business and for you personally?
- Where do you envision yourself personally in 1, 2, and 5 years?
- What qualities and skills do you need to develop in order to achieve your goals?
- What do you want your career or your business to provide you?
- Where do you see yourself in the next 20 years?
We are embarking on a new year full of opportunities and potential accomplishments, and they are not far beyond your reach. Define what you want and where you want to go. Develop specific goals to make that vision of your future a reality, and then create the specific action steps that will become your road map for success in 2011. There may be bumps in the road, wrong turns, or total course corrections but stayed focused. Your success is not a matter of chance!
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/ or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
