LIVE LIFE UP HIGH

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When I was planning to write the introduction to this article I was reminded of a story about goals that I read in Mark McCormack’s book, “What They Don’t Teach you At Harvard Business School“. This story is so relevant that I would like you to read it before you read the rest of this post (Read Goal Story).

Write S.M.A.R.T Goals
It is not enough for me to encourage you to write goals for your personal and professional life. I must encourage you to write S.M.A.R.T. goals. If your goals are S.M.A.R.T. you are more likely than not to achieve them. All your goals should meet each standard. If they don’t, they are more wishes than true goals.

Specific – Clarity in your goals is important. What specifically do you want to achieve?  Be specific.

Not good: I want to be rich.

Good: In 5 years I will have multiple profit streams that total $20,000 per month.

This latter example is clear and it gives you a specific target for which to aim.
 
Measurable –  Your goals also need to be measurable. They need to be measurable for two reasons: (1) You need to know when you have achieved the goal; (2) You need to know if you are making progress towards your goal.  

Example: I am writing a 150-page book on setting and achieving goals by December 22.

Attainable – I want to be careful with this one because people usually err on the side of not thinking big enough instead of thinking too big. Think big but to give yourself enough time to achieve the goal or break the goal down into manageable chunks. I know this is a little different from what some folks say but all the big achievers say it is important to think big. Don’t sell yourself short but at the same time don’t set your goals so big and your time period to achieve them so short that you become discouraged and quit.  As in most things balance is important.

Relevant- Make sure the goal is your goal. It should be relevant to you. This is where the why comes in. In his book called “ The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It’s Not About the Money…It’s About Being the Best You Can Be!“, Gary Keller has a great section discussing the importance of your Big Why.  Here is an excerpt:
 

Above all else, we’ve discovered that one thing all high achievers have in common is they are working for a Big Why. The Big Why is about having a purpose, a mission, or a need, that in turn gives you focus. High achievers always have a Big Why powering their actions.

It is important to have a Big Why because it pulls you through the difficult times. Why are you setting these goals? Thinking about this also helps you identify your true desires. Your true desires are your allies.

It is also important that you determine that your goals are really your goals and not another person’s goals for you. Really think about this because you want to make sure you are living the life you want and not the life someone wants for you.

Time Sensitive – A goal must have a date of completion. Lack of a time constraint usually leads to procrastination and unrealized goals. In fact, you should think of each goal as a project.  It should have a definite start date and end date, as well as some measurable milestones along the way.

Other bite sized insights

Obstacles -When writing your goals you should also include any obstacles you think you may run into and think about how you will get around these obstacles. Don’t just think about external obstacles either. Think about things that you have done in the past that has kept you from achieving your goals. How can you overcome these obstacles this time?

The beliefs behind the goals – Your beliefs may keep you from achieving your goals. This can cause you to sabatage yourself. Take a look inside and see if you really believe you can and should reach this goal. If not, then determine why and eliminate this factor. Most times it is an irrational fear or lack of understanding that is holding you back.
 
Resources – It is wise to identify any resources you will need to meet your goal. Think about the people resources, financial resources and knowledge you will need to achieve this goal. Now don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed if all of the resources you need are not readily at hand when you write the goal.  There is something wonderful that happens when you, with persistent determination, go towards a positive goal. It seems that all heaven’s resources come to help you move forward.

I encourage you the write your S.M.A.R.T goals today.  As always I welcome your comments.

Click on the images below to get these resources.
 

photo credit: BAIA

Networking is a fantastic way to build your business, not only by expanding awareness and your customer base but also by giving you professional resources to enhance and strengthen your skills and knowledge. 

Not only should you network with other professionals in your field but you should network with your customers, your suppliers and people who can provide administative support.

Networking actually takes many forms including offline networking with local associations and organizations like the Chamber of Commerce.  You can also network online in forums, chat rooms and social networking sites.  Here’s how:

Step One – Understand what your networking goals are.

For many, their social networking strategy evolves around building relationships – and there are many different relationships networking can create and build including:

* Joint venture partnerships
* Vendor relationships
* Mentor relationships 
* Friends and resources
* Customers
Whether you’re creating a social networking strategy to find new customers or you’re seeking partnerships or mentors, or a combination of the above it’s important to have your strategy mapped out before you begin networking.

Step Two – Create Your Networking Plan

Answer the following questions:

* Who is your target audience?
* What relationships are you looking to find and build?
* What do you have to offer them?
* What networking sites or organizations will you participate in?
* How are you going to represent yourself online?
* How often are you going to post/participate? 
* Will you create specific promotions and offers for your networking audience?

Step Three – Choosing your networking mediums – websites and organizations

Whether you’re looking to join a local networking organization or an online website, the most important thing to keep in mind are your goals.  Determine if the organization is going to be able to help you reach your goals before taking steps to join.
For example, if you’re looking to create joint venture partnerships then a professional networking site, forum, or chat room devoted to your industry may be exactly where you need to be.  However if you’re looking to build your customer base and expand awareness then a popular social networking site would fit the bill. 
Often, networking sites are valued by the number of members they have however it’s also important to make sure the audience matches your audience.  For example, if you’re marketing to seniors or baby boomers then MySpace is probably not the right social networking site for you since it caters to younger people.

Step Four:  Participate

Networking is only effective if you participate.  Here are a few rules of interaction when it comes to online and offline networking.

Get involved. Networking is about connecting with others. This means communicating with your audience in a manner which they will respond to. This is accomplished by using their language, addressing issues which they will be interested in or concerned about and providing them with information and resources which they will benefit from.

Update frequently. Online, in order to develop a following and to stay connected to your audience, it’s important to update regularly. Because many people have made a habit of networking online at least once a day (some people maintain access to their social networking site of choice all day long), it’s important to stop in and say hello. If your time permits, update at least once a day. If you don’t have time to commit to updating daily, consider outsourcing your social networking.

Be professional. Networking is about giving and receiving – not selling.  Keep the sales pitches to a minimum.  Networking is more about offering benefit to others than making sales. 

Networking, whether online or off, is a valuable way to grow your business.  Create a strategy and goals and remember you get what you give – become active in the right group and you’ll reap the rewards.

I look forward to hearing your comments.

photo credit: **** j a z z z i ***

I was laying in bed the other day thinking about things I had achieved in last year and those things I had not yet achieved. What happened to those goals that I said I wanted but had not yet achieved them? I started doing some soul-searching…Why hadn’t I achieved these goals yet? After thinking about this for a while I asked myself three important questions. I would like to share these three questions with you. Go through the process of answering these questions and you will move closer to the fulfillment of your goals.

Question 1: Do you really want to achieve this goal?

Is this your goal? Are you sure? I mean, does this goal come from inside your heart or is it something someone told you that you should do? Many times we are pursuing a goal that is not ours. It is not in line with who we are and who we were created to be. If you birthed this goal from your heart, you are more likely to achieve it. If you deeply desire it you are more likely to manifest it. As a first step, I would encourage you review your major life goals and determine the origin and authenticity of each goal. Is this really my goal? If it is not truly your goal, you may want to get rid of it so you can focus on the goals that are truly your goals.

Question 2: Why do you want to achieve this goal?

Once you determine that a goal is truly your goal then next question is answer is why. Why do you want to achieve this goal? What is your motivation?  This is important because when you reach a point of homeostasis, knowing the main reasons why you want this goal will help you keep going (I actually recently read a great blog post on The Positivity Blog that describes homeostasis.). I would suggest that you write down 2 or 3 key reasons why you want to achieve each goal. Determine the benefit of this goal to you and others.

Question 3: Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal?

This is an important question. Many times we don’t achieve our goals because we are not willing to commit to doing whatever it takes to achieve our goal. Now I want you to understand that being willing to do whatever it takes doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have to do whatever it takes. Most times just being willing to do whatever it takes knocks down barriers.

Further, the one thing that you are not willing to do to meet your goal will probably be the thing that comes up to test your commitment. Once you make up in your mind that you are willing to do whatever it takes it won’t matter if that thing comes up or not. You have already conquered it.

Please keep in mind that being willing to do whatever it takes doesn’t mean you should be willing to do immoral things or things that hurt others. Remember you goals should be uplifting to you and to others.

Put your goals through the test

I encourage you to put your goals through the test.  Sit down for 30 minutes with a pen and paper (or your computer) and write your answers to the three questions listed above. These answers will give you greater clarity and you will begin achieving more of your goals.

If you want to know more about setting and achieving your goals, a great book that I recommend is The Power of Focus: What the Worlds Greatest Achievers Know about The Secret of Financial Freedom and Success . This book will take the serious goal-setter through a process that will help you move forward to achieve your most important goals.