Get Control

Although there is much you cannot control about how to reach your goals, there is a lot you can control; and that is where you should start. Things you can control include these:

• the amount of time you set aside to attain your goals
• your attitude toward attaining your goals; including being positive and persevering
• your actions--what you do to move yourself closer toward your goals
• making honest assessments about the steps you are taking to see what is working and what needs to be changed
• your choices

By taking control, you can fulfill your goals.

Go After Your Goals

Get to work on reaching goals by taking immediate action. Stop procrastinating and finding excuses (not enough time, too difficult, don't know what to do, etc.). If you want to reach your goals, YOU have to make it happen. Commit the necessary time, work, and dedication to the attainment of your goals.

• Make time
• Find out WHAT you need to do in order to achieve your goal(s)
• Find out HOW to do what you need to do
• Enlist help from others who have what you want or who know how to get what you want
• Tell yourself you can do it
• Break down big goals into manageable steps
• Do something today--no matter how minor

Visualize reaching your goal(s). What have you accomplished? How did you do it? How does it feel to have succeeded? How can you use this feeling of success to reach another of your goals?

Take Action By Making Changes As Needed

Snow, snow, and more snow. This week we have been pummeled by record-breaking snowfalls. It threw everything off schedule and shut down schools and businesses. It has also reminded me how easy it is to get off track with respect to our goals. Sometimes we need to be flexible enough to change course or adjust in some way when striving to reach our goals.

• Be Flexible. If you have not taken appropriate steps toward reaching your goal, don’t waste time worrying about it. Get back on track by taking a small step immediately. Do something—anything—that will move you closer. Re-examine your action plan to see if it still fits your present needs and abilities. For example, you may need to skip a step or two for the time being or else backtrack and redo a step you have completed.
• Change Course. When life throws you the kind of curve that thwarts your plans to pursue your goals, look for an alternative path. For instance, if you are looking for a job and the perfect interview did not produce results, evaluate what went wrong. Is there something more you could have done? Can you change something about your resume or your interview presentation? If so, change what needs to be changed, and begin again with your job search. Always be on the lookout for a better way of doing things.

Take Action and Reach Your Goals

Here are two more ideas to get you to take action on your goals:

• Utilize Your To-do List. Copy one of the steps from your action plan to your daily to-do list. For example, is there one thing you can do today to bring yourself closer to your goal(s)? Write it down on your to-do list. Then, make it a priority for the day. Take the step—move closer to your goal. Each day, add a new step to your to-do list that will move you toward your goal. Without taking some kind of consistent action, reaching your goal will be difficult. Many people write down their goals and create an action plan, but they fail to take action on them.
• Use Affirmations. Another way to increase the likelihood that you will take action is to repeat positive affirmations to yourself regarding your goal. For instance, if your goal is to garner a promotion, you might use these affirmations: I am learning and growing in my career. I am becoming more skilled in my area of expertise. I am making strides toward a management-level job. I am finding an appropriate mentor to help me reach my management goals. I am emulating people in management that I hope to join in a position someday.

Put goal steps on your to-do list and find personal affirmations that will work for you.

Take Action on Your Goals - Find a Mentor to Ensure Career Success

The next couple of blogs will address ways to take action on your goals. If possible, find a mentor who is willing to teach you what you need to know to attain your goal(s). This mentor should be someone who has the character traits you admire and who is in a position you aspire to hold or is doing what you hope to do. He or she should give you straightforward information and honest, positive critiques. You don’t want someone who says, “Yes, you are wonderful,” without providing proper guidance and criticism that will mold you into the person you hope to be.

How do you find a mentor?

• Network, network, network. You have to put yourself out there and ask for help. Most people are willing to help others.
• Join groups and seek successful members.
• Observe others in the workplace. Who would be the best person from which to learn?
• Take a class, get a tutor, or hire a coach.

Your mentor should be an expert in the area in which you want to learn. In addition, he/she should be able to teach; that is, get information across in an easy-to-understand way. Some people are experts in their fields, but they cannot convey information to others clearly.

Modeling successful people who have achieved what you want provides a readymade road map to reach your goals.