Attitude #2: Set Goals-Daily Destinations

The second attitudinal characteristic found among top achievers is that they set goals. They take advantage of the numerous benefits goal-setting offers. Most of us view goal-setting as a laborious exercise fraught with uncertainty. Did you know that only 5% of North Americans are committed to written goals? [3] Im not talking about writing a to-do list scribbled on a Post-It-Note or a napkin. I mean a clear, concisely written goal. The to-do list simply represents a shopping list of activities, chores to be performed throughout your day. As a sales entrepreneur, you must get into the mental habit of thinking in terms of end results rather than being satisfied with busywork.

There is a parade of excuses as to why people do not set goals. The most common one is, They dont work, or even worse, How do I know what Ill be doing in five years? Instead of creating our future, we have been conditioned to react to the present. Too many people today seek the quick fix, hoping for some rescue fantasy to magically appear and salvage them from their boring life of routine and occasional luck.

In fairness to the goal-setting exercise, recognize there are two sides to every story. On the lighter side, I offer you the top ten reasons why you may choose not to set goals.

Reasons Not to Set Goals

1. No forward thinking is required.

2. You will always be successful-no accountability, no disappointments.

3. Your week is already full. Maybe youll set goals next week.

4. You have already reached your destination. Life has little more to offer.

5. It gives you a good reason to keep buying lottery tickets.

6. You can hang out with other aimless drifters. Like-minded people love company.

7. The 95% of North Americans who dont set goals cant be wrong. They may be mediocre or very average, but not wrong.

8. Youd rather live by other peoples goals. Its easier if they set them.

9. No goals = no failure.

10. To-do lists work just fine for me.

Now, of course I am being silly, but these reasons to not set goals are scarier than you think. I certainly hope you didnt highlight any of them. Unfortunately, many people do buy into this mentality.

Goals offer a host of benefits and the one that impresses me the most is that goals provide a destination. How do you know where you are going in life if you dont have a destination? Most of us spend more time planning our weekend, holiday, or party than we do our own lives. We dont plan to fail, we fail to plan. You have probably heard or read these ideas many times before. Thats because they are true. Once again the path of least resistance and the pain of regret prevails.

I recently visited my brother in Toronto and I noticed an advertisement in the apartment building elevator that Im sure you will appreciate. The ad was posted by a financial services company and in bold print asked the question, Where will you be in five years? It then offered four choices: (a) Driving a new car? (b) On a vacation? (c) In a new home? (d) In this elevator? I cracked up. Not only was the ad amusing, it delivered a powerful message. Unfortunately, given that only 5% of us have written goals, financial or otherwise, Im sure d is the answer in most cases.

How To Set SMART Goals

With an eye to simplicity, I offer the SMART approach to developing your goals. 141 Dont let the apparent simplicity of the SMART theory prevent you from using it. It works. Just ask your mentor or anyone you know who is experiencing success. By the way, if you dont have a mentor, get one. The SMART Approach:

Specific (dates, numbers, times, etc.)

M easurable (end result)

Attainable (to me)

Relevant (to me)

Trackable (progress of goal) [51

All five criteria must be in place in order to achieve your goal. Dont be overzealous. Be realistic and set goals that are relevant to your environment and to your future. Dont be guided or influenced by the goals of other people such as family, friends, managers, or coworkers. The SMART approach to goal-setting provides a way to articulate what you need to accomplish and where you are going.

The following example illustrates the simplicity of a SMART goal: I will save $500 by December 20, starting June 1. This goal satisfies the SMART criteria, including when it starts. Note that I didnt state, I want some extra cash for Christmas. I stated a very specific goal, a SMART goal. Now I have a destination. My next step is to set short-term goals to ensure I reach my destination of $500 by December 20.

Tim Commandment #1

Set personal and professional SMART goals frequently. Ask: What are my personal and professional SMART goals for today, for this week?

Dynamics of Motivation

To further stimulate you toward action, let me share some thoughts on motivation. Much has been written on the subject of motivation. Sales managers are always searching for the elusive magic formula

Goal-setting is most effective when goals can be accomplished within a reasonable period of time. Many people associate goals with a large window of time, five to ten years into the future, but goals are not reserved for long-term thinking only. Long-term goals are only achieved by setting daily, weekly, or monthly short-term goals. Few people appreciate that goals can become a daily exercise. Whats my goal for today? You must think of daily or weekly goals as stepping stones that eventually lead to your longer-term goals. Perhaps Charles Noble said it best, You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures. The feeling of accomplishment is highly rewarding. This feeling fuels your motivation to remain focused on your short-term goals, en route to your ultimate long-term goals. Without goals, we periodically experience accidental success. Its called a fluke. Consider a professional sports team. A hockey team doesnt win the Stanley Cup by winning one or two games. Victory stems from a series of wins during the season and post-season, one game at a time.

Valuable Benefits of Setting Goals

There are several important benefits of goal-setting. The process:

sets a destination, daily or otherwise

clarifies purpose

motivates you to action

delivers a sense of accomplishment

provides a benchmark of success

validates that you are successful

builds self-esteem

provides a clear commitment The SMART process stimulates a clear commitment from you to achieve your personal and professional goals. Commitment casts aside self-imposed barriers such as procrastination, the virus I spoke of earlier. Consider this story taken from Lee Boyans book, Successful Cold Call Selling:

Well, most people feel safer in a twin-engine plane. They figure if one engine quits, you have another one to keep you up. But consider this. It takes a lot more pilot skill to keep a twin-engine aircraft flying with one engine out. Its terribly unbalanced. Its especially tough in bad weather. Worse, if you have to make a forced landing in bad weather.

But pilot skill is only part of it. The real reason you may want to consider a single-engine airplane safer is this. If that engine quits, the pilot is totally committed to land that bird. There is no other option. Total attention, skill, and effort are concentrated on bringing it down as gently as possible. No distractions.

A twin-engine pilot, no matter how skilled, isnt applying all of that skill to the one critically important task. A twin-engine pilots mind is going back and forth struggling with a dilemma. Should I keep it up? Should I bring it down? iei

I am sure many people drift through life like that. They never fully commit to a specific goal. They dabble in this and that, not doing anything very well. Dont simply try something, commit to it. Success requires unshakeable commitment: Commit your full attention, your energies, and your skills to fulfill your goals. If you only try something, it becomes a very trying experience. Be passionate, not merely interested. Dont be like the kamikaze pilot who flew 17 missions. Get focused.

I recently set a personal SMART goal to lose 15 pounds within 90 days. The goal kept me focused, kept me on course and ensured that I did what was necessary. Goals keep you focused regardless of whether you like the necessary activities. I didnt particularly cherish the thought of dining exclusively on cabbage soup and veggies, but those activities were necessary. The discomfort of discipline.