Get going: The GPS of Goal setting. Master the art: 10 steps

Get going: The GPS of Goal setting

Master the art: 10 steps 

We all are at point A in your lives. My question is – how happy are you at point A? If not 100% happy, then you must make a plan to go to point B that stands for Better or even BEST. 

If you stay at point A there will be no improvement in your happiness rating. It is common sense. But common sense is not yet common practice. Most people sit at point A and complain, moan, or make excuses. 

The successful people among us have discovered: It is better to make a plan, than to make an excuse. It is better to get a goal and  GPS to go to a better place. Bill Copeland said: “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”

Lazy people have too few or no goals. They just drift and bemoan the beach they end up on. Intelligent people have many goals – too many. The problem is, that they are paralyzed because they have too many goals. They try to aim at 20 things simultaneously and hit none.  Four rabbits in sight, ... none in the pot. People with too many good goals feel a bit overwhelmed and then  they start to procrastinate:  They waste time on a really unimportant goal, instead of the first thing they actually have to do first.

Get a GPS: 

To go in real life from point A to point B you need a GPS. Not the normal GPS (Global Positioning System) that we nowadays use on road trips. Rather a GPS that stands for GOALS , PRIORITIES, SCHEDULING.  You must not only clarify all the goals in your life to take your life to the next level, but also arrange them in priority order. You determine the priorities through the following question: Which goal, if achieved, will result in the highest improvement of my happiness rating. And then the second goal resulting in the second highest improvement, and then the 3^rd …, 4^th, 5^th, etc.

The way to do it, is to do it in the context of your overall life plan, with the help of a coach. Sports coaching is easy: The goal is clear: The Cup the World Cup or the Medal. It is all about implementation coaching to go from a state where we don’t have the Cup , to a situation where we have it!

Life coaching is a twofold process: You first have to clarify what point B (the better future) is, and only then put the steps in place to get there. It is first (i) clarification coaching (within the context of an overall life plan), and then (ii) implementation coaching.

The best way to do clarification coaching is the one day “Get a Life” workshop where you redesign your life, plan your next chapter, and walk away on that day with a GPS: a clear cut picture of exactly what to do to go to a better B:  The GPS list the top 10 Goals in Priority order, which you can Schedule into your daily activities to move step by step to your better future.

Welcome to join me on one of these workshops in the near future:

https://www.gustavgous.co.za/index.php/attend-a-seminar/get-a-life-workshop-pretoria-saturday-1-july-2023  ,  or any subsequent date in South Africa or other countries elsewhere in the world.

For corporate tables of 10. 

https://worklifeworkshop.co.za/

The outcome of these workshops is your GPS: Your top 10 list of prioritized goals. Once you have this top 10 list, then you must master the art of Goal setting.

There is the short methodology, and the 10 step methodology.

The short methodology is easy : You describe where you are (A), you describe where you want to be (B), you list the action steps to get there, you remind yourself of the benefits of achieving this goal, and you list solutions to all the obstacles that stand in your way in achieving this goal.

The longer, more detailed 10 steps of goal setting can be used for more complex goals:

1.      Action step 1: WRITE DOWN YOUR GOAL  ( They must be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible)

Here you clarify the goal crystal clear.

2.       Action step 2: ALIGN YOUR GOAL WITH YOUR PERSONAL VALUE SYSTEM

Is it in line with what you stand for? You want money, but robbing a bank may be against your value system.

3.       Action step 3: IDENTIFY THE BENEFITS OF ACHIEVING YOUR GOAL

List all the reasons ‘why’ you want to achieve this goal. The bigger the ‘why’ the easier the ‘how’.

4.       Action step 4: IDENTIFY ALL THE POSSIBLE OBSTACLES THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO OVERCOME IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

5.       Action step 5: IDENTIFY THE STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS FOR OVERCOMING ANY POSSIBLE OBSTACLES

6.      Action step 6: IDENTIFY THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO OBTAIN YOUR GOALS

It can be people and things. It is about the ‘where’, ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘with what’ or ‘with whom’.

7.       Action step 7: LIST THE AFFIRMATIONS TO SUPPORT YOUR GOALS.

Affirmations are positive self-talk where you state a future reality as a current reality: I am the best mother in South Africa, or the best cricket player in the school,

8.       Action step 8: WRITE DOWN YOUR INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES

Here you write down the action steps one by one. What must I do first, in order to be able to do the next step. This is the important scheduling part of goal setting. In big projects this is the detailed project plan that must be managed.

9.       Action step 9: PRACTICE VISUALIZATION FOR YOUR GOALS

Awaken your sub-conscious mind through imagery. Visualize yourself achieving the goal. It is important not to only visualize the end result, but especially doing the actions that will result in achieving the goal. Do not only visualize yourself on the podium at the athletics meeting. Also visualize yourself in the gym and exercising on the track, come sunshine or rain.

10  Action step 10:   SET A DEFINITE COMPLETION DATE

There is nothing like a deadline to focus your mind and help you to choose your action in a specific moment.

This is the example on how to do goal setting  form my book “Get-a-Life in 40 days”  page 48.

You can order the book on :  https://gustavgousonline.com/collections/books/products/get-a-life-in-40days-through-7-strategic-questions

I close with a few inspirational quotes:

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” —Bill Copeland

“All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.” —Orison Swett Marden

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” —Pablo Picasso

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” —Earl Nightingale

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” —Zig Ziglar

Get Going - go for your goal!

If you want more information on how to make counselling/coaching appointments or book dr Gustav Gous for motivational talks, contact admin@gustavgous.co.za 

If you want  interventions for your team: Contact +27 12 3455931   0r WhatsApp  0825657451 or email gustav@gustavgous.co.za to discuss possibilities. 

Disclaimer:    Important notice to you as the reader:  Although the life coach (dr Gustav Gous) provide certain recommendations, the sole and final responsibility for decision-making remains your own and that the life coach or anybody associated to him and his company Short Walk Seminars Pty Ltd cannot be held responsible for any of your choices and reactions. You, the reader, must take full responsibility for your life, reactions and choices.  

www.gustavgousonline.com 

Dr Gustav Gous  is an International Motivational Speaker and Executive Life Coach with experience on 5 continents. He 

was the in-house counselor for the petro-chemical company Sasol for 9 years. He is known for his "Get-a-Life Workshops and his  Transformational leadership programmes on Robben Island, titled the “Short Walk to Freedom”. 

He is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and past President of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa and a member of the APSS (Asia Professional Speakers Singapore).  He is the founding President of the Professional speakers Association of Namibia. Currently he is heading up the Diversity Intelligence Institute, specializing in rolling out Diversity Intelligence interventions for 

international companies. His leadership caps does for leadership what De Bono's thinking hats did for creativity and problem solving. His Coaching programme on national Radio in South Africa RSG FM 100-104 "Fiks vir die lewe" touches the lives of many South Africans.  gustav@gustavgous.co.za    drgous@iafrica.com     www.gustavgous.co.za , www.diviin.com ,

Follow him on Twitter: @GustavGous  or on Facebook and LinkedIn .