Goal Setting

Goal Setting

In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are. - Arnold H. Glasgow
Glasgow’s words are equally valid in the game of life as they’re in the field of football. Was Maradona focusing on English defenders or the goalposts while he scored “the goal of the century” in 1986 world cup? Had he not been laser focused, I don’t think he would have been able to dodge seven English defenders, run 60 yards and score the brilliant goal. Let me take another example to illustrate why Goals are so important?

Do we start a journey without knowing where do we want to go?

• Before starting a journey we consider the following:

* Starting Point * Mode of Travel
* Destination * Start Date
* Price of ticket * End Date

Then why do we go through the important journey called life without having any goals?

Arnold Schwarzenegger was mere 15 years old when he proclaimed:

“I want to be the best built man in the world. Then I want to go to America and be in movies. I want to be an actor."

Didn’t he powered forward to achieve goal after goal in a phenomenal laser-focused way? From an early life Arnold used to set goals and took mighty strides forward to achieve them. We all can learn a few proven techniques to set goals and live a meaningful life.

The process of goal-setting should follow the below mentioned steps:

1. Click with your passion! - Money, Success, Fame etc. should not be the foundation of our goals. The passion or the “Joy” of doing a particular thing should be the first thing which should be taken into consideration while setting up goals. To further illustrate this let us take example of Sachin Tendulkar. What do you think was Sachin’s mentality when he picked up the bat? Was he thinking about money? Was he craving for Fame and Success? Or was it simply his passion for playing cricket? I think the answer is obvious, his passion guided him to play cricket and the rest is history. Find your triggers and think about what is it that you want to do with your life.

2. Dream Big! – Is your dream big enough to excite you and stir you to action?
A petrol pump attendant at one of the Burma Shell filling station had a dream “to build a business empire as big as Burma Shell”. In a single lifetime this man was able to realize his dream and built the biggest Indian business empire. The business empire is today known as Reliance. The man was Dhirubhai Ambani.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars” - Les
Brown

3. Find your Role Model! - In 1958, walking out of a movie theatre after having watched bodybuilder Steve Reeves in Hercules, the 12-year-old kid couldn't believe what he had just seen. He said to himself, "do you want to be a bum or be like Steve Reeves?" He chose the latter and from that early age developed a keen interest in bodybuilding. 18 years later he starred in an Oscar winning movie, “ROCKY”. The kid was “Sylvester Stallone”. Find someone you can emulate!

4. Be Focused! - When a lens comes between Sunlight and a paper, the paper gets burnt. What purpose does the lens serve? It helps in focusing the Sunlight. Believe in power of concentration of your energies. Don’t let your mind waiver because “If you chase two rabbits both are going to escape”.

Finally use SMART Goals.

• S - Specific - Be very specific /precise and write down your goal in a precise positive statement

• M - Measurable - Goals should be measurable. So set performance goals rather than outcome goals.
• A - Achievable - Set realistic goals and achievable goals,
• R - Realistic - Set realistic goals and achievable goals
• T - Time-Bound – There should be a deadline. Without a deadline a Goal is not a goal but merely a wish.

And finally “STAY HUNGRY”.

"The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer," – Arnold Schwarzenegger