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If it Doesn't Dissolve, It's an
Ant
Inklings and Insight on the
Importance of Goal Setting
by Morgana BraveRaven
Goals. Without ‘em,
we go nowhere. Goals to a networker are like rocket fuel to the
rocket. They fire us up and launch our business. We’ve got to have
‘em!
I’ll bet that as
you are reading this, you believe that you have set your goals, and I
bet they go something like this: I gotta have more money or I
want more spare time.
Well, in a sense, you have set a
goal or two here, but goals like this contain a few fatal flaws, which
I will get to in a minute.
First, a funny story.
A few years ago when
I was trying to finish my university degree I was confronted with a
couple of my goals. It was 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening and I was
just beginning a paper that was due the next morning. I sat in front
of my pc thinking I’ve just got to finish this paper. I’ve just
got to get this degree. And since I knew that I would be up all
night writing the paper I decided that I just had to have a cup of
coffee. So, I got up, went into the kitchen and put the kettle on.
I took out my favorite cup, loaded in a heaping teaspoon of student
grade instant coffee, and when the water boiled I poured it over the
deep brown granules nesting at the bottom of my cup, and stirred.
Grabbed the coffee cream from the fridge, poured it in, and stirred
some more. And some more. And some more. But, for some reason, the
instant coffee just didn’t seem to want to dissolve completely.
So, I stirred a
little more, and even though the coffee wasn’t quite dissolved yet,
I decided to take my first sip. But, as I was about to do so, a big
fat old ant paraded across my countertop carrying a crumb-like morsel
from my cupboard. I put my coffee cup down.
And stirred some
more. But there was still a big old lump of instant coffee that just
wouldn’t dissolve. So, I scooped out that lump with my spoon, and
darned if it didn’t have legs! Seems that a cousin of the big fat
old ant whom had helped itself to the contents of my cupboards, had
somehow fallen into my jar of instant coffee…
Suddenly, I had a new
goal: I just had to have some real coffee from Starbucks if I
was going to make it through the night. I just had to have
coffee from Starbucks within the half hour, or I wouldn’t be able to
finish my paper, and I’d never get my degree!
I stood at the
counter with my eyes closed. I could smell the deep aroma of
Starbucks coffee. I could taste the strong, bold flavor rolling
over my tongue. I had to have that coffee!
Within 10 minutes I
had scrounged though every pocket and purse I owned to find enough
change to buy a pound of coffee, called a neighbor to sit with my
daughter, and borrowed a car to drive the five miles to Starbucks
(where I bought my pound of Vienna with nickels, pennies, dimes, and
quarters…).
I did finish my
paper, and a year later I did get my degree. And I came to realize a
couple of things about goals:
1. In
some way, your goals must be immediate
2. You must be able to vividly imagine your goals as
though
they already exist in your life.
I had two goals that
night, one short term (finish my paper), and one long term (get my
degree). But, it was the little, seemingly insignificant goal (get
the coffee!) that powered me into action that night.
To succeed in
networking (or anything for that matter) you will need a series of
goals to get you to your final destination. You may not have great
success if you state a goal like this: I want a million dollars. This
goal is too vague. It could take a bit of time to make the million
dollars, and you will surely need a taste of success before you
make a million dollars. You are going to need some very specific
intermediate goals, moderate tastes of sweet success, to get you to
the biggie. Without them you may feel as though you have failed. Your
intermediate goals are the ladder that you climb to get to your
long-term goal. And yes, there are more goals that you will need, the
little zingers that keep you fired up everyday and propel you towards
your intermediate goals.
When setting goals
you must set a succession of goals and review them often to make sure
you are on track. Ultimately you should have a daily goal, a weekly
goal, a monthly goal, a yearly goal, a two-year goal, and so on.
Daytimers are excellent tools for goal setting. Set a daily goal –
write it in your daytimer. Do the same at the beginning of each week,
each month, and each year. But don’t just set them – track ‘em!
Make sure you reach your goals everyday, every week, every month, and
give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back when you do. Every goal
you set and meet is a credit to your success, and a step towards your
big goal.
Another important
aspect of goal setting is your ability to vividly visualize your goals
(short term and long term) as though you have already reached them.
This is a must everyday. Vivid goals are specific goals. They keep
your sights alive and real for you, and draw you nearer to them.
Perhaps your goal is
to have enough money to buy a bigger house for your family. Well that,
in and of itself, is a goal, indeed, but you have to set that goal on
fire. What does that house look like? How do you feel when you walk
through the front door? How many rooms does it have? What color is it?
What does it sound like when your children’s laughter rings down the
hall in your bigger house? How does your new kitchen smell when you
are preparing your favorite meal? What kind of appliances do you have?
What kind of furniture is in the house? How does the doorbell sound?
Goal setting works
best when goals are specific and vivid rather than vague and general.
(Vague goal: I want a bigger house. Specific goal: I want a
house with 20 rooms, four bathrooms and a guest suite. My house has
three levels. It is located on Swish Boulevard, in Big Town, on a
street lined with huge oak trees…).
Vividly imagining
your goal in present moment puts you way ahead of the game because
your goal becomes immediate. You can taste it. You can feel your
success, giving you an edge, and plenty of fuel and fire to get where
you are going.
When setting goals,
set them as a series. Short-term goals are incredibly powerful and
will ultimately ignite your long-term goal.
Take time everyday to
vividly imagine each goal as though you have already achieved it. You
may have a bit of a hike ahead. You’ll need much fuel for the
journey. And when you stop along the way for a coffee, remember this:
if it doesn’t dissolve… don’t drink it!
About the author –
Residing on Beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia,
Canada, Morgana BraveRaven shares her most excellent gift with
each of us. Her success is based on helping others get what they
want, and focusing on the needs and desires of her clients to help
them achieve. Morgana writes exclusively for SykaroInsightsTM.
© 2005, SykaroInsightsTM, a Sykaro Inc.
Company. All
Rights Reserved
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