The Kaizen of Goal Setting – Goal-Setting
The Kaizen of Goal Setting
There is an old way of goal setting and a new way of goal setting!The old way of goal-setting involved setting yor goals, preparing a list of sub-goals, and then carefully checking them off one after another (as and when they were being accomplished). Am I trying o pour cold water on the goal setting method many of us grw up on?Not necessarilyWhile I am not saying the step-by-step approach does not work, I am advocating a flexible-goal setting approach.The flexible goal-setting approach acknowledges the presence of chaos and unpredictability of our modern times, where change is rapid and conditions shift in an instant.What's more, a tiny weeny change nowadays has the potential to create major upsets and instability.Enter the flexible goal-setting system. And, this is how it operates.Set big-picture, life-enhancing goals with flexible sub-goals that you can adjust to fit in with shifting conditions. The simplest way of putting this into practice is to build into your goal-setting, daily incremental steps that aggregate into your vision. Add to this sub-goal A, sub-goal B, sub-goal C, maybe sub-goal D.Remember, each sub-goal must be flexible enough to respond adequately to the requirements of the shifting conidtions.You don't want to throw your hands in the air in desperation because your plans and goals have been derailed, do you?Well, the 'Kaizen of Goal Setting' is about knowing the difference between the old and the new, and applying it to your goal setting.Ke o agile edits and publishes In TheZone, an NLP focused ezine that coaches creating an abundant lifestyle. To stay current, Ke o agile accesses http://inthezone.port5.com/2daedge.htm where attains a competitive edge.
Why You Must Stop Setting Goals – Goal-Setting
Why You Must Stop Setting Goals
My goal in life is to have no goals. They get in the way of true progress.Plenty of successful people swear by goal setting. They're praising the wrong behavior. Brain research tells us that the goals don't matter--it's the intention that gets us where we want to go.Intentions and goals are not the same. Goals tend to be arbitrary and number-oriented, such as the number of pounds lost, amount of money earned, number of hours spent in the gym, number of new clients introduced or new products developed. Intentions are big-picture statements about what fulfills you. It's a little harder to measure an intention, but the results are more meaningful.Let's say you want to lose 20 pounds. How will you feel when you do that? What will your life be like if you are 20 pounds lighter? Establishing an intention requires recognizing what will satisfy you.You want to lose weight so that you will feel healthy, strong, fit, confident, attractive, and sexy. The number on the scale isn't what matters most--it's how you feel each day.Here's a weight loss goal: I will lose 20 pounds in five months.Here's an intention: I feel strong, healthy, fit, confident, attractive and sexy.The problem with typical goals is that we tend to get bogged down by our "even though" statements. We tell ourselves that we are going to lose 20 pounds EVEN THOUGH we failed last time, EVEN THOUGH we question our ability to do so, EVEN THOUGH we don't think we'll be able to maintain it. Our minds go directly to the negative images and we sabotage our efforts before we even begin!Here's a thought: Why not create an intention that will get your brain to work for you instead of against you?Intentions allow us to picture ourselves--and how we'll feel--when we are successful. There's no room for failure in the picture. We focus on the positive and powerful feelings we'll have.Intentions are always stated in present tense, as though you are already where you want to be. Instead of saying, "I will be strong, fit, healthy, etc.", you say, "I feel strong, fit, healthy, etc." What seems like a small semantic difference is a huge shift in our brains.The latest brain studies suggest that the most effective way to change our beliefs is to create a mental story of success. We need to picture ourselves as we want to be, and we need to talk about it. Here's the basic formula: See it, say it, hear it.Our unconscious brain sees everything in pictures. It does not filter images based on what our conscious mind considers true, likely or possible. It literally does not distinguish between reality and fantasy. Think of the nonsensical dreams you've had!Language is most fully processed in the brain when there is a visualized image to go along with it. These images and words become linked to create our "truth"-- at least, according to our brains. And that's where it matters most.Say it out loud, and you're engaging your aural learning skills as well.By intentionally creating new images through visualization, we literally create our own version of reality, and as you've probably learned by now, we tend to live in whatever reality we construct. Our potential is limited only by the mental images we choose to develop and store. It's that simple--and that profound.Stop setting goals, and start creating intentions. The secret is to include ALL of these steps:SEE yourself in the circumstances you desire. Picture it perfectly.Craft a one-paragraph story that you would like to be true, and SAY it in present tense, as though you are describing your life right now.Repeat, repeat, repeat. Demand to HEAR that same story every night before you go to sleep.What's your intention? Focus on feelings, not numbers. Picture it, and write it down. Repeat it to yourself until it becomes familiar and beloved--complete with favorite parts, great pictures, and a happy ending.Stop pushing toward goals and start being pulled by your intentions. Let your brain go to work for you.See it, say it, hear it. You'll never need another goal!About The AuthorMaya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 80 countries. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.maya@massageyourmind.com
The Parable of the Jackrabbit: The Missing Key to Effective Goal Setting – Goal-Setting
The Parable of the Jackrabbit: The Missing Key to Effective Goal Setting
So you've got a goal, and you know someone who has already reached it? Maybe it is earning a certain degree, or opening a business and making it fly. Before you try to duplicate what others have done to attain what they have, be sure of one thing. Understand the Parable of the Jackdabbit:A man was on a journey and came to a field. In this field he observed a dog, jumping around, darting to and fro, and disappearing in the long, long grass each time he landed. The man stayed back, fearing that the dog had a terrible disease that caused him to jerk wildly and bark incessantly. Cautiously, he passed along side the field on the well-paved path; keeping an eye on the ravenous dog to be sure it did not harm him. Coming to the end of the field, suddenly the dog appeared in front of him, holding a jackrabbit in its jaws. Placidly, the dog glanced at the man, and walked away.This man was hungry. Thinking about the dog, he decided it would sure be nice if he could have a rabbit to eat, too. So he turned around, retraced his steps along the path for a time, and entered the grassy field. "Well, here I go," he said, and he began to jump and dart, growl and bark. Up and down, back and forth, trying to duplicate all of the crazy movements he had seen by the dog, believing this would somehow produce a rabbit. All day long he did this, and at the end of the day, he was still hungry, and very, very tired.Disappointed, he returned to the well-paved path. He said to himself, "This is a well-paved path; many people have traveled this way before. I guess I just need to stay on it, and eat whatever I find along the way. Chasing a rabbit just didn't work for me."What did the man do wrong? He acted as though he was chasing a rabbit, but there was no rabbit in sight. Isn't it interesting that not only did duplicating the dog NOT produce a rabbit, but it probably kept them very far away?If you want a rabbit, you may need to leave a well-paved path, but before you start jumping and barking, make sure you have your eyes FIXED TIGHT on a rabbit. Identify your dream, visualize it, write it down, make it real in your mind, get excited about it, and chase it by following the promptings that come to you from your inner voice. Trust your gut; it will lead you to the rabbit you have in mind. Others may look at you and the choices you make and they might even think you are crazy, like the dog. They just don't see your rabbit as you do.Based on the best-selling book, The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can. View flash presentation based on the book now at http://www.jackrabbitfactor.com.Leslie Householder is a wife and mother of six children. She is the founder of http://www.ThoughtsAlive.com and is the author of "The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can" and "Heavenly Help with Money Matters." She has been published in Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield's Chicken Soup for the Latter-Day Saint Soul, and has been published online in ezine articles since 2002. Leslie is a certified facilitator for Bob Proctor's Life Success Programs, and she is also an independent motivational speaker and success coach.