The Absolute Secret to Goal-Setting!
Posted by John G. Miller on April 11, 2013
Most of us have seen the criteria for effective
goal-setting. You know, goals must be specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic—all with a targeted time frame for getting there.
To be honest, I can’t say I’ve experienced many
of those! I mean …
One thousand miles later, that walk around the block was my most important walk ever. Now, down 43 pounds and walking three miles each day, eating less (no fad & fancy diets here), and going to bed a little hungry each night, I have reached a goal.
Want to achieve a goal, possibly one you’re a
bit cloudy on and uncertain about? Would you like to change your life in some
way?
Yesterday!
Do you have an action in mind you’ll now engage in? A risk to take? A step to make?
We’d love to hear about it here. So comment away!
- I didn’t set out to marry the perfect woman for me, but it happened.
- I didn’t set out to have 7 great kids—responsible, kind, non-entitled, hardworking—but have been blessed with them anyway.
- I didn’t set out to “make it” as a keynote speaker, but I guess I have.
- I didn’t set out to be debt-free, but we’ve been blessed. Much credit goes to Larry Burkett and Ron Blue, whose teachings we employed 25 years ago. (Yes, all of you debt haters, before Dave Ramsey!)
- Karen and I didn’t set out to write a parenting book, but—phew!—we got it done.
- And, I admit, I didn’t set out to lose 43 pounds since April 11, 2012—but they’re gone!
Here
is how I described my journey in
November.
Personally, when it comes to setting and reaching a goal, I don’t
believe much in the whole “seeing the future” thing. As we wrote in Outstanding!, over two
decades of “vision casting” in our organizations has left us with employees
whining cynically, “Why don’t they share the vision?” Instead, it’d be better
for people at all levels to be asking accountable questions (QBQs) like, “How can I be my
best today?” and “What can I do right now to contribute?”
Honestly, if you think you know someone who can
see tomorrow, please have them email me as I’d like to know what I’ll be
doing!And that’s what happened in April 2012. After trying on four pairs of dress slacks that didn’t fit, I walked around the block.Reality:
Good things are obtained one step at a time. The step that counts most is the first one—whether we “begin with the end in mind” or not.
One thousand miles later, that walk around the block was my most important walk ever. Now, down 43 pounds and walking three miles each day, eating less (no fad & fancy diets here), and going to bed a little hungry each night, I have reached a goal.
One that I didn’t even know I had—but that doesn’t make it any less satisfying.
To be clear: This is not The QBQ! Guy
Then here’s the absolute secret to goal-setting:
Initiate. Act. Risk. Start!!!
When, you ask?Yesterday!
Waiting for clarity and crystal-clear certainty—which is
really just procrastination—is the worst thing one can do. As we say in
the QBQ! book:
“Procrastination is the ‘Friend of Failure’!”
And
when it comes to achieving goals, who needs a friend like that?! That would be
almost as bad as having friends like this!
For dialogue:Do you have an action in mind you’ll now engage in? A risk to take? A step to make?
We’d love to hear about it here. So comment away!
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you’re not a QuickNote subscriber, sign up here!)
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