There’s an old, wise saying which goes something like this:
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
I’ve written some articles about how important it is to plan and to set goals (you can check some of those by clicking here, here, and here). Based on the response I’ve received over these articles, I have put together a series of articles on how to create something I call an Action Plan which will help you not only set and achieve your goals but also help you design the life you dream about having.
Something new I’m going to try here at My Adventure Today is post a question on Fridays which anyone can answer. The question will deal with either personal development, blogging, internet marketing, or anything I feel will be of interest to myself and readers of MAT. You can post your answer in the Comments section along with a link to your blog’s latest post, if you wish.
Today’s question is: Do you set goals? If so, how successful are you in reaching them and what helps you achieve them?
Remember, you can post your answer in the Comments below along with a URL to your latest blog post. Thanks, and I look forward to reading your answers!
One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.
– Chinese Proverb
Questions. Where would we be without questions. Every great discovery, invention, idea, relationship, and so on began with a question. Everything that we do practically begins with a question:
“Should I get up now or hit the snooze button?”
“What if I invested my money into real estate instead of mutual funds?”
“If I decide not to go, what will she think of me?”
“Would I have more fun going out tonight or staying in?”
We ask ourselves questions countless times throughout the day. While our answers to these questions play a huge part in the direction our lives travel, the questions we ask ourselves are equally- if not- as important!
The gist of the post is how some people have low expectations for what they want for themselves or want to be which results in them never fully realizing their potential or having the life they truly want. It’s a great post which is well worth reading (that is, after you finish reading this one ) The reason why I’m writing about it is because I truly believe one of the main reasons why most people don’t achieve much in their life is because of their expectations. I know because I have been guilty of it myself.
In my My Six Month Goals: March 2010 – August 2010 article from earlier this month, I talked about losing weight as being one of my goals. But one thing I have discovered (to my dismay) since entering my 40s is it isn’t as easy to keep the weight off.
Throughout my 30s, I pretty much kept the same weight (between 180 to 190) which is about right for my 6’2” frame. But since hitting 40, my weight has slowly increased to around the 230 mark. Bleh.
It isn’t an unhealthy weight but it isn’t good either. My family has a history of cancer and diabetes which is one huge reason to be concerned about my weight. Another reason is I have a lot planned for my life. So getting my weight back on track and (most importantly) keeping it on track is paramount. And lastly, I want to be a healthy example for my kids. How many times have you seen overweight parents with overweight kids?
My New High-Protein Meal Plan
So I put some thought into how I can get my weight back on track. I didn’t want to jump on some fad diet nor did I want to deprive myself of the foods I enjoy. To me, that isn’t the way to go. I also wanted the new plan to help me put on body mass which will help me burn fat but also make the wifey happy.
Everyone needs inspiration. Some need it more than others. I’m one of those which need it on a regular basis. I find that it helps keep the fires stoked when the day seems long or when I have one of those days when nothing seems to go right.
So what I put together was a dream sheet. A dream sheet is nothing more than a single sheet of paper broken down into four sections. Those sections are:
Personal Goals
Financial Goals
Thing Goals
Career Goals
In each section, I have two goals written down which I want to achieve in the next six months. These two goals are the ones which mean the most to me. Then underneath each goal are a couple of reasons why I want to achieve that goal.
If you’ve been reading my latest articles from this week (and if you haven’t, here they are: Into The Great Wide Open, Identifying Areas Of Your Life To Change), you’ll know that I’ve been talking about how I want to transform my ordinary life into an extraordinary life. Today, I’m going to wrap things up by going over the goals I have for the next six months. By doing this, you and everyone else can see what progress I am making along with seeing what goals I reach and / or achieve.
There are three reasons I have chosen to do six month goals. The first reason is six months is a relatively short period of time but long enough to make real progress towards long-term goals in addition to achieving short-term goals. The second reason is to help keep myself motivated. I believe the more time that is allotted towards achieving a goal, the less likely you are to stay motivated. And the last reason is things change. No one knows what the future may bring. My feelings or motivations for a particular goal may change in time. It’s only natural. Besides, the shorter time span means you will enjoy the fulfilment and happiness achieving your goals even sooner!
Chances are if you are reading this, you have, at the least, a small interest in changing your life. The reason (or reasons) you want to do this could be a number of things. Regardless of what the reason is, changing your life- or redesigning your life- all begins with the realization you have to change some aspect of your life for the better.
I recently reached this point myself. I wasn’t entirely happy with the direction my life was going. There were areas of my life I knew I had to change in order to have the life I truly want. This is a good place to be at because this is when you are most likely to initiate change.
I have always been big on setting goals. To me, how do you accomplish anything of substance in life if you don’t have goals? Needless to say, I’m a big fan of goal setting. I have daily, monthly, and yearly goals for myself and my businesses.
One of the biggest traditions known to modern man is the setting of goals around New Years. I know I’ve been guilty of doing this but that was till it finally dawned on me how silly it was. Since then, I’ve been kind of notorious for my goal-setting practices. Goal setting took me from living with my parents with no job, no money, or college degree to living on my own in a new state with a job and a bachelor’s degree in a matter of three years! It all started with setting some goals for myself.
Everybody has goals. Well, most everybody does. While it’s great to have goals, unfortunately, a lot of people don’t achieve their goals.
Why? There are a multitude of reasons why someone doesn’t reach a goal. Sometimes it is a result of something out of their control (such as wanting to run in the Boston Marathon but breaking a leg before the marathon), or simply not having the necessary resources (an example would be someone wanting to learn how to play piano but only having access to one piano teacher who isn’t a very good teacher). But there is one main reason, I believe, people don’t achieve their goals.
My name is Wesley Craig Green and I'm an entrepreneur, writer, and dreamer.
If you are interested in lifestyle design, personal development, taking control of your life, and building your own personal empire- then this is the blog for you!
There’s an old, wise saying which goes something like this:
) The reason why I’m writing about it is because I truly believe one of the main reasons why most people don’t achieve much in their life is because of their expectations. I know because I have been guilty of it myself.
