What if you could predict the next five years of your life? What if you could actually design the next five years of your life? What if you could decide; how beautiful your home would be; how incredibly loving your significant-other would be; how much income you would have; how you would vacation in exotic and luxurious locations around the world; and how you would be so well-off, that you’d be able to contribute to causes that are important to you? Wouldn’t that be amazing? Wouldn’t that be fun, to have that amount of control over your life? Listen as I share with you, how so many people have been able to actually design their lives. And, how you can the same strategy to shape your future!
Monty Roberts Story
Growing up, Monty went with his father from stable to stable, farm to farm, and ranch to ranch training horses. Consequently he missed much of his high school education. As a senior he was asked to write a paper on what career he wanted to pursue. That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing in great detail his goal to build and own a dream horse ranch.
The next day he turned his paper in. Two days later he received it back. On the front page was a large red "F" with a note that read, "See me after class." When he saw the teacher, he asked why he was given an "F".
The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.” Then the teacher added, “If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'"
Monty went home and asked his father, what he should do. His father answered “I know that this is important for you. So you have to make your own mind on this“.
After thinking about it for a week, he turned the paper back in exactly as he had first written it saying to the teacher, "You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream."
Today, Monty owns a 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of a 200-acre horse ranch in California. He raises and trains thoroughbred racehorses.
He has a best-selling book titled, “The Man Who Listens to Horses”.
And, he was the inspiration for “The Horse Whisperer” with Robert Redford
Oh, and he still has that school paper framed over the fireplace.
Set Goals
Chances are, you’ve heard it many times. You’ve heard the success stories. You know you should do it. And yet, if you’re like most people, you don’t. What am I talking about. As you’ve may have guessed, I’m talking about setting goals.
According to studies, less than 3 percent of Americans have written goals, and less than 1 percent, review their goals on a daily basis.
There are 3 main reasons people don’t set goals:
They just don’t realize the effectiveness of goal setting
Fear of failure (of not reaching the goal)
People simply don’t know how (to set goals)
Let’s break these down.
Effectiveness of Goal Setting
If someone very successful told you, the key to their success was goal setting. Would you believe it? Or, would you prefer to think that person is just lucky? It’s just so hard for some people to believe, that something as simple as goal setting, can make such a difference.
What if I told you, that goal setting, can increase your luck? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But, it’s true. Because when you focus on your goals, you’ll recognize opportunities that otherwise may be missed. Have you ever been in a social gathering, with many different conversations going-on, and you hear your name mentioned? It could’ve been from a conversation, far across the room, but you heard it! When you’re clear on your goals, opportunities around you, suddenly become obvious. And, you’ll feel compelled to take advantage of those opportunities. And, then you, my friend, will be the person that others talk about, as being the lucky one!
The fact is, focusing on your goals, will help you to consciously, and unconsciously, make progress toward your goals. It truly is a fascinating process. A process that I’ll elaborate on in upcoming episodes on affirmations and visualization.
Fear of Failure
Let’s take a quick look at the 2nd concern, “fear of failure”. The idea that you could “fail” when striving for a particular goal, is simply a perspective. You actually deserve credit for any effort, that you make, toward a goal. The only concept of failure, you should have, is failure to even try. I want to challenge you to think about your goals in this way. When working toward a goal, there simply is no failure. Maybe the goal takes more time than you thought. Maybe the goal takes more research than you originally planned. If so, you can decide to take more time, to reach the goal. Or, to put more effort into reaching the goal. Or, with this additional knowledge, about what is required to reach the goal, you can decide, you’d rather pursue a different goal. Pursuing goals always results in learning and growing! The only fail, is not to try in the first place.
Finally, let’s address the last concern, how to set a goal, in the first place. And, of course, we want to set goals that excite us, and motivate us. So, let’s get to work!
How to Set Goals for Maximum Effectiveness
Alright it’s time to get smart!! Smart is actually an acronym which will help us to set goals for maximum effectiveness.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Relevant
T = Time-based
Let’s go through each of these...
S = Specific
Vague goals produce vague results. To get what you want out of life, you have to take the time to decide what you really want! When you realize the power of goal setting, this gets really fun!! You realize that you’re basically designing your future!
The key is to decide exactly what you want to achieve, and write it down, or log it in your phone, or computer.
By being specific, on what we want, your subconscious, will bring to your attention the opportunities, people, and resources, that will help you!
Let’s say that I’d like to further develop my presentation skills. Well, instead of stating a goal of “improving my presentation skills”, I want to be more a little more specific, like:
“To give a keynote speech for a company”
M = Measurable
Just as we must know what we want. We also must know how much, to what extent. This drives the necessary changes that must happen to reach the goal.
This could be the amount of money you plan to save, the square footage of your new house, or maybe the number of days that you’d like to vacation each year.
To make my keynote speech goal, more specific, I’ll revise it to say:
“To give a 45-minute keynote speech for a Fortune 100 company”
A = Attainable
Because, I know that goals work, I love setting big goals! Basically, my idea of what is attainable, has grown with years of goal setting.
You too, can set, and achieve, big goals!! However, big goals may feel intimidating to you, if you’re new to goal setting.
Try setting a few small, more attainable, goals at first. As you achieve a few goals, and grow your confidence, your sense of what is attainable will expand!
To make my goal attainable, but still a bit of a stretch, I’ll first target a Fortune 500 Company, and after accomplishing that, I can target a Fortune 100 Company:
“To give a 45-minute keynote speech for a Fortune 500 company”
R = Relevant
In an earlier episode we discussed the importance of Purpose. More specifically identifying your personal Purpose. We then formed a Mission Statement, which is basically a way of summarizing your Purpose. That purpose, is your navigation system. Your overall guiding light.
Does your goal align with your overall Purpose? Does it feel right? If not, perhaps the goal may not be in your best interest. Maybe the goal is not worth pursuing. On the other hand, if the goal feels like something valuable to you, and you really want to pursue it, perhaps your Mission Statement needs to be revised.
To further align my goal with my overall purpose to inspire people to improve their lives, I’ll adjust my goal as follows:
“To give an inspirational and uplifting 45-minute keynote speech for a Fortune 500 company”
T = Time-based
When do you want to have this goal accomplished? Set a date. The date should be far enough out to actually accomplish the goal. However, it should also be close enough, to compel you to take action.
If our subconscious thinks we have an endless amount of time to reach our goal. It’ll be in no rush. But, if we have completion date, our mind can get to work, figuring each step out, to keep us moving forward, on schedule.
To make my goal time-based, I’ll change it as follows:
“To give an inspirational and uplifting keynote speech for a Fortune 500 company by December 31st, 2018.”
So you now have the recipe for setting effective goals.
Questions, Comments, Compliments
I want to remind you, that “The LIfe I Deserve” is here for you! Let me know how I can help you. What topics would you like to hear more about? What goals do you have, for your health, wealth, and happiness? I really want to hear from you!! And, yes, I do mean you! Reach out! Let me know what’s on your mind. Maybe you have an inspirational story, or thought, that you’d like to share. Visit “TheLifeIDeserve.com”. And send me email or voicemail. From the Web Site, click on the “Contact” tab. You’ll see a button, there, that will allow you to record voicemail. Or, if you’d rather leave email, just fill-in the form, just below the voicemail button.
Set Some SMART Goals
I’d like to challenge you to set at least 3 goals for yourself. To help get you started, I’m going to breakdown some areas that you can focus on. As, I read each area, I want you to think about where your life stands, in that particular area. And, any changes that you’d like to achieve in that area. This is a great starting point, in deciding which goals to pursue.
Categories for Setting Goals
Business (Career / Ventures)
This could involve a significant promotion where you currently work.
This could involve starting your own business.
Financial (Savings / Investments / Income)
How much would you like to have saved?
Maybe you’re interested in Real Estate investing?
Relationships (Family / Friends / Peers)
Would you like to spend more time with family?
Would you like to improve the quality of your friendships?
Health (Spiritual / Mental / Physical)
Are you interested to attend a yoga retreat?
Maybe you want to trim-up and gain more muscle?
Recreation (Relaxation / Fun Activities / Travel)
Maybe you need to schedule some time to rest, or do some reading.
Have you always thought going to an exotic country?
Personal (Education / Development / Experiences)
Is there a course that you always wanted to take?
Or, maybe you want to take up a new hobby, like photography.
Contribution (Philanthropy / Volunteer Work)
Is there a cause that you’re passionate about?
Or maybe you want to help beautify your neighborhood or community.
I’d like to encourage you to set at least 3 goals. In a future episode we’ll learn how to turn your goals into affirmations, and visualizations. Affirmations and visualizations will make your dreams literally come alive!!
Trivia
In my last show, the trivia question was:
Which successful person in history, was quoted as saying the following:
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”
And the winning answer:
...was submitted by Christopher Wyndham, who correctly guessed “Thomas Edison”!! Congratulations, Christopher!!
Today’s trivia question:
Speaking of Thomas Edison, in his 84 years of living, Thomas Edison created many remarkable inventions, including the phonograph, the light bulb, and one of the earliest motion picture cameras. What was the total number of patents that Thomas Edison acquired in his lifetime?
Send your answer from the Web Site, “TheLifeIDeserve.com”. From the Web Site, you can leave voicemail or email. Just click on the “Contact” tab.
Again, today’s trivia question:
What was the total number of patents acquired by Thomas Edison?
Go to “TheLifeIDeserve.com”, to submit your answer.
The winner will receive a complimentary ticket to the my next, Success Principles Workshop, in Marina del Rey, California. You can visit TheLifeIDeserve.com/workshop for more information.
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to the visible.”
-Anthony Robbins
Salutation
Well, that’s going to do it, for today’s show. I hope you found this episode valuable! My mission, is to use my love and creativity, to inspire and empower, those that I encounter, to live full and meaningful lives, by sharing lessons learned, tools for self improvement, and life-changing perspectives. Subscribe to the Podcast, so we can take this journey together. As I mentioned earlier, I strongly encourage you to create some goals. Not just any goals, but SMART goals! And share them, with me, or a supportive friend or family member! :-)
Thanks again, for listening to the “The Life I Deserve”. This Podcast was designed for you! Designed to enhance your health, grow your wealth, and fill your life, with happiness!! Visit “TheLifeIDeserve.com”, and send me voicemail, or email. Let me know something about you. What inspires you? How I can help you? Do you have a suggestion for the show? Let me know. And, if you just happen to love the show, please post a review on iTunes! :-)
Thanks, again! Love you all!! Until next time… goodbye.
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