Secrets to Success
Secrets to Success
Don’t let fear get
in the way of what
you really wantYou may have heard that success is being at the right place at the right time. While there may be some truth to that, there is also much preparation involved before arriving to this magical place. Knowing what you want, and sharing your goals with enough other people is one way to ensure your "luck" will improve. (Luck is best described in a relationship manner; it occurs when Ms. Preparation meets with Mr. Opportunity.)
One of the main reasons people don't admit what they really want, or downplay their goals, is the fear of disappointment. After all, who wants to finally realize what it is you really want, and then not get it? This risk of not reaching our goals often inhibits us from ever sitting down to commit the goals we really want to paper. We convince ourselves that the disappointment will be a greater pain than living in a state of discontent.
So we tell others things like, "we don't want to grow our business." We state how we "like where we are" even though our attitude and results may say something different. We even get statistics to support our claim, telling people how dangerous it can be to grow too quickly. And yet at the same time, someone else is out there doing just what we said is impossible. And succeeding at it, despite our beliefs that it can't be done.
The main reason we don't admit lofty goals to other people is to protect our ego. We certainly don't want to destroy our self-image in the process of pursuing our goals. Instead we would rather set small goals that we are certain to achieve.
Even people who set new year's resolutions are usually not setting goals effectively to yield maximum results. Sure they may accomplish many of their goals year after year, but where are they going? The bottom line is this: If we never set a new, original type of goal that actually does NOT get accomplished in a given time period, then we are limiting our true potential.
This week's Goal Setting Success Secret: Most highly successful business professionals never fulfill all the goals they set out to accomplish. Yet these are the same people who accomplish far more than individuals who consistently meet all of their goals. This is because successful people raise the bar for achievement every time they achieve a goal. Each new goal has a challenging new twist. They are not afraid to set a goal that may not be reached the first time around. In the meantime, the goals they do achieve far exceed the average person's "safe" goals. They commit all of their goals to paper, and re-evaluate their goals often.
There is no such thing as an unrealistic goal, but there are unrealistic time frames. Having an accurate assessment of your strengths and weaknesses will help in the goal setting process. Successful people also understand the importance of obtaining an outside perspective for their goals, as well as a look into their strengths and weaknesses.
This week's Goal Setting Coaching Tip: Evaluate your own past goal-setting history. Ask yourself some tough coaching questions to stretch your capabilities. Do you always meet all of your goals? Are there some goals that are never reached? Are you setting unrealistic goals or under-realistic goals? Have you ever set a "pipe-dream" goal and actually told others about it? Ask yourself, what goals have I repeatedly set and not accomplished as a result of an underlying fear of "what comes next"? Perhaps the unspoken question remains, "What will be expected of me when I accomplish my current goals?"
If you're really daring, feel free to e-mail me and share some new goals you've set for yourself or your business. I'll be happy to offer you a "helicopter view" and point you in the right direction. And if you "ask" I'll be happy to direct you to several free goal setting tele-forums being offered this month that you can participate in right from the comfort and safety of your home or office and share your new goals with others from around the world.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer
of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach
and life strategist. Reach her at DCM@RPMsuccess.com
or (888) 334-8151.