Positive Energy - How Do You Set Great Goals?

September 2007

Dear Anne

Having experienced such a dismal, soggy summer, it’s time to put a bit of spring back in your step. This month’s edition of Positive Energy from Milecastle Consultancy is designed to help get you motivated and give you bumper boost of drive and determination!

We’re going to look at why it is important to set yourself goals and how you can be sure to achieve them. I’m already looking forward to hearing your success stories!

Thank you to everyone who gives me their feedback on the newsletter. I love hearing from you. If you find the newsletter useful, then why not pass it on? Perhaps your friends and colleagues would find it useful too. Keep your comments and success stories coming. You can email me or call me on 01697 747 821.

Best wishes,

“Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” Winston Churchill

There aren’t many people who can amble through life without any goals. Sometimes we need to set goals because of the curve balls life throws at us. Perhaps you’ve been made redundant and need new skills for the jobs you’re applying for. Or maybe your house flooded over the summer. You will certainly need drive, determination and some solid goals in order to get your life and your house back on track (and we all wish you every success!).

But goals aren’t just there to help us cope with life’s challenges. Deciding to set yourself a new goal can give you a sense of direction and purpose. Achieving a goal, no matter how large or small it is, is one of the most exhilarating and positive experiences you can have. Think back to the last time you achieved something that had challenged you. I bet you felt on top of the world!

But it’s not just the end goal that is important. By challenging yourself, you will take yourself on a journey. And on that journey you will not only learn new skills, but you will probably meet new people and discover a great deal about yourself as well. Not only will you feel an immense sense of achievement, but you’ll also become a stronger, more motivated and positive person because of it.

So, grab the bull by the horns and set yourself a new goal today.

It’s time to stop procrastinating. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all got goals we’d like to achieve. Perhaps you would like to learn a new language or a musical instrument. Perhaps you’ve been meaning to clear out the loft or organise the family photos for years, but never got round to it. By the end of this newsletter I want you to have picked a goal and together we’re going to make sure you achieve it. And here are three simple steps to help get you started.

First, pick a goal. It doesn’t matter how large or small it is, or whether it is work related or personal. It may be something you’ve been wanting to do for ages, or something you just thought of. It could be related to people or things or feelings or anything else.
Next, decide what the outcome will look like. When you set yourself a goal it’s important to know what the end result will be. That way you’ll know when you’ve achieved it and when you can celebrate your success. For example, if you’re learning a new instrument, your goal doesn’t have to be reaching grade 8. Perhaps your goal will be to pass your grade 1, or play to a standard where you can join a group or even just be able to play one of the easiest tunes so it can be recognised! Be really clear on describing everything about your outcome in as much detail as you can.
Finally, plan how you are going to achieve your goal. Nothing is achieved without good planning and preparation. So make sure you put time aside to do some research before you start. It’s also a lot easier to achieve your goal if you break it down into little steps, or mini goals. It’s as if your goal is at the top of a staircase or a ladder and each mini-goal is a rung or a step on the way there. There’s a worksheet on my website designed to help you do just that. It’s definitely worth a read before you get started. It’s called How to Achieve Your Goals and You can click here to download it (and lots of other useful worksheets.)

All that’s left for me to say is good luck! You’ll probably experience hiccups and set backs on the way, but keep a vision of the end result in sight and think what it will feel like to achieve success. And don’t forget to let me know what you’ve managed to accomplish. I love to hear your success stories!

Wilma Angel from Richmond wanted more time.

When Wilma attended the Springboard programme, she was under a great deal of pressure. She had a full time job, a grown up family who lived at home and she was also trying to study for a qualification for work. Her problem was that she needed time to study, but every night her family expected her to put a full meal on the table. She had tried to address this many times with little success. She set herself the goal of achieving 6 hours extra study a week.

Amongst the steps to achieve this was getting her family to agree to prepare the dinner three nights a week. She talked to them about why she needed their help. Her son and daughter agreed to cook one night each and her husband arranged a take away on a third night, so she easily found the extra time that she needed.

She said that before Springboard she would never have dreamed of telling her family that she needed their help. What’s more, her son is producing some fantastic meals and has discovered a real talent for cooking!

Game Plan – Winning Strategies for the Second Half of Your Life by Bob Buford. A great goal setting book for the Fresh Steps generation. I particularly like his stuff about turning your goal into a mission statement that you can put on a T shirt.

The Inner Game of Work by W Timothy Gallwey - A good book to help us all do better at work. Read the chapter that helps you think like the CEO of your life.

I have also written about goal setting from a variety of perspectives in BlogPositive. Click on the links below to read some postings:

Looking forwards

There is life ...

Ask an expert

I am planning a visit to India before Christmas to work with some other Springboard trainers out there. They are running a big project delivering Springboard in 16 cities before January next year. It would be great to see some other clients on this visit. So if you have offices out there or know of contacts who I should meet up with, then please do let me know. I am planning some Springboard tasters and would love to add some more to my list.

Dot Steel, a Fresh Steps participant wrote,

“Thanks for the continued support – I think it is marvellous that the Newsletter is still coming. It makes people feel that you really care and are dedicated to what you do.”

In next month’s issue of Positive Energy, we’re going to look at where to find the information and resources that will help you on your journey.

Milecastle Consultancy Ltd
Tel: 01697 747 821 Email: sue.hewitt@milecastle.co.uk Website: www.milecastle.co.uk
Milecastle Consultancy Ltd, 1 Rose Cottages, Gilsland, Brampton, Cumbria CA8 7AP