Screw Smart Goals

From my recent article on the Science of Attraction, I have received a lot of requests for Strategy Sessions to get people on their way to using the  Science of Attraction effectively to achieve the life they want, be it in career, money, health, business or relationships.

From these sessions, and my experience of dealing with thousands of people on the issue, the ability to set proper goals is a real challenge. It is unfortunate that professionals could complete up to a doctoral level and still never learn to set a goal properly. Many  organisations have performance management systems and in my almost 20 years experience in Human Resources, there are very few organisations and therefore very few professionals who are able to set a goal in the right way. At best they learn about SMART goals and while this is a good start, it is grossly insufficient to setting proper goals.

To get the Science of Attraction to work for you,  there is one critical thing that you need to KNOW and there is one critical thing you need to be able to DO.

You need to KNOW how the relationship between the conscious and sub-conscious mind.
You need to be able to set GOALS properly.
I will deal with #2 in this article and then #1 in a subsequent article.

The first step is to be open minded and really forget most of what you have been told or read about goals before.

Learning to set the ‘RIGHT’ goals for me and how to set them ‘Completely’ has really changed my rate of progress in life.

Before I learned the scientific process of setting and achieving goals, I did have a Vision of what I wanted my life to be and I was always working towards it. Vision and Action are critical to advancement in life but Goals really pushes you forward faster.

One of my very good friends always  encouraged me to set goals and write them down but my relative success really made me apathetic to setting and writing down my goals. This is where sometimes, small success could be a hindrance to greater successes. My life could have been far advanced had I listened but it is what it is and I have learned my lesson.

Here are the 10 critical elements for a complete goal:

Specific – when you write your goal it must be very clear about what you want. A perfect stranger should be able to read your  goal and determine if you have achieved it or not. In one of my recent strategy calls I asked the  client what is your goal and their response was ‘I want to advance my career’. I asked her is she was Santa Clause or a Genie and she  was able to grant wishes what would she give a person who is asking to advance their career. She  busted out  in loud laughter when  she realise how vague  her so-called goal was. Your goals need to be specific, you need to be able to describe clearly what goal achievement looks like.

Probable – Normally when you hear or read about SMART goals, the ‘A’ usually represents Attainable and the ‘R’ usually represents Realistic . In the world of scientific goal achievement, these two words are abolished. All goals are attainable and history has proven that man has been able to constantly push  the envelop of what is possible. The word Realistic is somewhat meaningless, I find it makes no sense. Was it realistic many years ago to put a tube of steel in the air and send it to space and land on another planet? One of my favorite quotes on the topic is by Will Smith  who said ‘Realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.  I prefer to use the  word Probable. You should be able to achieve your goal based on your level of development. When I asked another client, what is your goal, she said ‘I am currently a stay at home mom and my income is $0 so I want to move from $0 to $1M in one year’. Can she move from $0 to $1M in one year? Sure its possible but is it probable for her based on how she has developed herself. Has she developed herself and or identified a business idea to be able to earn $1M a year. Is she millionaire material?

Time Limit – do you have a completion date in your  goal? If not, its not a goal. A goal without a date is not a goal. I have found  that the #1 reason that people do not put a date to their goal is that they are fearful that they may not achieve the  goal by that time frame. Here is a little known secret, successful people most often do not meet their deadlines. They either hit the  goal way before and set another goal or miss the deadline date and continued to pursue the goal as they understand that ‘failure’ is really ‘feedback’ about something that they don’t know or don’t know how to do something.

Written – have you written down your goal? Can you show it to me right now? A goal not written down is also not a goal. In my next article on understanding the  relationship between the conscious and subconscious  mind I will explain the impact of constantly looking at a written goal has on the  sub-concious mind and how it helps greatly in goal achievement.

Present Tense – is your  goal written in the  present tense? As if it is already achieved? Successful people begin with  the  end in mind and therefore if the  desired end is successful achievement of  the goal, then you have to start from that point. Goals should be written in present tense. In my next article I will explain how the present tense impacts the sub-conscious mind and how it quickens goal achievement.

Emotions – do you have the  right emotions aligned to your goal? Does your  goal excite you? Is your  goal a burning desire? Have you identified how you would feel when the goal is achieved? With  the thousands of people I have dealt with, when I asked them why do they want to achieve their goal or what it would do for them if they achieved their goal it always comes down to the fact that the goal achievement will lead to a feeling of satisfaction, fulfilment or happiness. Emotions are the critical driver of perseverance to goal achievement. You will encounter challenges on your way to goal achievement and it is the emotions attached to your goals that will keep you from quitting. Quitting  is easy, that is why  so many people quit at their goals, hope, dreams and aspirations.

Challenges – have you  identified and written down the expected challenges on your way  to achieving your goal? It is easier to defeat the  enemy if you know who they are. Challenges are essential to goal achievement. They serve two purposes. The first critical purpose of challenges is to ensure that you really really want what you  say  you  want. When your goal is a burning desire, you will be able to perserve through any challenge. Most people do not have the right goals for them so it is not really a burning desire and they accept the possiblity of failure even before they start pursuing their goals. The second critical reason for challenges is to ensure that you  have learned what you need to learn in order to achieve their goals. Let’s be honest, if you knew what you need to know and know how to do what you need to achieve success then you  would have already accomplished what you  want to accomplish. There are obviously gaps and challenges are there to identify those gaps.

Celebrate – have you identified how you are going to celebrate the achievement of your  goal? There is a part of the brain that craves recognition and celebration. Successful people are great at celebrating. Celebrating reiinforces success to the brain. It let’s it know that pursuing and achieving goals is a good thing and fun to do. It makes future successes easier.

Sacrifices – have you listed what you are going to sacrifice in your pursuit of the goal? You must be able to identify what you  are willing to  give up to be able to accomplish your goal. The  bigger the  goal, the bigger the sacrifices you will have to make in the accomplishment of the goal. Typical sacrifices include time (including time away from family and friends), certain activities, certain relationships, money and/or some of the things you are accustomed purchasing or would like to purchase.

The most successful people are willing to make the sacrifices that most other people don’t want to make and this is why they have what most other people won’t have.
Your  Goal – most people set goals based on other’s people views and opinions. Oscar Wilde, Irish philosopher once said ‘ most people are other people’ and what he meant was that most people set goals and visions for themselves based on what their parents want them to do, what their wider family wants them to do and what they think would equal success in the eyes of ‘society’. It is important to be able to set goals based on what you feel is your purpose, your divine appointment on this earth.

Setting Your Goals is so critical to a life of success and happiness. Get a Strategy Session at no cost to figure out your  goals and take your life to the  next level quickly.  Register here for your free Strategy Session

Here is what one client said about The  Science of Goal Achievement – ‘I have been on an Awesome journey with Life Coach, Shane Ram. When I started doing his Goal setting system, writing down the goals led me on a journey of doing his Goal setting system, writing down the goals led me on a journey of discovering who I am authentically. Setting my future goals, brought to the surface the person I needed to be and always knew was hidden within me, I had no choice but to face my limitations, doubts and fears, Shane asked all the scary questions, and made me accountable for every aspect of manifesting courage, clarity and confidence in myself, and to thrive instead of surviving. Now I have met three of my goals and continue the daily execution and action towards the others, this goal setting exercise has empowered me to take responsibility for my future, I look forward to the rest of the Journey. Shane Ram is an inspiration to myself and my family.’ Diana Francis

About  Shane Ram

Shane Ram is the CEO and Founder of GoFor10,  Founder of Scientific Happiness, Property Investor, , executive coach, author and a sought after global keynote speaker. Shane works with CEOs, corporations, 6-7 Figure business owners and entrepreneurs to increase revenue, grow their businesses and live more fulfilling lives.

Shane works with CEOs, executives, corporations and entrepreneurs to grow their business and their lives. His strikingly effective coaching process shows individuals and corporate teams how to create the personal lives they want while becoming a megastar at work. To book a time to speak with Shane go to https://go.oncehub.com/ShaneRam. To book Shane for events and seminars go to www.shaneram.com, call 1-868-351-5000 or email at [email protected]