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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I am not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share why I set goals and how I go about the process.
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What I Learned Yesterday:
Yesterday I shared my goals for 2014 and how I did with achieving those goals. I have always been a goal oriented person. For me, goal setting comes naturally. I’m a competitive person, so it’s natural for me to identify something that I want to achieve and then set out on a mission to accomplish it.
When I started working at the bookstore when I was 18, my first goal was to work hard and impress my boss so that I would get scheduled for more hours. Once that was achieved I set out to earn full-time status. Once that was achieved I set out to be put in charge of a department. On and on and on I went setting my eyes on the next step in the corporate ladder until I was 2 steps from the top. That is, there were two people higher than me on the ladder. There were also several people who were on the same rung as me.
Of course, within each of my responsibilities and titles along the way were several other goals. I’ll talk more about some of those goals next week, but they were goals associated with sales increases, lowering costs, and other performance oriented metrics. I liked that.
I like goals because it gives me a target. When I have a target, I can aim. I’m this way with a lot of things. In fact, sometimes I’ll sit down to start a new project and not know where to begin. I don’t know where to begin because I’m not sure where I’m going. If I can set up the place where I want to end up, I find it easier to begin. In a way I suppose it’s like working a maze from the end point to the starting point.
I also like setting goals because it forces me to think things through before I leap. That is, I don’t just set arbitrary goals, I set goals that I believe will be true measurements of success. I set goals that will help keep me focused on where I want to be in the long term. So I not only set a goal that is an ultimate achievement, I set goals that can serve as checkpoints or measuring points along the way.
Remember that my ultimate goal was to work my way up the corporate ladder? I never wanted to be the CEO or the president of the company because I didn’t want that much pressure or responsibility. I wanted to be at the level just below that. I wanted to oversee a division of the the company. I achieved this goal by identifying which steps would take me to that point and using those as checkpoint goals to achieve my ultimate goal.
I first had to grow to the top level within my current store. I did that within 3 years. It was a 5 step process. I then took the next step of managing my own store. When I achieved that goal I was the youngest store manager in the entire company’s history except for the guy that owned the company. I then did my best and was soon offered a job at the corporate office. I was well on my way to achieving my goal.
It was at that point that I was knocked down a few rungs. That will be the topic of Monday’s episode. However, I regrouped, changed my trajectory, and set back out to achieve my goal. Within two years of getting knocked back a few rungs I had achieved my goal of overseeing a division within the company.
All of these goals were achieved because I knew where I was headed. As I said yesterday, if you don’t know where you are headed, any road will get you there. However, if you don’t know where you’re headed, you’ll never know if you’re lost or off course.
What is it that you want to accomplish? I’m not just talking about your career. Setting goals is important for every aspect of your life.
Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to give up a bad habit?
Do you want to develop a new skill?
Do you want to spend more time with friends or family?
Do you want to increase your income?
Do you want to go back to school?
Do you want to launch a new business?
Do you want to earn a promotion at your job?
Here’s what I’ve learned that has helped me achieve goals.
First, write it down. Making note of your goals is a must. Will you remember your goal later? Probably not. Writing it down is not enough. You also need to put it in a place that you will see it. Don’t write it down and file it away. Put it on a post it note, set a recurring calendar reminder, place it near your bathroom mirror, write on a whiteboard in your office, or stick it to the refrigerator. Out of sight is out of mind. I’m quite certain that I would have done a better job of reaching my goals in 2014 if I had done a better job of keeping my goals in front of my eyes.
Second, tell someone. You know how I’ve been encouraging you to call in to the Friday Forum with your goals? Well this is why. When you tell someone else about your goal, it helps keep you accountable. You’ve not only voiced the goal to yourself, but you’ve voiced it to someone else. Once you do that, there’s a whole new level of commitment to achieving that goal. The person that you tell it to should be able to come to you at any time and ask you how you’re doing. That person should be an encourager and a motivator.
Third, set milestone goals. I’ve spent a lot of time during this episode illustrating how milestone goals work and how they can be effective. They are like little confidence boosters along your journey. If you’ve ever ran a marathon or a long distance bike race you know that they have refreshment stands along the way. Many runners carry energy packets with them so that as they run they can get a boost of energy to help them along their journey. Milestone goals are like energy packets that will help reenergize you toward your next checkpoint.
Fourth, when you achieve a goal, celebrate! Remember that person (or persons) that you asked to help keep you accountable? Well that person should be there with you giving you high fives as you reach your goal. Tell others around you that you’ve achieved your goal. You can be an inspiration to others and help them achieve their goals.
Lastly, and this is crucial, set a new goal! Did you set out to lose 30 pounds by the end of the year but you did it in 6 months instead? You are a rock star! Take a moment to celebrate your amazing achievement and then set your sights on your next target. This is why I don’t like New Year’s resolutions. We don’t have to wait until the new year to make the first step to achieving a goal. March 14th is just as good of a day as January 1st. In fact, the only day that is the perfect day to set out on achieving your goal is today. TODAY!!! Whether you are setting out to achieve your first goal or you are ready to head to the next milestone, don’t wait. Take that next step now. After all, you don’t want to lose the momentum that you gained by achieving your last goal.
So there you have it. I believe that setting goals is critically important to achieving your dreams. I also believe that you can achieve your dreams. Don’t let anything get in your way, especially your own self or your own doubt. You can do it! Don’t wait until tomorrow. Start your journey today!
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
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