Monday 29 April 2013

Why You Need To Know Your Own Goals

About 10 years ago a good friend of mine asked me, out of the blue : "What's your 5 year plan?"  I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and said "huh?"  His question completely baffled me.  Not just the question itself, but the fact that it clearly showed that he had a 5 year plan!

When did I start hanging out with people who had goals, plans, ambitions?  At the time all my friends were doing the same 9 to 5 thing, living day to day, playing the cards that life dealt them.  Or so I thought.  I told my friend that I didn't have a 5 year plan (and to be honest, I said it super skeptically, to make him feel silly for even asking).  But he persevered.  "Don't you think you should?" he asked. I'd never seen him so serious before.  "Well what's yours?"  I challenged.

And then he proceeded to tell me his 5 year plan, year by year.  It took him about ten minutes to get through it all and the enthusiasm and excitement with which he told it both amazed and impressed me.  I felt proud of him!

                                                                   

I went home that night and started to think, is that what people do?  Have plans years in advance?  Oh, how naive I was.  I look back at that conversation as a starting point for how my life was going to change.  This is where it all started.  Slowly, quietly, but insistently.

I'm willing to bet if you ask most people what their 5 year (or 1 or 2 year) plan is, they'll react much the same as I did 10 years ago.  Most people don't take the time to plot out their own life.  They don't realize they have the power to do so.

But we know better don't we?  Once I realized that I do have the power to plot out my own life, I started to make plans.  I started to have goals.  They change/evolve/modify over time, but that's okay, that just means I've either reached my goals, or thought of something better.

I have my goals written down and every morning I look at them.  I go through each one and spend a few minutes visualizing them.  It takes about 10 minutes  Every time I reach a goal, I write out a new list.

Planning, expecting and visualizing your ideal life is the best way to ensure you get it.  Write down your goals, today.  It doesn't matter if they are vague.  Tomorrow you'll think of something clearer and more defined.  You're allowed to change your goals.  Fine tune them until they get specific.  Visualize them, and make sure when you do, that it feels good.  If you're goal is to become CEO of your company but all you can see is the stress and time away from your family, then that's not gonna be an easy goal for you to attain.  If it feels great however, then you're taken a very important and powerful first step.

Don't be worried what people think.  You don't have to tell a soul what you've written down.  In fact, if you're surrounded by energy vampires (usually well-meaning family members) then it's best to keep them on the down low.

Do you have a 5 year plan?  Or 1 or 2?  If so, I'd love to hear about it.  Go on, inspire me!