Goals aren't just for Christmas

I have been setting and recording my goals since January 2000. It has always been a tradition in my family to make New Year's resolutions and this was initially an extension of that. I didn't do much to follow them up when I started but looking back at the computer file that I have kept for the past 10 years it is surprising how many of them I have accomplished. There are a few that turn up each year and don't seem to have made much headway. I am now beginning to understand why, I'll talk about that in the future. Today I wanted to talk about how I set them and when.

My initial method was to use a CD in a set by Tony Robins called Personal Power II, it got me started so it was useful, but I don't think the method was quite right for me. I won't give a link for it as you can find the whole 25CD set on ebay for around 10 Dollars. The Robins method is to write down all the things that you want to achieve in a great long list take about 5 mins writing as fast as you can. You then repeat this for all the thing goals, and then all the financial ones.
Once you have 3 long lists you write next to each item when you want it (1, 2, 5 and 10 years). You then pick the top 3 from each list to get a total of 9 goals. For each goal you then describe what you will see feel and hear when you get it. Lastly write down the one thing that you will do tomorrow to get you started.

The structure is pretty good but it seemed to me to concentrate on getting stuff rather than enjoying the journey of getting it. I also noticed that there were 2 other problems. I wrote down stuff that I didn't really want that much and the more difficult goals like learning a language or keeping fit require something built into the process to keep me going.

I have made changes over the years and developed my own approach. Some of the main things I do are.
1. When considering a goal, does it make me excited, does it make me go WOW. Coach Michael Neill is responsible for showing me how important this is.
2. What will I get from the journey rather than the destination? There is no point spending 30 years getting something if you hate what you have to do to get it. Change the destination or the mode of transport.
3. A goal often seems fun when looked at as a whole but what will the minutes be like. Does paradise become less appealing if I have to stay out of the sun all day and the food all has to be flown in. I consider how I will pass my time and how satisfying it will be.
4. When a goal requires long term commitment I make sure I am willing to put in the time and effort necessary and use some visualisation and anchoring techniques to keep that motivation in place.

This summer I took Your Best Year Yet: Make the Next 12 Months Your Best Ever! as part of my holiday reading . It uses your values and your roles as a way to set goals. This seems to be a much better way to get at what you want rather than what you think you want. I worked through the process and I feel that I have chosen goals that I will achieve. They tie in pretty well with the ones in my own method but I like the structure that results from Best Year Yet.

I strongly recommend goal setting during a summer holiday. There is a lightness and a fun about it that I don't feel in the middle of winter. Deciding what you want next is much easier when you are aware of how much you already have.