Extraordinary Leader#9. All I want for Christmas is to realise my Goals
Have you ever noticed that as each year comes to a close, you wonder why you're still doing the same old things you promised yourself last year that you wouldn't do any more? And then there is your wish list of things that you would like to do, things that you always talk about but never eventuate? Well, you are not alone!
Research indicates that between 75% - 85% of people who set goals, abandon them. The findings of the study confirmed that the majority of adults abandon their goals before they are achieved. Often times the cause of this is the unpleasant nature of learning new skills, of doing things differently, or changing our ways of doing and being. Rarely do people focus on what they would feel like if they stuck it through the discomfort phase and got to the other side. How they would then feel after they had learned their new skill or behaviour, and had mastered the goal. Instead they focus on the unpleasant feeling now.
The Elite Group.com Pty Ltd
Extraordinary Leadership, Innovative Thought, and Excellence
==========================================================
The Extraordinary Leader December 2000
Issue #9 http://www.christinemcdougall.com is currently available
for information. ==========================================================
Christine McDougall Margaret Krause
Christine@the-elite-group.com margaret@the-elite-group.com
Telephone: +61 7 55275155 Telephone: +61 7 5575 1200
========================================================== Welcome to the ninth edition of The Extraordinary Leader Newsletter. Table Of Contents. 1. An Executive Summary Of The Feature Article
2. Welcome Notes
3. Special Announcements
4. Feature Article. "All I Want For Christmas Is To Realize My Goals!"
5. Monthly Point Of Focus
6. Resources
7. Subscription And Contact Information ====================================================== 1. An Executive Summary Of The Feature Article.
Have you ever noticed that as each year comes to a close, you wonder why you're still doing the same old things you promised yourself last year that you wouldn't do any more? And then there is your wish list of things that you would like to do, things that you always talk about but never eventuate? Well, you are not alone!
Research indicates that between 75% - 85% of people who set goals, abandon them. The findings of the study confirmed that the majority of adults abandon their goals before they are achieved. Often times the cause of this is the unpleasant nature of learning new skills, of doing things differently, or changing our ways of doing and being. Rarely do people focus on what they would feel like if they stuck it through the discomfort phase and got to the other side. How they would then feel after they had learned their new skill or behaviour, and had mastered the goal. Instead they focus on the unpleasant feeling now.
====================================================== 2. Welcome Notes Welcome to our final newsletter for 2000! I do not know about you, but I have felt that this has definitely been the most speedy of speedy years. It only felt like last week we were planning the millennium celebrations. This is a great time to renew, reinvent yourself and take time to plan for the year ahead. It is also a time to review the year gone, and celebrate your achievements. (Thank you Wendy, for reminding me to do this!) The article Marg has written is very appropriate to this time.....looking at your goals and how to reach them. Thank you to everyone who has passed on our newsletter to your friends and family. This is how we grow and our growing number of subscribers is a delight! Let us take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very happy holiday season, and a fabulous new year, a year where your goals are achieved because you put the time in and did the work. Have a great month! Warmly, Christine and Marg. =========================================================== 3. Special Announcements For the next few months, we are continuing to hold FREE monthly TeleForums in
Australia. We are limited to twenty participants for each TeleForum, so register early to avoid disappointment. Each TeleForum will be for one hour, and your only investment will be your time, and the cost of your call into our teleconference system. Our December TeleForums will be held on:
Australia - Tuesday December 19th at 11:00 a.m. Sydney time. (For those in the Northern Hemisphere, who wish to join us, this time is Monday at 7 p.m. EST, New York time.) During the TeleForum, we will talk about realizing your goals. We will go into more detail about goal setting and understanding what gets in our way of achieving our goals. If you would like to participate in our Realizing Goals Elite Group TeleForums:
1. Please zip an E-mail to admin@the-elite-group.com with "Realizing Goals
TeleForum" in the subject line. In the body of your E-mail, please list
your: Company Name:
Your Name:
E-mail Address:
Telephone Number:
City/State/Country:
Profession or Position:
Website: Upon receipt of your registration form, we will E-mail you a confirmation
notice that will include the specific telephone number to join us for this TeleForum. 2. Please reserve the appropriate time within your calendar to attend the TeleForum of your choice 3. Questions? Send an E-mail to admin@the-elite-group.com =========================================================== 4. Feature Article - All I Want For Christmas Is To Realize My Goals Have you ever noticed that as each year comes to a close, you wonder why you're still doing the same old things you promised yourself last year that you wouldn't do any more? And then there is your wish list of things that you would like to do, things that you always talk about but never eventuate? Well, you are not alone!
Research indicates that between 75% - 85% of people who set goals, abandon them. The findings of the study confirmed that the majority of adults abandon their goals before they are achieved. Often times the cause of this is the unpleasant nature of learning new skills, of doing things differently, or changing our ways of doing and being. Rarely do people focus on what they would feel like if they stuck it through the discomfort phase and got to the other side. How they would then feel after they had learned their new skill or behaviour, and had mastered the goal. Instead they focus on the unpleasant feeling now.
Often when looking to achieve a goal, we have to do "stuff" which isn't terribly exciting, or will require that we change something significantly, or give up things. For example, if you want to loose weight and get fit, you have to be prepared to eat different foods, change your habits and do regular exercise. We are simply not wired to do things that are unpleasant - hence we go into avoidance mode and abandon our goals. Knowing clearly what we will have to change, give up and do when we set the goal, will help us go the distance.
What then is the secret used by the 15% - 25% of people who realize their goals?
Primarily it revolves around three things.
1. Our internal dialogue - what we say to ourselves - our constant internal chatter. Does this chatter support you or divert you from achieving your goals? "What am I talking about?" I can hear you ask. Take note of that little voice inside of you who is responding to this article as you are reading it. What is it saying? People who realise their goals can hear their internal chatterer telling them about all the things that they are not enjoying about this new state of affairs, and they keep going forward anyway. (If the goal is attractive enough and you really, really want it, staying active is easier to do)
2. The pictures and images within our head. The people who achieve their goals can see the end result very clearly and stay focused on those pictures and images.
3. Our body state - how we carry ourselves, how we choose to react to people and situations. People who realise their goals will stay positive, upbeat and focused, and will not let the opinions of others and situations get them down. If you know you are likely to be affected in this area, work with a coach, friend, or partner on staying positive and focused.
Try this exercise to get a clearer picture on how you "show up" when presented with new goals. Think in terms of what was your internal dialogue; what was your mental picture; and what was your body state? Also compare the outcome about how you felt about you, in these two scenarios.
1. Think of a situation which occurred in the past month where you have avoided taking actions that you wanted to take, but chose not to do so.
2. Think of another situation within the past month where you undertook actions, which were unpleasant, but you did them anyway.
What did you learn about yourself and your approach to goal setting? Did you find that in scenario two, the outcome was that not only did you get the goal achieved, but that the action of doing it gave you a boost of positive energy and self esteem. If you can focus on this feeling when you set out to do your next goal, the journey will be so much more fun and easy.
A compelling goal is one that serves us on an individual basis. What I mean by this, is when our goals are linked directly to our values - we are being authentic with ourselves and the actions become easier and more compelling to complete. If you would like to identify what your values are, send an e-mail to info@the-elite-group.com with "True Values Program" in the subject line and we will forward you the program completely free of charge.
How to realise your goals.
1. Identify your values.
2. Identify your goals - what you want to do, not what you should do! Be careful to only choose one or two goals that really excite you.
3. Make sure that your goals are fully in line with your values.
4. Increase your level of awareness around your current behaviour, thought processes and actions around achieving goals.
5. Exercise the "choice" factor. You have a choice as to whether you undertake the actions or not - it's your choice! Choose for how you will feel when you have achieved the goal, not for how you will feel on the journey.
6. Take even the smallest of actions on a consistent basis.
Remember, Mt Everest was climbed one step at a time!
=========================================================== 5. Monthly Point Of Focus Each month we have a single point of focus for you to apply in your
business and in your life. This month, it seems appropriate to focus on goal setting. Select a goal, which you have been thinking about doing for some time. Ensure that this goal will take no longer than 10 minutes of your time on a daily basis. Also ensure you have all the resources you will need to ensure you will be successful in achieving it i.e. sufficient money, time, space, support - whatever! Your goal may be as easy as saving $2 per day in a jar for one month, or reading for ten minutes per day, or writing out three Christmas cards per day! Take daily actions towards achieving your goal and notice the internal dialogue that goes on during this time. Please write an E-mail to admin@the-elite-group.com and tell us how you progress with your point of focus. =========================================================== 6. Resources "The Goal - A Process of Ongoing Improvement", second revised edition (1992) by Eliyahu M Goldratt and Jeff Cox. This powerful story of a manager of a manufacturing plant has some profound metaphors about goals and leadership. It is about people trying to understand what makes their work tick so that they can make it better. The book provides an outline of how people think about problems, and determine the cause and effect relationships between their actions and the results. "It's Not About the Bike"--Lance Armstrong.
If you would like to read a book that will really motivate you to get up and do the things you have always said you would, then this is the book. This book goes on my selected list of 10 favourite books of all times. I read it in less than a day, and felt honoured to have been able to share the life of such an inspirational young man. A great gift.
=========================================================== 7. Subscription And Contact Information Copyright (c) 2000, all rights reserved.
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