More than Goal Setting

A report from Lifescope's "How2Win@Life" Series.   GOAL SETTING: Values -> Purpose -> Mission -> Vision -> Action! While 'goal setting' is a very valuable and pertinent skill, it is just one part in the process of getting what you want. Good goal setting does not take place in a vacuum. To be most effective (and most motivating), you must know how your objectives fit into the larger scheme of things. We often travel the road of life without a specific destination (goal) ordirection (plan). And since we don't know where we're going, we don't make apoint of finding out where we are -- we don't stop to ask and the map remainslocked in the glovebox. In rare cases, we may be happy just wandering, livingthe gypsy life. But for most, that existence proves unsatisfactory. To successfully plot a course of your life (be it career, financial,romantic, or actual physical travel), a few things you'll need to do are: Discover where you are; Decide where you want to be, how you prefer to get there (mode of transport), and when you'd like to arrive; Obtain or draw a map of the terrain you'll cover to get there, noting obstacles and conditions, and have a basic route planned for each phase of the journey. (You can save having a detailed plan for just before you start each particular leg. You'll be making adjustments along the way, anyway.) Keep in mind, too, that it is perfectly plausible to decide that you just want to explore the terrain -- that your enjoyment springs from the discovery. You don't necessarily need to know your final objective before you start to move, if you're prepared to spend the night by the side of the road. You may not be as efficient, but that is not the only criterion. Your destination then becomes not so much a tangible place as it is an emotional place, or process. As many wiser beings have said: It's not the destination -- it's the journey that counts. All of that said, we come back to the basic unfortunate fact that few of us make goal setting a priority. Studies show that most people either do not know what they want from life or, if they do, they have no plans for getting what they want. Only a small percentage of people have well-defined goals. These are the people who most often reach their goals, because they write them down and develop specific plans of action. The Broader Scope Your goals don't just materialize out of thin air. Ideally, they are grown from (and are consistent with) your values, beliefs, desires, and your sense of purpose. If a GOAL is the specific 'What,' then PURPOSE is the 'Why' and VALUES are the 'How' -- the rules of conduct. A VISION comes into focus, providing a crystal-clear picture of the desired outcome. MISSION connects future to present, and moves one to create ways to realize the Vision. GOALS are the specific objectives, attainment of which make the Mission a success. These components have a linked flow, one to another, which looks like this: VALUES -> PURPOSE -> VISION -> MISSION -> GOALS -> ACTIONS -> REVIEW -> REVISE   ^ ^ ^ ^ |   : : : : v   '<-------- '<--------'<--------'<----(as needed)----   You might visualize a target, with 'Values' in the center as the bullseye, and the rings representing subsequent steps. As in constructing a house, each step builds on the step preceding it. VALUES 'Values' leads the list, because your values are the common thread that runs through all the steps and all of life. Again, values are the "how" of the process. Your values decide how you react to things, events, and people -- what makes you content or angry, cry or laugh. Your values form the basis for every decision you make, from the clothes you wear to the vocation you choose. Every one of us is a living, breathing, values statement. What we choose to surround ourselves with and how we treat others, constantly broadcasts the message "This is what's important to me." Scary thought, huh? Experiencing a significant life event helps you clarify your values. Getting married or divorced, being fired, getting cancer, or having a loved one die -- all bring what you value in the world to the forefront. We adopted most of our values unconsciously, from our parents, friends, school, and bizarrely enough, from advertising media like television and magazines. But by the miracle of the constantly learning mind, we continue to adapt our values based on the experiences we have. Values also determine what we become. A person who highly values harmony is not likely to be a trial lawyer. A person committed to healthy living could never morally allow herself to work for a cigarette manufacturer, unless a higher value (like not starving) interceded. And your values are the key influencers in how you perceive your purpose. PURPOSE Depending on your religious/spiritual viewpoint, you may believe that: a) your purpose was set in place before you were born, or b) that it is yours to choose. It makes no difference really, as long as you believe that you do have a purpose (even if you don't currently know what it is). And if you really believed that life was just a crap shoot, then you wouldn't be reading this anyway. Purpose is what gives everything else meaning. It is the "why" in your life. ("Why am I working xx hours a week?" Hint: "To pay the bills" is not the answer we're looking for.) Purpose alludes to a 'higher calling' or ultimate end, and it transcends the individual. Have a reason for living that is bigger than you. For most, it's about making a difference and leaving the world a better place. Which is what allows our species to propagate -- we junk up the world, we won't last. Keep in mind that in 150 years there will be 'all new people.' Everyone now alive will have passed on. So consider that purpose is transferred through generations and conveys the distilled essence of the collective -- and in a way, is what makes us immortal. But back to the individual -- to you. Your purpose has an ongoing and life-long theme. Examples are: 'grow love', 'ease misery', 'inspire greatness', 'care for the earth'. ('Just wanna have fun' doesn't cut it, although 'celebrate life' has a nice ring to it... I guess it's just semantics after all.) Your purpose taps into passions, inspiration, and commitment on a grand scale. Being able to know and communicate your purpose, to yourself and others, is what sustains it. And the first step to that, is... VISION Vision is a picture of what can be realized, true to and because of your purpose. A vision is something which can be seen clearly -- and can be described in great detail. It is the guiding star, or template against which you compare ideal to real -- what can be to what is. You can and should be visionary in each significant area of your life -- in each of the Eight Vital Zones® (see http://www.lifescope.com/pages/8VZparagraphs.html). Vision is where the spark resides. It is an image so compelling, so desirable, that it draws energy and motivation to it. It is Pinnochio as a little boy. It is men strolling on the moon. It is that oasis in the desert. It is once sickly children, now free of leukemia instead of dead. Vision is a crystal ball's view into the future, be it one, five, fifty, or two-hundred years from now. Vision is how you infect others with your enthusiasm for what you know is possible. You have visited your Utopia, and sent them a postcard saying "Wish you were here." So the time has come to plot the course. MISSION "I'm on a mission!" Missions are the big, bold, challenging objectives leading to the realization of your vision. They are the targeted campaigns which 'get the juices flowing' in yourself and others. A mission focuses attention and resources upon a specific desired outcome within a given time frame. A mission is also known as a 'big hairy audacious goal' with a sense of urgency. Unlike goals, though, you should have only one mission active at a time, per vision for each distinct area of your life. And even then, they're prioritized. Prime examples of mission are: "...before the decade is out, to land a man on the moon and return him safely." "...to wipe out lung cancer in our lifetime." "...to have the winningest record this season of any team in the league." "...by three years from now, author a book which makes it onto the NY Times Bestseller list." To chart your mission, determine what accomplishments would lead you to your vision. What big steps can you take today which will move you closer to your ideal tomorrow? Break them into goals and then turn your goals into action. GOAL SETTING, GOAL TRACKING, GOAL ATTAINMENT (GOALS -> ACTIONS -> REVIEW -> REVISE) The most useful shorthand I've found is the acronym S.M.A.R.T., put forward by the Franklin Covey folks. It covers most of the components nicely. S.M.A.R.T. GOALS are: Specific -- Define precisely the objective or outcome you want. Measurable -- Define objectively how you will know when you've attained it. Action-oriented -- Use action verbs to describe the steps required. Realistic -- Confirm your belief that the goal is indeed possible. Timely -- Set a deadline for reaching your goal. What is your ETA? To these I would add: Consistent -- Your goal must not conflict with another goal, and must be congruent with each and every of your values, purpose, vision and mission. Otherwise difficulty will ensue. Humane -- Your goal must not do another person harm. Don't forget about being kind, caring, and compassionate. The end does not justify the means. So, that would change the acronym to 'SCHMART'. (Okay, it's a stretch I admit, but it works.) Goals are achieved only through action. Goal achievement is ensured via the repeating cycle of the three action elements: 1) ACTION -- You've planned your work, now work your plan. The unambiguous 'who, what, when, where, how, and how much' definitions of specific tasks. Physical activity starts the process moving; and be sure to complete each small step you're taking. 2) REVIEW Results -- On specific dates, monitor progress by comparing your plan with actual measured results. Don't deceive yourself. Check expected results against what's really real. 3) REVISE Tactics -- Adapt when change is indicated. Don't revise the goal yet; change only the means to achieving the goal -- the tactics. Determine what works and what doesn't. Implement the revised plan (starts the cycle again). And that's all there is to it, really. That, and developing the habit to do it regularly. Fortunately, it's self-reinforcing, and results come quickly. The more you do it, the more you want to. Here's where a good time management system pays off. Which is the topic of yet another How2Win report!

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