Most highly successful persons practice goal setting. There is a huge difference between setting goals for the year and making New Year’s “resolutions”. Annual resolutions are often general intentions or wishful thinking. “To lose weight,” “to give up smoking”, “to be a better boss”, are typical New Year’s resolutions. Goal setting is what translates your good intentions into action. Here are some suggestions for setting goals that will move your career (or life) forward.
1. Goals must be specific and measurable. “To be more successful” is a nice ambition, but is much too general. Your idea of success must be translated into measurable terms, such as making $100 more per week. “To become a better groomer” is hard to measure. How about “To learn how to groom two new breeds to their breed standards,” or, “To attend a grooming seminar or clinic.”
2. Set a time frame for each goal. State what you intend to accomplish and by when. Setting a time frame is what helps you move toward your goal. “To lose weight” could be translated into “To lose 10 pounds by March 15, 2007.
3. Goals should be tied to actions. Let’s say that you have a clear intention that you want to improve your grooming skills. Some sub-goals that could lead you to that broad goal could be: To find a coach or mentor; To enter a grooming competition; or, To attend a grooming clinic. These are all actions that will lead you to improvement. Or if your broad goal is to earn more money at your job, you could have an action that involves becoming a specialist in a certain type of grooming, so that you can become more valuable to your employer. Examples are to master cat grooming, or to become exceptionally good at large dog de-shedding, or to become expert at Bichon Frise grooms. If becoming more proficient in Bichon grooming is a goal of yours, you could tie it to the action of attending a seminar on Bichon Frise , attending a dog show, watching or entering a grooming competition. And of course, you might want to associate a sub goal of obtaining a suitable Bichon model with an owner who wants a scissor trim. The more specific you can be, with actions or steps under each specified goal, the more successful you will be in your accomplishment.
4. Keep your goals realistic. Your goals should require a stretch, but be attainable. If you are learning to groom and are currently doing three or four dogs a day, setting a goal of grooming ten dogs a day may not be realistic, but reaching for six or seven by June 1, 2007 could be do-able.
5. Written and shared goals are the most powerful. Mumbling your goals to yourself while watching Oprah is not nearly as powerful as having a written document entitled Goals for 2007. Sharing goals gives your action power, but be careful to share goals with people who are supportive, not your niggling naysayers. I've found that my goals have the most power when I write them down and tack them up where I can see them. This year, I'm converting the bulletin board over my desk to a space for posting my professional goals.
6. Review and revise your goals periodically. Goals should not be cast in stone. They are guidelines and should be flexible and able to be revised as life happens. The more you work your goals, the more they will work for you.
Are you ready? Try on some goals and see what happens. Goal setting improves with practice. Your first goal would be to set some goals with actions and time frames. Setting goals can be a powerful process. It brings clarity and commitment to your intentions. Here is one of my favorite quotes on the subject of committed intention:
“…the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.” - William Hutchinson Murray, Leader of the Scottish Himalayan Expedition who scaled Mt. Everest 1951.
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