Six Sure Fire Steps To Achieve A Goal
Posted on February 12, 2008
Filed Under Focus Efforts
As the Steering Committee of the BYU Management Society we’ve created a one page business plan that clearly outlines WHAT we want to achieve this year. On a single sheet of paper we prioritized the objectives and the action plans we most desired. As committee members we’ve each volunteered to “champion” one or more of those objectives and/or action plans. We’ve made some great progress to date but now it’s time to increase the momentum.
What’s the best way to accelerate our progress and move closer to fulfilling our one page plan by the end of the year? It takes knowing HOW we’re going to take action. The one page plan tell us WHAT we want to achieve but it doesn’t tell us HOW to achieve it. The following is a system for developing the “HOW.”
By the way, this process works in all aspects of one’s life.
The Six Sure Fire Steps To Achieve a Goal
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On a single sheet of paper write your objective or action plan exactly as it is written on the one page business plan.
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Next, write today’s date and the date by which you’d like us to achieve the objective or action plan.
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Here comes the fun part. List two to five ways in which the accomplishment of this objective or action plan will positively impact the Management Society. To do this you might ask yourself the following questions: How will accomplishing this goal make us feel about ourselves? How will life at the Management Society be different once the goal is achieved? What kind of impact will it make on our membership or to our Steering Committee? How will it advance our mission? Basically you want to look into the future and imagine what it will look and feel like once the objective or action plan has been fully executed. Envisioning the future is a huge motivator for taking action in the present.
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Believe it or not, the next step is something we excel at doing. It’s also something we can leverage to develop and inspire our strategies for achieving our goals. Ready? List up to ten obstacles that will prevent us from ever achieving the objective or action plan listed in step one. That’s right, list your top ten thoughts as to why we’ll never achieve this goal. Just let the negativity flow. And, the more negative your thoughts the better. You don’t have to come up with ten but for those you do list, make them really good reasons or obstacles which have the greatest potential for blocking our progress. You may be asking, “What’s the method behind this madness?” Simply stated, all those things that seem to oppose your goals are actually the raw material for achieving them. In other words, your obstacles inspire your solutions.
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Once you list all the obstacles and ONLY AFTER you list them, it’s time for step five. Write a corresponding counter strategy to every one of your obstacles. Essentially you want to tell yourself how you will overcome each of the obstacles you listed in step four. It is crucial that you do this only AFTER all the obstacles have been listed as requested in step four. At this point I want your mind to go into a totally positive state. Creating solutions to each obstacle will give you the strategies you’ll need to execute and implement the objective or action plan you’re championing. As I said in step four, obstacles inspire solutions and what opposes your goals are actually the raw material for achieving them. You’ll find that the counter strategies you develop will become the groundwork for your implementation plans.
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The last step is the time saving step that will free you from having to strategize over and over each time you think about what needs to happen in order to achieve your goal. For each strategy you created in step five create a step by step trip plan showing each of the major milestones you need to pass in order to reach your destination. If you can break down the trip into chunks or segments it makes the journey less daunting. Every trip begins with the first step and so does every objective or action plan. If we can visualize and actually see “what’s next?” we’ll always know what to do without having to rethink the process whenever we take time to work on the goal. The biggest reason why most people don’ t achieve their goals is not because they’re lazy or tend to procrastinate, it’s because they see it as too daunting, too overwhelming on top of everything else they have to do in life. But, when people can break down a goal into executable chunks, steps or milestones the goal suddenly becomes more friendly and easier to approach. Understanding what’s next and taking action one milestone at a time is the key to success.
There you have it. A sure fire method for executing and implementing any goal you have in life. The key to the whole thing is taking what opposes you and using it as the raw material for achieving your goal. It reminds me of a scripture, Ether 12:27 “…then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” The Lord allows us to face obstacles – especially self imposed obstacles – so that we may learn to overcome them and thereby become strong and confident in doing his will, building his kingdom and growing moral and ethical leadership around the world.
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I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you.
- Sue.
This is a real great article. The more I read the article, the more I feel how true it is. I am glad that I am going to be a part of the the byu managment society.
Rangsan
Bangkok, BYU, Business 1985
Great ideas. There’s one constructive distinction I’d add for your very creative step 4, if I may make so bold.
If you want to achieve your goals, it’s vital, (in my view) to recognise that the biggest obstacles are going to be your own negative beliefs.
I realise that your steps should weed these out, but in my (long & professional) experience, people will look at – and blame – external circumstances before they’ll ever, ever look within!
Great post – I hope that adds something useful. (It’s meant to!)
Trevor.