How Magnetic Are Your Goals
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Having a strong vision for your personal and business life is crucial in
attaining your goals. Once that vision has been established setting goals in
support of that vision is often the next step most people take. I’m here to
challenge you to first identify your values and then set goals in alignment with
those values AND your vision. Goals that honor our values get results!
So What Are Values?
Values are not morals or principles. Values are who we really are. They
represent our unique selves and shape your actions. Your values are the
behaviors and activities to which you are naturally drawn. They are individual
and everyone’s are different. Values are our true north and serve as a compass
to make sure we are headed the right direction in our life.
Why Are Values Important?
When you know what you value you understand why you are drawn to do something
or not. Some examples of values are: relationships, autonomy, creativity, making
a difference/contribution, beauty, control, freedom, fun, adventure,
accomplishment, learning, leading, etc. See the larger, though not exhaustive,
values list
on the Free Tools page
of my website.
In Coactive Coaching, the authors point out just how “visible” our values
really are, “Though values are intangible, they are not invisible to others. You
can walk into a room of strangers and get a sense of what people value by what
they wear, how they stand in the room, how they interact with others, and with
whom they interact. You know something about their values just by their presence
in the room. You can sense the values in the room: power, friendship,
intimacy,connection, independence, fun, and more.”
What are the values others see in you? Why not ask them and add them to your
list of top values. This information will be critical to achieving your goals
more quickly and with more passion.
NOW Set The Goal
Once you know your key values, take some time to set the goals needed to
accomplish your vision that ALSO align with the values uncovered. How might this
look? Let’s use the following example:
The vision - ABC Corporation is recognized and respected as a leading
provider of family healthcare solutions
Some key values – Making a difference, Knowledge sharing
Business need – Improve sales through increasing current customer base
Value-based Goal - “I will increase sales $10,000 by helping 50 new clients
improve their heart health through the use of my XYZ product this year.”
Instead of focusing on increasing sales, this goal puts the emphasis on
helping improve the health of 50 new clients. By educating your clients about
XYZ product, you would also honor your value of knowledge sharing. The outcome
will be the same, but how much you are drawn towards achieving the goal will be
dramatically different. The person passionate about helping others will see this
as an opportunity to reach out and make that difference vs. hustling to make a
buck.
Through the attainment of the values-based goal, you will feel fulfilled and
good about having made a positive difference in those 50 families lives - - AND
sales will automatically go up. A Win-Win outcome!
Are Your Goals SMART?
The last thing to remember when setting goals is that they need to be SMART.
Put your goal to the SMART test by answering the following questions once you’ve
set your goal:
SPECIFIC - Is your goal clearly articulated?
MEASURABLE - Can the results of your goal be quantified?
ACHIEVABLE - Does your goal cause you to stretch, grow and get out of your
comfort zone but also have a degree of attainability?
REWARDING - Will achieving this goal be valuable to you? It WILL if you make
it a values-based goal!
TIME-BASED - Do you have a date by when you will achieve this goal?
By using this technique, you’ll be drawn TOWARDS your goals AND getting them
done! In the process, life will be more fulfilling!
About the Author
Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, helps ambitious working Moms create more
time and focus to accomplish their goals, grow their business, and live
guilt-free! Get free resources for increasing YOUR time and reducing stress at
http://www.theguiltfreecoach.com/gift
Follow us @Scopulus_News
Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2008-07-09 22:27:35 in Business Articles
