Why set good goals when you can accomplish GREAT Goals?
A person without goals is like a ship without a rudder – at the mercy of the current. If you want to go somewhere in your career and in your life, then your goals will allow you to plot out the direction to travel, eliminating huge amounts of wasted time in the process.
As we all know, too well, goal setting and goal accomplishing are two different disciplines.
Goal Setting is an exciting way of identifying the puzzle pieces necessary to complete your Big Picture – your greater purpose. Setting goals provides hope, direction, inspiration, and identifies the actions required for successfully achieving your vision.But the excitement of setting goals lasts only momentarily when we fail to accomplish them.
Goal Accomplishing can be difficult, especially when we encounter challenges. Because our goals are important and life-enhancing, we cannot leave them to chance. We need a formula to guarantee our success. The GOAL Formula allows us to set and accomplish our G.R.E.A.T. Goals, completing the Big Picture of our lives!
You can plug any goal into The GOAL Formula to accomplish all of your GREAT goals – no matter what circumstances you face. Here’s a breakdown of the The GOAL FORMULA and how each element works together to help you to accomplish your G.R.E.A.T. Goals
The GOAL Formula consists of three basic elements:
- Steps: Each goal requires five specific steps to be taken – G.R.E.A.T.
- Time: Each goal requires a specified time period to accomplish it – Time Mastery
- People: Each goal requires the support of other people – Enlist your People
When we take the right Steps, in the right blocks of Time, and enlist the support of the right People, we move from setting goals to accomplishing G.R.E.A.T. Goals.
Element 1: The 5 STEPS
GREAT is an acronym that stands for Greater, Reasons, Expectations, Actions and Tracking.
These are the five required steps necessary to accomplish each of your G.R.E.A.T. Goals – small or large, personal or professional.
G.R.E.A.T. Goals are crystal clear, diligently mapped out, intensely tracked, and accomplished.
Let’s start by setting some initial goals, then you can plug each one into the GOAL Formula:
Let’s take a close look at the meaning behind each of the 5 G.R.E.A.T. Steps:
Every goal should lead to greater results – in your life, your business, or in your community. Identify GREAT Goals that inspire you, provide hope and excitement, and will make a positive impact.
GREAT Goals are crystal clear. Instead of setting a goal like, “I need to lose weight,” be clear about how much weight you need to lose. “I need to lose 16 pounds in the next 90 days” is a GREAT Goal.
R – REASONS
The reasons behind your GREAT Goal are often more powerful than the goal itself. List as many reasons as possible for accomplishing this goal. Focus on WHY this goal needs to be accomplished and WHO it will impact.
Losing 16 pounds in 90 days will:
For just one GREAT Goal, challenge yourself to list as many reasons as possible.
E – EXPECTATIONS
There is no such thing as something for nothing, so we must list out all of the physical and mental expectations that will keep us on course while accomplishing this GREAT Goal.
“To accomplish this GREAT Goal, I am committed to having a positive attitude. I will not quit. I will get up 30 minutes earlier each day. I will eliminate fast food. I will cut out soda.”
A – ACTIONS
Every GREAT Goal requires actions! List out the specific actions needed to be taken daily, weekly, and monthly to accomplish this goal in the next 90 days.
“In order to accomplish this GREAT Goal, I will get a gym membership, create an exercise routine, and set up my daily meal plan. I will take each action at the gym and eat specific healthy foods.”
T – TRACKING
Personal accountability is tough for many people but identifying the measurable components that need to be tracked, to stay on course, is essential for success. Where performance is measured, performance increases.
“To accomplish my GREAT Goal, I will set up weekly times to track my weight, my food consumption, and my exercise routine.”
Element 2: Time Mastery
Do you control your day or does your day control you? The average person misses opportunities to accomplish their goals because they do not understand how to take control of their time.
We all have the desire to be better. No one sets a goal to be worse – we set them to be greater. We can all build the lives and careers we want by using The GOAL Formula to accomplish our GREAT Goals. But we must always remember one key factor – Goals Take Time.
Time is a unique commodity. Once you lose it, you cannot get it back. It is intangible. You cannot touch it, see it, or hear it. But to achieve a greater life, you must master it – Time Mastery.
We will never accomplish anything yesterday, so we must capture today – seize the day (carpe diem)!
So, we need to harness the power of time, carving out blocks of time we can control – 90 days.
Human beings have an incredible ability to stay laser-focused for 90-day time periods. We also have the ability to develop new patterns and habits in about three weeks. We can eliminate bad patterns and habits in three weeks, too.
Goals that are Short-Term can be accomplished in the next 90 days – on your 90-Day Run.
Long-Term goals require more than 90 days but can be broken into smaller, 90-day goals.
Utilizing the Rule of Three, focus on accomplishing three of your short-term goals over the next 90 days. This will allow you to make the best decisions and achieve Time Mastery – capturing the unlimited possibilities of each day.
To successfully control your time, utilize the two components of Time Mastery:
- Identify Priority Actions
- Schedule Each Day
Identify Priority Actions
Identify the Priority Actions that will need to be taken to accomplish each of your GREAT Goals during your 90-Day Run:
_________________________ _________________________ _________________________
_________________________ _________________________ _________________________
_________________________ _________________________ _________________________
_________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Some actions will be considered Multiple Action Items – occurring multiple times during your 90-Day run, like “Go to the gym.”
Some actions will be considered Single Action Items – occurring once during your 90-Day run, like “Set up gym membership.”
Both are critical and both need to be scheduled.
Schedule Each Day
Once you have identified all of the actions that need to be taken during the next 90 days, plug them into your 90 Day Run. The Daily Action Planner will allow you to schedule all of your actions throughout your 90-Day Run.
Each day represents just over 1% of your 90-Day Run. Account for both your day-to-day, and your goal-related actions.
For your day-to-day actions, put a “D” under Type.
For your goal-related actions, put a “G” under Type.
By identifying the type of actions that occupy your day, you will discover ways to convert some of your day-to-day actions into goal-related actions: “D+G.”
Avoid making your Daily Action Planner a “To Do List.”
Allocate time for “Single” actions (completed once during your 90 Day Run) and “Multiple” actions (repeated throughout your 90 Day Run).
Element 3: A-Level People
Your goals are too important to go at it alone. Your 90-Day Run will be enhanced by enlisting the support of A-Level People – those who want to see you accomplish your goals. Those who will provide some much-needed support and encourage you to never give up.
To guarantee that You Never Run Alone, develop your Goal Team by focusing on three key points.
- Your Belief Level
- Your Personal Network
- Your GREAT Partner
Your Belief Level – Your mind is the greatest tool you possess for accomplishing your goals. But too many people try to build a greater life without using the mind’s true potential. The only limitations you have are the ones you believe. Enlist your mental support first.
Your Personal Network – One of the most successful ways to enlist the support of the people in your personal network is to “Announce” your GREAT Goals. Share your goals and the timelines you have set with people who will hold you accountable – they will check in to see how you’re doing – they care.
By announcing your goals to your personal network, you increase your own belief level and your accountability.
Your GREAT Partner – Within your Personal Network you probably have people who also want to accomplish GREAT Goals. Team up with them and go on a 90-Day Run together. Help each other – support each other – encourage each other.
They understand their 90-Day Run as well as yours, so you both know the patterns and habits that need to be created, and abandoned, to succeed. Check in daily to make sure each partner took their Actions!
The Importance of GREAT Goal Setting
All too often, individuals, teams, and businesses position themselves for failure by setting uninspiring and unrealistic goals, like “I want to make more money” or “We want to be the best at ________.” Goals like these are unclear and provide little to no sense of direction or purpose.
GREAT Goals position you for success by ensuring that each goal is aligned with greatness, reasons, expectations, actions, and tracking. You will take the necessary steps to accomplish each goal, harness the power of Time Mastery, and enlist the support of A-Level People to move you close to your greater purpose – your Big Picture.
You may have set goals in your past that were difficult to achieve because they were too vague or poorly orchestrated. Working toward a disorganized goal can feel frustrating and unachievable. Focusing on GREAT Goals will stack the deck in your favor. Whether you’re setting personal or professional goals, The GOAL Formula will become your foundation for achieving new levels of success.
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