The Secret To Achieving Your Goals (Dallas, TX)

Anyone can set a goal and people frequently do. The reason most don't achieve a greater percentage of those objectives is not an external problem, the real problem lies between their ears. Wait, before you stop reading, read on because there is a formula for success revealed in this post, I'm simply making the point that one has to be willing to do whatever it takes no matter what, to achieve that goal and too often folks quit because an outside influence exerts just enough force to stop them in their tracks. So that's rule #1 in the success formula...

Rule #1: Allow no external element to dissuade you from your goal.

Now that your head's on straight, let's get to the nitty-gritty of obtaining your dream. That would be rule #2 which is that you must determine a clear, obtainable, and written goal, or objective. Write it down, post it on every wall in your world, find pictures of it and post them, too. Gotta see it, think it, talk about it, feel it, listen to it 24/7. If you think about it long enough it won't take long before it morphs in your mind, from a dream to a clear objective that dominates your thoughts. Once that happens it's no longer a dream but a reality in progress and it'll color your every action so that everything you do moves you closer to the accomplishment of that objective, and it becomes an automatic process!

Rule #2: Write your goal down on paper and keep it somewhere you can see it all the time.

Dreams don't materialize just because you think about them all the time, though. That's called daydreaming and is counter-productive unless you put feet to the dream. That's called a plan, or strategy. This is the step that states which direction you're going to take to obtain your dream. If your goal is to own a dream home how will you get it? Save your nickels and pay cash? Win one in the lottery? Wait for Uncle Bob to die and leave you his in his will? Lots of different strategies to take to get what you want. So rule #3 requires you to...

Rule #3: Identify the strategy you'll employ to obtain your goal.

Now that we know the direction we'll take, what are the specific actions you'll take to make the strategy produce the proper fruit for you? Once you've identified these tactics, all you have to do is execute those tactics, your strategy is fulfilled and your goal obtained, right? Well, maybe, but before we address that, rule #4 would be.....

Rule #4: Determine the tactics you'll employ to achieve your strategy.

Do you see what we've done to this point? It's the old line about, “How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time!” We've broken our dream/goal into an identifiable way to get it (strategy), then broke it down further into actionable steps (tactics) we can take to achieve that strategy, and win the goal.

Does it always work? Of course not. Well then what good is it?? Couple responses to that----if you do absolutely nothing to achieve your goals then you are assured of failure; 100%. If you do something even if it's not the right thing, you have at least a mathematical chance of achieving something. Half a pie's better than no pie at all.

Which brings me to the original point of this post which is how to achieve your goals most of the time if not 100% of the time. The answer is self-correction which means a continual self-improvement process as it relates to the achievement of your dreams. Or, as the great Whitey Herzog was quoted as having said, “if what you're doing isn't working, do something else!” And that moves us right along-side of rule #5.

Rule #5: Apply a continual process of self-examination to the tactics employed, and the results realized, in the pursuit of a successful strategy.

Once you exhaust all possible adjustments to your arsenal of tactics and nothing seems to be working as expected then it's time to re-think your strategy and re-assess it's viability. Maybe it's a bad strategy. Assuming that your goal is within the realm of human grasp, never, ever, change your goal or its targeted completion date. Change anything else you need to to win the day but never ever touch the goal or it's deadline. Next to the fact that you must have a goal at all to achieve it, the most important rule of all 7 rules is Rule #6.

Rule #6: Never, ever, for any reason, change your goal or its target completion date.

Changing your goal results in admitted, instant failure. Change the goal and you've terminated the original objective. You've said, “I can't do it, let me start another goal.” Sound familiar? Changing your goal and/or time-frame allows you to continue a bad strategy or tactics. Not smart. Following Rule #6 forces you to examine and adjust your strategy and tactics, leaving the goal intact. Very smart.

This stuff is tough when you do it alone. So rule #7 has two major benefits associated with it and failure to practice this step is like running a race with both feet tied together. You can finish eventually but you won't win the race and most likely you won't even finish. Why handicap yourself right out of the blocks? Practice Rule #7.

Find an accountability partner. Find someone with more experience than you have in the area of accomplishing goals and get them to review your strategy and tactics with you. Ask them if your proposed time-frame is reasonable or a setup for failure. Ask them to meet with you weekly to evaluate your progress and help you make adjustments to your tactics and strategy. Two brains are better than yours.

Rule #7: Find an accountability partner with achievement success and meet weekly for evaluation.

So what I'm telling you is that to achieve your goals you need a strategy and the tactics to achieve it one piece at a time. To further assure your success you need an accountability partner to help you make course corrections as you execute your strategy. You become like one of those little wind up cars that bumps into walls, backs up and tries again until he finally heads himself in the right direction, encounters no obstacles and out the door he goes. Let's be at least as smart as the wind-up toys are!