The importance and art of goal achieving

For me, life is about contrast. About feeling the speed and the friction. I tend to think about my dreams as projects, because they are usually big plans with long (mostly indefinite) time spans. I prefer dreams which have risks involved – I don’t find a well-lit path interesting.

Dreamers, while gazing at the stars, tend to keep their dreams among the stars – somewhere far away, safely out of reach. Dreams, while tempting, are also scary because they entail change. I courage dreamers to pull those dreams out from the sky. The world is being lead by dreamers, but not just any dreamers, they are courageous dreamers. I give you a few thoughts on how to get closer to your own ideal of life.

Priorize by personal values
You may already have loads of goals, and each of them might be evenly big and important to you. Either you have goals of same priority (which is great), or you have not priorized them. Evaluate your goals – which ones are good for you to accomplish and in what order. Which of your desired accomplishments would create the optimal feeling? Often the most unpleasant of tasks is the most important.

Concentrate on one goal at a time, but have multiple processes going. Parallel goals generate ideas to each other – while you are working on something you find important, you might get an idea for another, perhaps hibernating project. It’s like teamplay.

A clear vision will help you choose the right things to do
The first priority in achieving anything is to clarify and declare the desire. When you know it, tell it to someone. It means you’re serious about it and actually willing to put some effort in it. A deadline is also a motivator of sorts. It is crucial to choose a goal you can believe in.

People tend to ask “What do I have to do to become succesful?”. Every dream requires different deeds, so there is no single common concept for becoming succesful. Someone may have become rich by some seemingly simple method, but yet it is impossible to copy. And the copier is always heaps behind the pioneer. In each case, the starting point is different.

Start living your dream
People you admire are made of exactly the same materials as you are.
The only difference between the people who have become what they’ve wanted and those who have not, is that succesful people have dared to start living their dream. Whatever you decide to be, circumstances will start supporting what you want to become.

Imagine yourself in a situation where you’ve achieved the things you wanted – as specifically as possible. Feel the pride of your efforts. When you feel this, you know what choices will take you towards that feeling. The road might be curly and illogical, but it’s still going
your way.

How would you feel if you had gotten what you wanted? Get close to that feeling. Do whatever makes you feel like you are already there. Taste the pride of getting what you went for. If you want to have a certain job, go where it could be located and take a glimpse on your possible future – is that what you want? If so, then you will start seeing the possibilities that take you there. You also have a concrete goal to compare your choices to.

If your mind is reluctant to change or fearful, show it alternatives. Act first, and the mind will tune in to the new frequency. For example if you are busy and think you don’t have any time for yourself, and you violently tear yourself out of the situation, you suddenly have all the time in the world. Most of the strains are in your mind. I dare you to challenge the opposing force and do what you really need to do. Be courageous enough to take a look outside the rules you’re bound by.

Ignore the counterarguments in you, if they want to keep you in a familiar, unfruitful situation. The need for familiar things is often a numbing force that slowly sedates desire. We tend to go for the things we already know, even if they’re destroying us. We’re hooked to the current situation. Change takes energy, and will be painful if you fear it. To move forward, let yourself change.

Don’t plan too far
Everyday you are offered an infinite number of possibilities. You can choose now to do anything you want. You will not choose just anything, your will choose the option that takes you toward your goal. It’s of no use to plan too far, because circumstances change immediately after you make the first move. After you’ve made the first move, you’re faced with new situation and new choices, and by remembering your goal, you can choose again and you’re one step closer to your dream.

Concentrate on success instead of risks
It’s good to know the risks, but it’s important to concentrate on what you want instead of what you don’t. Imagination is a strong force – it will take you where you imagine. So beware of concentrating on the things you don’t want. When you know the risks, imagine yourself going safely around them.

Goals take all the energy they can get
Your #1 goal is likely to drain all the energy it can get. It’s important to have more than one goal to maintain balance in life. Commitment is required for any dream to come true, but it can easily become an obsession. If a goal becomes an obsession, it will take you as a hostage and will not let you go without some serious negotiations with other objectives. If you choose to work on a single project around the clock, it is likely to weaken your quality of life.

Sometimes a retreat is required to win a battle. Dare to leave your foremost dream alone from time to time, and your energy cells dedicated to that objective will recharge while you are having fun with other goals.

Books that helped me compile these thoughts

• Nicholas Ind: Living the brand
• Norman Vincent Peale: Sen teet mihin uskot (in Finnish)
• Stephen R. Covey – First Things First
• Bengt Karlöf, Kurt Lundgren, Marie Edendfeldt Froment – Ota oppia parhaista (in Finnish)

Powered by ScribeFire.