January 01, 2009
The Goal Kicker – January 2009 Edition
Welcome to this month’s edition of “The Goal Kicker” – the monthly ezine produced by achieve-goal-setting-success.com - dedicated to helping you achieve your goals by providing goal setting related articles and reviews of the latest goal setting products available.
In this edition you’ll find:
- An article on “Make your New Year’s Resolutions Work!”
- A review of the “Achieve Planner” for planning your goals
- A review of the eBook, “MindTools”, from the MindTools website
- A review of this month’s Featured Link to www.GoalsGuy.com
- ToolBOX Talk – how to get the best out of the ”Goals for Kids” worksheet
- Our inspirational quote of the month explained.
And don’t forget that you can inspire others to achieve just by telling YOUR story of success or lessons learnt from a life experience.
Yours truly,
Sam Sander
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As part of this subscription we also issue a mid-month mini-newsletter – “The Goal Kicker: Hot Topics”. This mid-month issue is part of the same subscription as the monthly “Goal Kicker” and will include a short punch-list of new releases, new websites and refreshers on a range of success topics.
”Make your New Year’s Resolutions Work!”
What’s this article about?If you’re one of the millions of people around the world who set new year’s resolutions every year, only to have forgotten them before January’s even over – then you need to read this article on why traditional New Year’s Resolutions just don’t work and more importantly, find out how you CAN make them work.
Here’s the Article…
Do you set New Year’s Resolutions every year, only to have forgotten them before January is even over? Do you see the start of a new year as a chance to wipe your hands of all the wrongs of last year, and as an opportunity to make a fresh start for the rest of your life – but just don’t seem to be able to make it work? Are your NYR’s (new year’s resolutions) a general statement like “I’m going to lose weight this year” or “I want to make more money” – but you have no idea how to achieve it?
Well, you’re not alone.
The reality is that the traditional NYR’s like these JUST DON’T WORK because:
1. NYR’s are usually set after a indulgent Christmas period of over-eating and spending too much money – so are often driven by guilt, and not what really matters.
2. NYR’s are usually just a generic statement of something you think you might want to do, and don’t include a specific end point or a way to get there. Have you ever researched a NYR?
3. NYR’s usually don’t include a deadline – and without a deadline to work to, it just gets put off until later (or never!).
4. NYR’s are rarely written down. Out of sight, out of mind - no wonder they just get forgotten before the month’s out!
But NYR’s can be the START of your journey to success – after all, they are usually to do with some aspect of your life that you want to change - but you need to realise that they are only a small part of this journey.
NYR’s can be the starting point for your success, but you need to get off that starting line if you’re going to finish – if you’re going to achieve. So to really achieve your own personal success, you must move from habitual “New Year’s Resolution Setter and Forgetter” to successful ”Goal Setter and Achiever”!
How? Goal Setting is just a process – a pretty simple one at that – that helps you decide WHAT you really want to achieve in your life, and HOW to get there. The process is as simple as:
1. Work out what you really want – not what you think you want (this is probably your NYR’s anyway), but what you REALLY want. What’s most important to YOU? You’re more likely to achieve a goal if it is something that you really want. In other words, the WHY is just as important as the WHAT.
2. Turn this into something measurable and with a deadline so that it is a real target and not just an arbitrary goal – “I want to lose 10kg by Easter” is a specific target, rather than “I want to lose weight”.
3. Work out a plan of action to achieve your goal – step by step, how are you going to achieve your goal and what resources do you need (money, time, equipment, information, etc).
4. Sanity check on whether your goal is realistic and achievable. And then….
5. Just do it! {Thanks Nike}
It’s as simple as that.
And finally, don’t think that the ‘new year’ is the start of your ‘new life’. It’s better to think of each day as being the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t get into the pattern of thinking that you can only start goals on 1 January, or on the first day of the month, or on a Monday [interestingly though, most people start a diet on a Monday].
But you can start setting and achieving your goals anytime – yes, even on a Friday – and you can START NOW!
Anyone can set goals, anyone can achieve goals, and anyone can be successful – but not everyone is. Be one of the success stories of this life and start setting your goals today!
Need to know more about goals and goal setting? Checkout the ‘’About Goals’ tab on the NavBar to find out more.
Product of the Month – “Achieve Planner”
Critical to achieving goals is having an action plan to achieve them, and then getting organised so that you can implement your action plan efficiently. And to help you achieve the required level of efficient organisation, goal setting and planning software may be able to help.Achieve Planner is a Windows time management software system that helps you get organized, increase your productivity, and make better use of your time.
It’s a powerful tool to help you take control of your life and get things done by:
- Organize your to-do list with hierarchical (multi-level) outlines
- Use colour-coded priorities to focus on what is most important
- Schedule your project and appointments in the calendar
- Save time by managing tasks and working more effectively
How much is finally getting organized, being more productive, and feeling less stressed worth to you? Imagine how good you will feel when everything that you need to do is captured, prioritized, and neatly organized outside your head in one central place - you'll finally have a to-do list that really works!
You will then feel less stressed and overwhelmed because you've taken control of your time, rather than letting time control you.
You will stay focused on what's most important instead of wasting your time with trivia or the tyranny of the urgent, so you’ll accomplish more in less time because you are working more effectively.
And of course, you’ll get the right things done because you are planning your work and then working your plan.
A time management system is one of the most important investments you will ever make. It's something that you will use every single day, and it can make a dramatic difference in the results you produce, the stress you experience, and the quality of life you enjoy.
There are three versions available - Achieve Planner Standard, Achieve Planner Pro and Achieve Productivity Suite – each with increasing functionality [and cost of course!]. You can compare the versions on the Achieve Planner website.
More importantly, you can try before you buy during a FREE 30-day trial – so you have nothing to lose!
Managing your time is much easier when you have the right tool for the job!
Refer to the ”Software” and ”Systems” tabs on the NavBar for more reviews on other goal setting software and systems available.
Book of the Month – “Mind Tools”
With 2009 shaping up to be a challenging year for us all, it’s time to sharpen your career and life skills to give yourself every opportunity to achieve your potential and survive! And this e-book from ’Mind Tools’ is the perfect resource for sharpening these skills! [And keep reading to find out how you can get this information for FREE!]
The MindTools e-book has lots of useful information on personal management skills such as time and stress management, problem solving, communication skills, etc. They also have some great goal setting/ life planning products. This info is available FREE on the website, but if you get the book you can read it anywhere anytime – and without the advertising.
MindTools is one of my favourite resources for essential career – and life – skills. In fact, this is the website that inspired me to create Achieve Goal Setting Success. So I really recommend you have a look at this site, and even sign up for the newsletter – it’s one of the best I’ve seen too.
The e-Book contains valuable information and practical tools and templates on essential skills such as:
- Time Management Skills
- Techniques for Controlling Stress
- Leadership Skills
- Decision Making Techniques
- Project Planning Skills
- Information Skills and Tools for Understanding Complex Situations
- Memory Techniques
- Communication Skills
- Creativity Tools
So, get skilled for 2009 with ’Mind Tools’ – this site is a MUST see!
Featured Link of the month - www.GoalsGuy.com
Some of the best opportunities in life are the ones we create. The GoalsGuy provides for you the opportunity to create a focused, goal-directed life and business culture that delivers results. The GoalsGuy, driving mission is simple…to help their clients build and sustain superior performance in all areas of their personal and professional life.They believe passionately in the enormous, untapped potential that resides within each person, and are committed to providing individuals and corporations with tools of knowledge and skills they can use to unlock this potential.
Because the GoalsGuy is serious about its mission, the site brings to you a complete suite of performance improvement solutions.
By far their best product is the Personal Strategic Plan, which is based on the premise that life will not go according to plan, if you do not have a plan. The Personal Strategic Planning program is your meal ticket to creating the ideal life. Will this be just another year where you repeat history, or will it be the greatest year you've ever had? Go see why best selling author Brian Tracy said, "This is the most remarkable, simple, and practical guide for ANYONE who wants to create the ideal life!" Click here to learn more.
The site offers e-books (some free ones too), ecourses, training programs and a regular newsletter on success and goal setting related topics to keep you up to date and refresh your goal setting journey. There are also Audio and Video versions of you don’t like reading!
Try these ones:
FREE Audio E-book: How to Create a Sense of Urgency!
Your ability to create a sense of urgency will have a far reaching impact throughout all areas of your life. This dynamic audio presentation from The GoalsGuy shows you how!
Click here now to download your FREE copy!
FREE Audio E-book: The Anatomy of a Goal
In this fast-paced audio presentation The GoalsGuy will teach you the three mandatory components of goal achievement and success. Great ideas on mastering the fundamentals!
Click here now to download your FREE copy!
ToolBOX Talk – how to get the best out of the ‘Goals for Kids’ worksheet
The ToolBOX on the website contains FREE forms, templates and worksheets for all your goal setting needs.In the ”Goal Setting Forms for Kids” section you’ll find a Goals for Kids worksheet. And at the start of the new year, what better time than now to sit down wit your children and help them achieve their goals.
Now the concept of SMART goals equally applies to kids as it does to adults, but it is a bit of a struggle for kids to understand – so setting goals with your children is all about keeping it simple! But it helps if you have an understanding of SMART goals first [just click on the ‘’About Goals’ tab on the NavBar to find out], so you can provide insightful guidance as you work through goal setting wit your child.
So keeping it simple – yet still effective – for your child, the worksheet steps through the following goal elements:
- What is the goal – in other words, what does your child really want to achieve. Now this is where you need to provide some constructive guidance to make sure that your child’s dream is achievable and realistic. Your child probably won’t be able to become an astronaut in the foreseeable future!
- When do they want to achieve the goal - again some guidance regarding realistic timeframes is important here. Perhaps some interim goals could help if your child has a long term goal.
- What to do first - now here comes the best bit! Discuss your child’s goal and HOW they can achieve it. This is important in developing the action plan so they can achieve their goals. And identify the thing they need to do first – their first step in achieving their goal. This can be really exciting and worth celebrating when they’ve achieved it too!
- What steps are next - of course, the first step is only that. Help your child identify all the steps they need to take in order to achieve their goal.
So just remind them why they set a particular goal in the first place, help them work out what they REALLY want, keep them on track with their goals as best you can and celebrate their successes when they do achieve that goal (or even a milestone).
Goal setting is a vital skill for life, so by helping your children set and achieve their goals you are teaching them how to be successful in life too.
For more information on teaching children goal setting, refer to the “”Goals for Kids” tab on the NavBar.
Have you got a better goal setting tool that you’d like to share with the world? Well, send it in and we’ll add it to the ToolBOX – kudos to you of course!
Our Quote of the Month – explained…
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”, Napoleon HillThis quotation by the ‘founder’ of modern motivational thinking, makes 2 points – firstly, a goal is a dream.
This implies several things – it implies that goals need to be personal. Goals need to be based on your inner most wishes and desires, and by doing this and making your goals meaningful to YOU, you will have the desire –the motivation - to achieve them. Goals that are not personal or meaningful are difficult to achieve because there is no reason or motivation to do so.
The word dream also implies that goals represent something more long-term than setting your daily task list, they represent your ultimate destination – what you really want to achieve out of life itself. So Goals need to reflect you ‘Big-Picture’ to keep you always heading towards your life’s purpose.
The second point this quotation makes is that goals need a deadline. Without a deadline, goals just don’t happen – “I’ll start my goal tomorrow”, “I’ll finish that goal later” – these are both common things that happen if your goal doesn’t have a deadline, and of course, this just delays the next action item, and so on.
With a clear deadline [time and/or date] on your goals, you are MUCH more likely to achieve them according to plan. But please make sure your deadline is realistic – you are only doomed to failure if your goal is to lose 20kg overnight! [unless you’re planning liposuction of course] Chose a deadline that you CAN achieve, and also maintains momentum towards your goal.
And even if a goal does have a realistic deadline, so many people fail to achieve their goal because they don’t take the deadline seriously. Have you ever changed the ‘due-by’ date on your action plan? Of course, your goals need to be flexible enough to change deadlines for reasons out of your control – but you DO want to avoid having to shift deadlines because of procrastination or lack of action on your part.
So when you’re setting your goals – make sure they reflect your ‘Big Picture’ or your dream life, and make sure you set yourself achievable deadlines so you actually DO achieve your goals.
Need to know more about goals and goal setting? Checkout the ‘’About Goals’ tab on the NavBar to find out more.
Well, that’s all for now!
But don’t worry, the next edition of “The Goal Kicker” is only a month away.
We would love to get your feedback on “The Goal Kicker”– what do you like? What don’t you like? - so we can make it even better.
Catch you next month!