Goal Management - A Year Round Exercise in Success
http://www.setthestageforsuccess.com/articles/18372/1/Goal-Management---A-Year-Round-Exercise-in-Success/Page1.html
Denise Kennard
Denise is the co-owner and administrator of Competent Care Home Health Nursing in Costa Mesa, California. She has over twenty years of experience in home health nursing, in both bedside care and managerial roles. Denise is a member of California Association for Health Services at Home and serve in two committees. She is also a member of National Association of Women Business Owners and the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce.By Denise Kennard
Published on 09/9/2008
There are two times of year that I am encouraged to make goals. One is
January, of course, with all the talk of "resolutions." The second time
is September. My children, ages spread from elementary school to junior
high to junior college, have come home from school, backpacks and
notebooks bristling with syllabi. A conscientious teacher has made
goals for my children for the upcoming school year and has prepared a
detailed plan to move them to those objectives. Coaches have developed
plays and game plans for winning teams and will be teaching my boys
their parts in those teams.
There are two times of year that I am encouraged to make goals. One is January, of course, with all the talk of "resolutions." The second time is September. My children, ages spread from elementary school to junior high to junior college, have come home from school, backpacks and notebooks bristling with syllabi. A conscientious teacher has made goals for my children for the upcoming school year and has prepared a detailed plan to move them to those objectives. Coaches have developed plays and game plans for winning teams and will be teaching my boys their parts in those teams.
In my last article, I encouraged you to formulate a mental picture of your own success. How do you take that dream out of the clouds and build it with the time and materials that make up your life? That leads me again to think about the detailed, concrete examples of informed goal-making that I see each September.
A first step to achieving a worthy goal is to codify it. Take it out of the idle dreamscape of your head and put it on paper. Organize it, so to speak. If you were to begin working toward that goal today, how long would it take you to achieve it? Do you need more skills and credentials to reach that goal? What processes can you pursue to develop the necessary expertise? Can your goal be achieved in one year, five years, ten years? Draw yourself a reasonable timeline. Get the big picture, then chop it up into manageable, attainable segments. You may be able to think by semesters, months, or even weeks for some segments.
As you prepare your timeline for yourself, your business, or your household, you should seek wise counsel. The input of a business coach, a mentor, your business partner, your spouse will help you design an informed schedule and quantify the time, expense, and possible sacrifices that you will encounter in your quest for your prize.
Finally and firstly, take that beginning step toward your goal! Don't leave the plan on paper. Obviously, you are not in a controlled classroom environment. Life will happen along the way. Plans will be modified. You may even be surprised with a re-direction or an unexpected blessing that will exceed your most treasured visions. Just don't sit out of the game and expect you'll have the skills to play when your turn comes. Set up your game plan. Prepare to win.
In my last article, I encouraged you to formulate a mental picture of your own success. How do you take that dream out of the clouds and build it with the time and materials that make up your life? That leads me again to think about the detailed, concrete examples of informed goal-making that I see each September.
A first step to achieving a worthy goal is to codify it. Take it out of the idle dreamscape of your head and put it on paper. Organize it, so to speak. If you were to begin working toward that goal today, how long would it take you to achieve it? Do you need more skills and credentials to reach that goal? What processes can you pursue to develop the necessary expertise? Can your goal be achieved in one year, five years, ten years? Draw yourself a reasonable timeline. Get the big picture, then chop it up into manageable, attainable segments. You may be able to think by semesters, months, or even weeks for some segments.
As you prepare your timeline for yourself, your business, or your household, you should seek wise counsel. The input of a business coach, a mentor, your business partner, your spouse will help you design an informed schedule and quantify the time, expense, and possible sacrifices that you will encounter in your quest for your prize.
Finally and firstly, take that beginning step toward your goal! Don't leave the plan on paper. Obviously, you are not in a controlled classroom environment. Life will happen along the way. Plans will be modified. You may even be surprised with a re-direction or an unexpected blessing that will exceed your most treasured visions. Just don't sit out of the game and expect you'll have the skills to play when your turn comes. Set up your game plan. Prepare to win.