“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
~Arnold H. Glasow
Plan Your Goals and Write Them Down
Across the world, men and women sit straighter, raising heads in consideration as the final page floats gracefully from their calendar.
As each tick pushes the following tock toward a change in our year’s final digit, it is difficult to look forward without stealing a glance in the rear view of our year, wondering if we pulled all the possibility from each of our dozen previous months.
Few of us can nod our heads with certainty. Not because we failed to try, but because we did not endeavor with all our mind. Perhaps we thought success would arrive by the brute force of our character rather than from the strength of a well reasoned plan. Or maybe we believed that because we mean the things we say, our plans would spontaneously transpire.
Life isn’t a script with lines to memorize. It is an everlasting ad lib with zero second takes or pauses. It happens around us with every breath, deep within a vacuum of inevitability we cannot ever escape.
Most of us leave our last year behind then step obediently into the next, certain this new year will be the one when we will make our dreams sing in the key we’ve always wanted. We design our dreams with bloated intention, only to find them faded by the harsh sun of reality sometime around mid-February when the burden of daily commitment becomes a bit too much to bear.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Seeing success means tearing the meat from the bones of our word, rather than leaving the flesh to rot on a moldering carcass. We must mean what we say and see our commitments through. This often means the creation of smaller goals, completing each before moving to the next.
“This year I’m going to get in the best shape of my life, pull my family closer toward prosperity, and spend my minutes wisely.”
That may all be true, but without a map we are only nomads; empty phrases are not powerful enough an engine to pull us toward change without our best effort behind them.
Plan your goals and write them down. The permanence of the written word adopts a power unvoiced thought can never possess.
Establishing goals we cannot meet, prompted by arid ambition and little application is no way to find the finish line. No one has more impact on your life than you.
Writer Dad
Sean Platt is a ghostwriter for hire, specializing in custom blog posts.
About Sean Platt
I don’t do New Year’s resolutions and haven’t done any for at least a decade and a half. My main reason, as alluded to by Eric and Brett, is that every new day presents the opportunity to write down and/or start a goal or to change a habit for the better. This approach is one I have taken seriously over the past few years and it has done immensely more for me than the cliched New Year’s resolutions.
What puzzles me after years of reading self-help/goal-setting/personal development books and blogs is how few discuss how one measures one’s accountability and success in sticking to one’s goals/habit change.
As an example from my life I finally changed the daily soft drink/soda drinking habit I had been trying to quit, on and off with varied degrees of success, over the past decade and a half. The two keys to my continued success was strongly identifying myself as someone who doesn’t drink soft drinks and an excel spreadsheet that I fill in daily totaling the days since my last soft drink. I find the accountability of tracking my daily progress has helped steer me away from the handful of times temptation has reared it’s head.
I’ve started using the accountability spreadsheet method for some other goals/habit changes and it’s the best technique I’ve found for myself – I know it’s not for everyone.
I agree that written goals are valuable – but the process and work involved in achieving goals is just as important .
I’ll finish up with a couple of Thomas A. Edison quotes -
“I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success. ”
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. ”
Cheers
I don’t do New Year’s resolutions and haven’t done any for at least a decade and a half. My main reason, as alluded to by Eric and Brett, is that every new day presents the opportunity to write down and/or start a goal or to change a habit for the better. This approach is one I have taken seriously over the past few years and it has done immensely more for me than the cliched New Year’s resolutions.
What puzzles me after years of reading self-help/goal-setting/personal development books and blogs is how few discuss how one measures one’s accountability and success in sticking to one’s goals/habit change.
As an example from my life I finally changed the daily soft drink/soda drinking habit I had been trying to quit, on and off with varied degrees of success, over the past decade and a half. The two keys to my continued success was strongly identifying myself as someone who doesn’t drink soft drinks and an excel spreadsheet that I fill in daily totaling the days since my last soft drink. I find the accountability of tracking my daily progress has helped steer me away from the handful of times temptation has reared it’s head.
I’ve started using the accountability spreadsheet method for some other goals/habit changes and it’s the best technique I’ve found for myself – I know it’s not for everyone.
I agree that written goals are valuable – but the process and work involved in achieving goals is just as important .
I’ll finish up with a couple of Thomas A. Edison quotes -
“I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success. ”
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. ”
Cheers
I absolutely LOVE this post. I am a firm believer in the thought that YOU have to make things happen. Yeah, I’ve been a bit exhausted for a while with this kid, work, wife thing; however, I am still trying to make things happen. I believe every day is a new day, and I need to shake things up in order to make some of my dreams come true. Many already have – I am married to a great guy, have three fantastic (bratty) kids, and I have a job I love. Now that I am writing a column, and rediscovering my love of the word I am even more happy and content. But I still feel deep in my soul that my journey is still in its infancy. (it’s weird…) Thanks for the GREAT post.
I absolutely LOVE this post. I am a firm believer in the thought that YOU have to make things happen. Yeah, I’ve been a bit exhausted for a while with this kid, work, wife thing; however, I am still trying to make things happen. I believe every day is a new day, and I need to shake things up in order to make some of my dreams come true. Many already have – I am married to a great guy, have three fantastic (bratty) kids, and I have a job I love. Now that I am writing a column, and rediscovering my love of the word I am even more happy and content. But I still feel deep in my soul that my journey is still in its infancy. (it’s weird…) Thanks for the GREAT post.
I enjoyed this post and everyone’s comments on goal-setting. Great things to think about as we begin a new year.
Don’t forget that stating clear goals for yourself is just the first step. Besides taking consistent action, work on: building your belief (with a vision board, affirmations or specific writing exercises), setting yourself up for success (eat for energy, plan ahead, organize your writing sessions for efficiency & productivity) and surrounding yourself with supportive friends and colleagues.
These actions will help you move from goal to reality.
I enjoyed this post and everyone’s comments on goal-setting. Great things to think about as we begin a new year.
Don’t forget that stating clear goals for yourself is just the first step. Besides taking consistent action, work on: building your belief (with a vision board, affirmations or specific writing exercises), setting yourself up for success (eat for energy, plan ahead, organize your writing sessions for efficiency & productivity) and surrounding yourself with supportive friends and colleagues.
These actions will help you move from goal to reality.
My year goes from August to August so I am mid -stream and this year I made all of my goals for turning 60 two years ago, building on my goals I made for turning 50. I agree with writing things down…then they do start to work out in your life, mind and heart goals work if you lay the right foundations.
I wrote a post early on called 88 successes. My Honey and I made a list of things we wished to accomplish in our marriage and when we moved 13 years ago into a new house we found the list of goals and we had accomplished all 88 things with no reference back to the sheet of paper. We have been married for 30 years.
I am working to change my attitude about making money this year, that is the only major tweak I have made to my goal plan
The quote is great as is you writing . Thank you for refreshing our resolve.
Patricia’s last blog post..An Introduction:
My year goes from August to August so I am mid -stream and this year I made all of my goals for turning 60 two years ago, building on my goals I made for turning 50. I agree with writing things down…then they do start to work out in your life, mind and heart goals work if you lay the right foundations.
I wrote a post early on called 88 successes. My Honey and I made a list of things we wished to accomplish in our marriage and when we moved 13 years ago into a new house we found the list of goals and we had accomplished all 88 things with no reference back to the sheet of paper. We have been married for 30 years.
I am working to change my attitude about making money this year, that is the only major tweak I have made to my goal plan
The quote is great as is you writing . Thank you for refreshing our resolve.
Patricia’s last blog post..An Introduction:
Sean: I am a great fan of writing down goals, as evidenced by the ten pound Monarch Franklin planner that goes with me to work every day. It works. The New Year is simply a pre-designated time for me to chart out my goals for the next year.
“Seeing success means tearing the meat from the bones of our word, rather than leaving the flesh to rot on a moldering carcass.” I love this. What vividly stunning imagery! I’m printing it out and putting it on my monitor so I see it every day. Dang, I love words.
Lance: Here’s a word for you—synergy.
Randi’s last blog post..December Fun
Sean: I am a great fan of writing down goals, as evidenced by the ten pound Monarch Franklin planner that goes with me to work every day. It works. The New Year is simply a pre-designated time for me to chart out my goals for the next year.
“Seeing success means tearing the meat from the bones of our word, rather than leaving the flesh to rot on a moldering carcass.” I love this. What vividly stunning imagery! I’m printing it out and putting it on my monitor so I see it every day. Dang, I love words.
Lance: Here’s a word for you—synergy.
Randi’s last blog post..December Fun
Although it has taken me a few days to get my head together, 2009 is my year to shine.
Thanks for the great advice.
Although it has taken me a few days to get my head together, 2009 is my year to shine.
Thanks for the great advice.