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Miscellaneous See other Miscellaneous Articles Title: ow to Discover and Achieve Your Life Goals Many doctors know there is something missing from their lives; or they have a nagging feeling that they are not achieving a goal that would bring satisfaction. Doctors often have dreams of things they would love to achieve; yet somehow those dreams never become reality. However, those dreams or goals could become reality with foresight and planning. If you make a habit of setting goals that will create the enviable position of balance in your life. Setting goals is so powerful and positive, yet so simple. This habit, this way of living, can and will have an incredibly profound impact on your personal and professional success. To achieve your goals, you need to start the goal achievement process (GAP) -- closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be. To do so, you'll want to: (1) Have a vision/mission/purpose; (2) Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and trackable (SMART) goals; (3) Have a plan and know your next steps in the plan; (4) Pay attention to time management; and (5) Set in place a system for accountability and coaching. Let's go through this process. Vision/Mission/Purpose What is your passion? What are you willing to live for? Some people know exactly what they want. Others don't have anything special that comes to mind and wonder if they even have a strong interest or passion. To find your passion, identify by writing down answers to the following questions (get it all out of your head!): What do you want in your life? What don't you want in your life? What are your values? Write your eulogy! How do you want to be remembered? Where do you see yourself in 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 years and beyond? Writing out the answers to these 5 questions will help you clarify your mission, your passion in life. Approach these questions like a child putting together their Christmas list. Let your imagination run wild with no limitations. Set SMART Goals Write down your goals and make them SMART. For example: "We will save $_____ a month starting January 2012." rather than "We will save more money." Another example of this is, "We decide where to vacation and plan our vacation by December 15, 2011," rather than "we will go on vacation." Your goals must be written AND visible. Place your goals where you can see them every day because out of sight is out of mind. Have a Plan: Take Action! Many people panic when they see the word plan. They envision a thick binder detailing something that ends up sitting on a credenza or in a file and is not followed. To me, plan means being crystal clear on your next 1-3 steps. Literally know your exact next step and you are on your way to achieving your goal. The beauty of this type of planning is that when you take action and achieve your next steps, it will then easily and clearly roll up to your next o1-3 steps. The consistency of focus and action leads to results. It's similar to driving across the country at night. Your headlights only light up the road a few hundred feet in front of you, but that's enough to get you safely to your destination. Time Management Now that you have goals, you'll need time management. The essence of time management: To organize and execute around priorities. Simple, yes. Powerful, yes. Unfortunately most people are not clear on their priorities. If you make writing down your goals a habit and a way of life, you'll get crystal clear on your priorities. Research shows that only 3% of people write down their goals. Become among the few who do. Most people know it is important...but they just don't do it. Adopt the Nike principle: JUST DO IT! To help you with your time management, I encourage you to find your time wasters. A time waster is whatever interrupts, distracts, or takes you off your plan. Your top 3 time wasters alone have the potential to waste up to 2 hours a day! Each person's time wasters are different. Some examples of time wasters are: not having goals; e-mail, voicemail, telephone interruptions; perfectionism; failure to break things down into smaller more manageable pieces; failure to use a "to do" list (which is actually a Daily Priority list); and shifting priorities. I recommend that you huddle up with a friend(s) or a colleague(s) to discuss your top time wasters with each other and then put together a plan to minimize and eliminate your time wasters. Start with your top 3. You are going to love the results. It may also be helpful to have a coach to help you find your time wasters and achieve your goals. One of the key techniques in time management is the effective use of the 80/20 Rule also known as the Pareto Principle named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. The principle is based on the wisdom of knowing what your vital few are vs the trivial many. Put another way: 80% of your productivity comes from 20% of your activity. You don't need to get to everything on your to do list; you need to take action only on your vital 20% to have at minimum an 80% effective and fulfilling day. Again writing down your goals fits the bill. It will get you clear on your vital few. Most people get it backwards. They focus on the trivial 80% and then wonder at the end of the day why they were so busy but feel like they accomplished nothing. Have an Accountability System in Place Everybody needs a coach; someone who is going to encourage you, be tough on you, someone who is going to hold you accountable to do what you said you were going to do. That coach could be a colleague, friend, spouse, family member, or a professional coach such as myself. It should be someone you meet face-to-face or talk to on the phone on a regularly scheduled basis to review your progress, discuss obstacles/frustrations, and share meaningful, exciting results. If you work this process and this system, it will work for you. Here's where to start: Set a goal to have a goal by December 31, 2011. Identify the very first step to take to move towards the achievement of that goal, and watch your momentum and enjoyment grow! Mark Riesenberg, Business and Personal Coach, founder and owner of Human Resources Unlimited, West Orange, New Jersey, and author, How to Stop Whining and Start Winning: A Guide to Goal Setting and Time Management. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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