At the December Lunch & Learn at the Women's Business Center of North Alabama (WBCNA), Joanne Randolph, President & CEO, talked about the power of goal setting and provided 10 tips for triumph (based on an article by Susan M. Heathfield on About.com). Here is an excerpt from her presentation:

As the New Year approaches, we all start thinking about New Year's resolutions and goals for the coming year.  But why should we bother?  Well, for lots of reason, but primarily because goals give us direction in all areas of our lives---a reason to get up early in the morning and a reason to go to bed late at night.

Not having goals is similar to sailing a ship across the Atlantic Ocean without a map; goals, like maps, help you get to your destination much faster than just sailing though life aimlessly.  As Dale Carnegie once said, "The person who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there."

A new year is a new beginning and a time to think about new goals and resolutions, new plans, and new dreams.  It is a time to reflect upon our lives and our accomplishments and a time to draw a line in the sand and claim a starting point for our next chapter.

But how many times have we made New Year's resolutions only to break them.  Here's 10 tips to help you keep those New Year's resolutions and 2011 goals.  We'll count down to the #1 most important tip.

Tip #10:  The Goal is Yours ----Own it!

Whatever the goal, whether to acquire a new customer, increase revenues, get a promotion at work, or lose weight, it must be your goal.  Goals should not be what you "ought" to do, but should generate excitement---you must believe there is something in it for you!

Tip #9:  Base Your Goals Firmly in Your Values

Every goal should link specifically to a value and some should be short term and some long term.  You should break down the long-term goals into weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual goals.  But most importantly, set goals in all aspects of your life to maintain balance.

Tip #8:  Believe You Can Accomplish the Goal

Each of us has a little voice in our head.  Positive thoughts support the accomplishment of our goals; negative thoughts don't!  Negative thoughts undermine our self-esteem and self-confidence, so start disregarding those negative thoughts and start believing in yourself.  Tell your doubting self, "Yes I can."

Tip #7:  Paint a Vivid Outcome

Start with a picture in your mind that describes the outcome you are seeking.  Maybe you want to move out of your home office into an office building, so pick the office building you want to be in and post a picture of it in your office as a reminder every day of what you are working towards. 

Tip #6:  Share Your Goals with Others

Share your goals with significant others (spouse, family members, peers, business associates, friends) who will support the accomplishment of your goals. If you don't believe you will have whole-hearted support from someone, just don't share your goals with them.

Tip #5:  Check Goal Setting and Achievement Progress Regularly

You are more likely to accomplish your goals if you review them daily, weekly, or quarterly.  Enter your goals in your planner or your PDA and schedule daily and weekly actions that support their accomplishment.  The discipline of the daily review is a powerful tool!

Tip #4:  Take Action to Identify and Eliminate Obstacles to Goal Setting Success

Tracking your goals daily is great, but if you're unhappy with your progress, assess what is keeping you from accomplishing the goals and ask yourself, "Is this goal really important?"  If there are obstacles interfering with your progress, take actions to remove them.

Tip #3:  Reward Yourself and Celebrate Goal Accomplishment

Even the accomplishment of a minor goal is cause for celebration.  Don't depress yourself with thoughts about all you still have to do---celebrate what you have done and move on to the next milestone.

Tip #2:  Goals and New Year Resolutions May Need to Change

Periodically look at your goals and ask yourself if they are still the right goals because markets change, things change, people change, or circumstances may change.  Give yourself permission to change your goals if need be.  Or perhaps you made the goal too big or maybe you set too many goals.

And now, the #1 most important tip to help you be successful in 2011 and achieve your goals:

Tip #1:  Write Your Goals Down

Studies have shown that the mere act of writing your goals down will give you as much as a 200% improved chance of achieving that goal---and that's powerful!   Just imagine the improved chance if you write them down AND monitor them regularly!  You should have no reason for not achieving whatever you set out to do.

Writing your goals down becomes a commitment to yourself---a conscious promise to pay attention to the accomplishment of the goal.  And writing out potential action plans with due dates makes the goal even more powerful!

In 2010, the WBCNA instituted goal setting, which includes action plans with dues dates, for clients.  We write them down and keep a copy in the client file.  The clients have responded very favorably to this new procedure and we have received feedback such as:  "I love it!  It keeps me focused on the things I should be focused on."  Clients look forward to returning to the WBCNA to show their progress and develop a new set of goals and actions.

Goal setting is a very effective tool in helping anyone achieve their goals and their dreams.

Everyone at the WBCNA hopes you have a very prosperous 2011!

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