Goal Basics | The Goal Triangle

Today’s post is a quick salute to other great articles/podcasts on goal setting. A common theme that I’ve picked out is that RESOLUTIONS ARE NOT GOALS!

Please read these over – you’ll gain an appreciation for goal setting beyond my own slant and you are sure to be inspired!

1) The Sales Guy http://sales.quickanddirtytips.com/new-years-resolutions-for-sales.aspx

This is a good one because it’s a audio – listen online. However, I think his approach is a little off. His 5 rules are a variation on the SMART system, and in an upcoming article I’m going to simplify that for you.

2) From the master, Brian Tracy: http://www.briantracy.com/blog/general/planning-your-year/

This is inspiring and his 7-step process is better than “rules”; it’s a method you can actually make use of.

3) In the fitness world, I love Tom Venuto: http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2009/12/a_new_fitness_challenge_for_20.php

I’m not including this to get you to buy his, book, but rather because he’s the best I know of for helping to set the right fitness goals. But if you do decide you want to purchase his book, I’d love it if you did it through my affiliate link here.

4) Tim Ferriss is a superstar, not really focused on goal-setting per se, but this is one of his best posts: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/06/19/why-bigger-goals-less-competition-plus-eco-bounty-winners/

It’s an excerpt from his book and highlights how you can win big by having bigger goals than you might think.

5) On the financial side, I love the Get Rich Slowly blog. However, I’m gotta slam his goal setting technique for 2010 on http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/01/01/happy-new-year-my-one-goal-for-2010/.

I love the fact that he’s got a single biggest goal for the year. But it’s so big that he needs to define intermediary goals (milestone goals) along the way. He’s a little squishy on having goals that are truly measureable and timebound.

6) And then there’s my own fitness site and a recent article I wrote there: http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/2009/12/new-years-resolutions-bah/ .

Have you read other sites that have really good messages for goal setting? I’m totally fine with you dropping their links here!

Goals are simple; good goals are much harder

What is a goal?

I bet you have trouble defining that in one sentence. I’ve studied goal-setting for years and I can’t do it in a single sentence.

Oh, I’ve heard the clichés. The cheesiest one is “A goal is a dream with a deadline”.

While such clichés aren’t “untrue”, they are incomplete.

A goal can take many forms.

It can be a high-level vision, like “I want to be attractive” or “I want to be rich”. (By the way, I’m not saying these are good goals, or well-structured goals, or admirable goals – but they ARE goals.)

A goal can be something really miniscule and in the moment, like “I want to get to the airport on time,” or “Just ¼ mile more to finish my run.”

Goals can be something you set for yourself or something someone else sets for you (like something your boss puts on your plate).

They can be short term, long term, or anywhere in between.

You can write them down or you can think them or you can share them.

Some people set goals to start habits; others set goals to stop habits.

We can go on and on (and we will, over the course of months, on www.goaltriangle.com) about the various kinds of goals. And we’ll show you how to structure them and monitor them.

But for something to be a goal, all you need are these essential components:

1) It starts in the mind; you must be able to picture it or think about it

2) A goal has to be clear enough that you can write it down (you don’t HAVE to write it, though you should; but you must be able to write it)

3) You have to want to do it (either because you want the benefits or you want to avoid the pain of not doing it)

4) It involves being, doing, or having

5) It is not an impulse; primal drives are not goals

6) A goal applies to the future; it might be 3 seconds from now or 3 years from now but you can’t change the past and the present is transient

7) Goals require action by someone or by some force; serendipity is not a goal

The BEST goals are much, much more than this list. And I’ll be covering how you come up with GREAT goals in upcoming articles. In the mean time, sign up for the free weekly newsletter on the upper right of this page.

What would you add to this list?