Tools for making goals a reality

A man was travelling and stopped at an

intersection. He asked the elderly man, “Where
does this road take me?” The elderly person
asked, “Where do you want to go?” The man
replied, “I don’t know.” The elderly person said,
“Then takes any road. What difference does it
make?” How true. When we don’t know where is
going, any road will take us there.
 To understand the importance of Goals in
life and to know how to set them.
 To know the reasons why people are
unable to achieve the Goals.
 S.M.A.R.T Goals
• A pessimistic attitude – Always seeing the pitfalls rather than
the possibilities

• Fear of failure – What if I don’t make it? People feel

subconsciously that if they don’t set goals and if they don’t
make it, then they haven’t failed. But they are failures to
begin with.

• A lack of ambition – This is a result of our value system and

lack of desire to live a fulfilled life. Our limited thinking
prevents us from progress. There was a fisherman who,
every time he caught a big fish, would throw it back into the
river, keeping only the smaller ones. A man watching this
unusual behaviour asked the fisherman why he was doing
this. The fisherman replied, “Because I have a small frying
pan.” Most people never make it in life because they are
carrying a small frying pan. That is limited thinking.
• A fear of rejection – If I don’t make it, what
will other people says?
• Procrastination – “Someday, I will set my
goals.” This tie in with a lack of ambition.
• Low self-esteem – Because a person is not
internally driven and has no inspiration.
• Ignorance of the important of goals – Nobody
taught them and they never learned the
importance of goal- setting.
• A lack of knowledge about goal-setting –
People don’t know the mechanics of setting
goals. They need a step- by-step guide so
that they can follow a system.
1. You take control of your life
2. You focus on the important things
3. You will make good decisions
4. You can finish the task efficiently
5. You will be self-confident and enthusiastic
6. You will make progress
7. You are closer to success
A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside
waiting for vehicles to come around. As soon as one
came he would run down the road, barking and trying
to overtake it.

One day a neighbour asked the farmer "Do you think

your dog is ever going to catch a car?“ The farmer
replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers
me is what he would do if he ever caught one."
Moral of the Story :

Many people in life behave like that dog who is

pursuing meaningless goals.
Firstset Meaningful and Realistic goal and then work
to achieve GOAL
 The goal was not written down.
 Rewards for achieving the goals were not given.
 The goal was unrealistic or not specific enough.
 The goal is not really believable or little commitment
exists.
 Keep changing or switching goals with the weather
 The person who set the goal has not told anyone else
for added accountability, help and support.
 The goal was not incorporated into a realistic plan that
includes measurements, timelines and resources.
 Your goal must be conceivable. You must be
able to imagine, conceptualize and
understand the goal or desired result.
 Make your goal believable. Your goal should
be consistent with your personal values
system, and you must believe you can reach
the goal.
 Your goal must be achievable. You must have
the mental and physical capacity to reach the
goal. It would, however, be important for your
goal to cause you to stretch beyond normal
self-imposed limits. You will find a goal that
causes you to stretch and grow will be the
goal that gives you the most satisfaction.
 Make your goal measurable. Deciding to do better
than last year or to be happy gives you no
standard by which you can measure progress. Be
sure to relate your goal to quantity, percentage
increases, dollar volume, time or distance. This
will allow you to measure your progress.
 Your goal should be controllable. This means you
must be able to achieve the goal yourself, or gain
the willing cooperation of others to reach the
goal. This emphasizes the importance of building
team spirit.
 Be sure you have singleness of purpose. Make
sure your goal is not in conflict with other areas
of your life. Some goals become mutually
exclusive and create conflict with other goals.
 Specific
 Measurable

 Attainable
 Realistic
 Timely
 Specific goals answer the following questions:

Who:       Who is involved?

What:      What do I want to accomplish?
Where:    Identify a location.
When:     Establish a time frame.
Which:    Identify requirements/constraints.
Why:       Specific reasons, purpose or
benefits of accomplishing the goal.
 To determine if your goal is measurable, ask
questions such as

◦ How much?
◦ How many?
◦ How will I know when it is accomplished?
 The goal is “do-able”
 It is action-oriented
 It is “within reach” of mortals!

A may also stand for Action-oriented and

that requires action verbs in the goal!
 The goal must be an objective toward which
you are both willing and able to work.
 Again, it must be “do-able”
 People must believe it can be accomplished
 You should establish a timeframe
 The timeframe must be realistic
 Everyone needs to know the timeframe…

make it public


** T may also represent Tangible in that you
can experience it with one of your senses!
Craft a personal goal

Craft a personal professional goal

Craft a goal for your staff for the year

Use the S.M.A.R.T. techniques