One of the most common questions I get on the subject of Goal Setting is whether or not you should share your goal with others.
The short answer is… it depends.
I think the better questions is actually, “With whom should I share my Goals?”
There are clearly times when it is in your best interest to tell people and more specifically, there are times when you should share your goals with certain people.
For most of us, our goals and dreams are our most personal and sacred ‘possessions.’ However not everyone will treat them as such. Factor in that we all have different sensitivity levels when it comes to how we will be impacted if and when we receive negative feedback, criticism or even worse, the inevitable reaction from a harsh and heavy dream crusher.
Do I share every goal I set with anyone and everyone? Nope. But I do have some guidelines and recommendations for you to help you determine the appropriate people to share your goals with.
If you share your goals with no one, then you deprive yourself of the often valuable input and help that other people can offer.
Ten People With Whom You Should Consider Sharing Your Goals:
1. People who have goals of their own and more importantly, people who are actively engaged in advancing goals of their own. A person with no goals is probably not going to be able to relate to yours or offer much in the way of positive feedback and encouragement. They may lack the skills and ability to give your goals the value they deserve.
No matter who you are and how well versed you are at goal setting, there are a number of experiences we have all encountered at one time or another when en route to our goals. One of the most common is fear. The bigger your goals are, the greater the fear you are likely to encounter. Looking at fear from the outside, it seems ridiculous to allow the mere possibility of something less than optimal occurring keep us from attempting something, but fear is one emotion that is so powerful, it can lead to delays or even hold even the best and brightest back from achieving their dreams.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the definition of fear.
Fear –noun 1.a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
Now that we have a general idea what fear is, we can take a closer look at the ways in which it appears in our day to day lives. For some it is a small blip on the radar, for others, it’s a crippling reality, rearing it’s ugly head and acting as a virtual roadblock, standing in between their God given potential.
Since none of us is immune to fear and we will all experience it at one time or another, doesn’t it make sense to demystify it and find ways to harness it to work for us and our greater good, rather than hold us back?
Let’s look at a very simple formula for conquering fear.
Five Steps to Overcoming Fear
1. Catch yourself in the midst of feeling the fear. It is so easy to get caught up in the cycle of telling yourself and others, “I’m so afraid, I’m so afraid, I’m terrified,” etc. Have you ever had this type of dialogue running around in your head on repeat? The more you say this, the more the fear grows. If you can catch this mental chatter while it’s occurring Read the rest of this entry
I’m not sure if you heard the news, but a British psychologist
has proclaimed today ‘Blue Monday’ the most depressing day of the year.
It has something to do with factors such as the weather, holiday debt, time since Christmas, failing on new year’s resolutions, etc and it’s supposed to be quite scientific.
Whether today is a blue day for you or not, I am making a
proclamation of my own.
“Today will be whatever you decide it will be.”
That’s right. I said it. It’s quite scientific.
It has everything to do with having meaningful goals, the tools
to advance them and the determination to see them through.
So don’t jump on the ‘most depressing day of the year’ bandwagon, ok?
Instead, follow the link below and watch today’s free video by my friend, Author Noah St John. There is a great exercise that will get you moving in the right direction.
Back in 1939, a Russian Jewish immigrant songwriter was working on location for a movie in Beverly Hills for an extended time.
Legend has it he was homesick while separated from his wife and
children, and at that time, wrote some parts of a song and then
stored away the incomplete, half written work in a “song trunk.”
After two years had passed, he dusted off the half written song
and put the finishing touches on it.
He called it the best song he had ever written.
It was a simple song.
54 words.
67 notes.
The songwriter was Irving Berlin.
The song was White Christmas.
It became the most sold song in the world.
To this day, it is an enduring symbol of Christmas, the spirit
of the Holiday season and evokes warm, loving memories for Read the rest of this entry
I was working at home today and looked out the window and saw a huge hawk sitting on my deck. I watched him for a few minutes and it occurred to me I was witnessing a very important life lesson.
Usually when I see hawks they are either high up in the sky or sitting high upon a tree branch where they can see the land below which is where their food source is. Today is a record day of high winds in Chicago and the hawk sought refuge on my deck where my house shelters him from the wind gusts.
I thought about the habits of this hawk. Sometimes he is flying and sometimes he is sitting on a perch but he always has a clear perspective on his goals (his food). He is never walking around wandering on the ground looking for food. He might become food for something else! He knows how to position himself to see what he needs to see. Even in high winds, he can spread his wings to float, almost still while the winds around him blow by. He has this big picture perspective of his menu and when he sees what he wants and decides to go for it, he swoops down and usually gets it.
In today’s busy pace of life, with all of the responsibilities we juggle, we must remember to take the time to stop and look at the big picture of our life and our goals. When we do this, we can often see a better perspective than when we are engaged in the day to day activities. And just like the hawk, when you decide upon a goal, focus all of your energy and attention into getting it and give it your all.
Have you ever sabotaged yourself just as you were about to achieve a very important goal? This most often manifests istelf via procrastiantion, avoidance, perfectionism, and many other ways. It is a very common phenomenon. Here’s how to recognize it when it’s happening and breakthrough to achieve your goal
Are you a student of success? I’m guessing since you are reading
this, you probably are.
I have been a student of success for as long as I can remember.
For decades I have asked the question, “What makes one person
succeed and another person struggle?” Even in my childhood I was
a virtual sponge. I noticed the words, behaviors, and patterns of
the people around me and the results they manifested.
I have committed to a lifelong study of success, to learn what
works and what doesn’t work so that I might duplicate positive
thoughts and habits in my own life and share those lessons and
observations with others. It pays to study success. It also pays
to study failure (your own and other’s) to avoid unnecessary
mistakes and the pain they bring. Mistakes and missteps are
inevitable, and failure often provide as much benefit as success
as long as you are paying attention.
Most high achievers I have studied took 100% responsibility for
their life and made a concerted effort to learn the art of goal
setting. Most goal achievers invest their own time, energy and
financial resources. Many have joined clubs, communities,
organizations and hired a coach or mentor to further instill the
mastery of this crucial life skill.
There are literally hundreds of ways goal setting benefits your
life. I have identified the top ten to serve as a reminder the
many ways you can gain more control over your life and why it is
crucial that you do whatever it takes to learn and master the art
of goal setting.
The 10 Biggest Benefits of Goal Setting
1. Greater Peace of Mind. There is nothing in the world like
going to bed at night knowing you are investing the days of your
life in the areas of your chosen endeavor. Nothing brings you
greater peace of mind than having the certainty that you are
consciously creating your destiny, living a life of your own
design. Goal getters realize that you create your life goal by
goal. If you want a better life, set better goals.
2. Clarity of Purpose. Having carefully chosen goals gives your
life greater meaning. Show me a person who doesn’t know their
passion or purpose in life and I will show you a person who Read the rest of this entry
Your Reticular Activating System acts as a heat seeking missile which allows your subconscious mind to work on your goal whether you realize it or not.
Write your Goals on paper bridges the gap between your imagination and the real world. As you create and advance your plan it takes your ideas from the intangible to the tangible.
We train in creating plans for achieving your Goals inside Goal University
Dear Jill is a new series we have created to answer the questions that come in to our inbox and in working with clients so that you can benefit from the lessons others experience en route to their goals.
Bring us your biggest questions or most pressing issues by either commenting below or emailing us through our contact form on the top of this site. Allow the questions of others to serve you and allow your questions to serve others. It takes all of us to make each of us.
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Back in 1939, a Russian Jewish immigrant songwriter was working on location for a movie in Beverly Hills for an extended time.
