Success is easy! All you have to do is follow some easy steps. I can think back to school the first time I had a bad grade. My parents sat me down and asked me what I needed to do? All I had to do was listen in class, do my classwork, homework and study a little. Those few steps helped me succeed in school! Whenever I slipped, I just needed to remind myself of these steps!
A few simple steps
Believe it or not, it is really that simple! Steps such as goals and goal setting are not that difficult, but necessary in order to achieve success. It is not the only steps, but some of the most important steps that help you reach success. Goals and goal setting may be foreign to some of you. Thinking about what you want to accomplish whether it is graduation, marriage, or a good career is not going to happen on its own. It would be great if you did not have to do much to reach any of these outcomes.
Resolutions or goals?
This the time of year, we make resolutions to help us reach some of our goals. Often, they represent changes such as quit smoking or drinking, lose weight, get out of debt, or some other change. I am sure there are moments during the year when you say you want to start a business or save more money too. These are just wishes unless you set a goal and have a plan to help you achieve the goal. If you take the time to set goals, you will probably reach your goal.
There is no guarantee, but it is more likely to happen if you set goals. You can go through all the motions such as write them down, post them and tell friends, but it requires much more. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to hold yourself accountable for what you do to lose weight. You need to make sure you do what you plan to do. It is not enough to just say you will do something. You actually have to monitor your performance and efforts to see if you are successful.
Take the time to actually create goals. It is the difference between knowing where you are heading or just hopping on the next bus that comes along. The next bus may not go to where you want to go! About thirty-five (35) years ago, I lost thirty-five to forty pounds. My first goal was to just lose the weight I put on thanks to all the holiday parties. I just wanted to lose about twenty pounds! I started to have success so I adjusted my goals. In just a number of months, I lost thirty-five to forty pounds!
Success breeds success
It was easy! It motivated me to try other things! I started working on bigger goals. Losing weight was not easy, but the daily tasks made the goal possible. I learned a lot from the experience. I learned that in order to succeed with big goals, you needed to break them down into daily tasks. It made the goals easier to accomplish and more achievable. It made the goals seem much easier! My next goal was a multi=year goal of financial independence! I wanted to achieve it before I turned forty years old in nine years.
Much to my surprise, I beat my goal by nearly two years. It was focusing on the daily tasks and monitoring my progress that was the key to success. If I had concentrated on the larger goal, I would have felt overwhelmed because it was too big to get my arms around it. I could easily see or realize the daily tasks were achievable though. I could measure my progress and my small daily successes motivated me to continue. I followed my steps and was rewarded for every step I accomplished!
SMART goals or something else?
SMART goals were attributed to Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives concept (November, 1981) published in Management Review (George T. Doran). I used a similar goal setting method a few years earlier to help me achieve my goals. The specifics do not matter, but it is how you break down your goals into daily tasks. Performing those daily tasks or steps make achieving success easy! What do you use to help you achieve your goals?
Most successful people use something to help them achieve goals. Short term goals do not require as much planning, but it does take setting goals. Just setting the goal is not enough; it requires an effort and holding yourself accountable. It reminds me of New Year’s Resolutions where people put together a list of things that want to change without a plan or a way of holding themselves accountable. Changing habits require much more effort, but it is possible to change!
Final Thoughts
If you can create simple steps to follow, it makes it much easier to achieve. It reminds me of the instructions on a shampoo bottle! Wash and repeat. You should approach problems and goals the same way. Break it down so you can feel successful along the way and keep your effort up every day. You are making success much easier and you are much more likely to achieve the outcome you want. Your dreams can come true and wishes can become goals. Success is easy!
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