We all recognise the power of goal setting - creating plans, articulating a personal and professional vision and manifesting our thoughts into reality by the power of 'thinking in ink'.
That said, not many of us take the time to set goals and then those of us that do often set ourselves up for failure by writing those goals in the wrong tense.
By that I mean how many times have you seen people's goals written with the words 'I will do this...'? Two things wrong with this.
1. 'I will' creates pressure - what one might call a 'modal operator of necessity' - 'I will do this' is almost creating a stress-based response to the goal - using short-term, stress-based motivation to accomplish the goal.
This is very appropriate behaviour when you are likely to get hit by a bus...immediate response...but not the best motivation for a longer term requirement like making annual sales targets.
2. The second thing that is wrong is that we are using the future tense.
The brain is composed of two levels of awareness - the conscious (what we critique and make sense of the world with) and the unconscious (that bit that does everything else - breathing, emotions, feelings, immune systems etc - and where our real motivation resides).
The conscious recognises the future tense (I will) - the unconscious does not. It operates only in the present tense (imagine the heart thinking 'you know I'm feeling a bit tired...I'll have a heart beat again next week....'). Not very effective eh?
Neither is using the future tense in goal-setting. 'I will' only speaks to the logic but 'I want to' or 'I can' speaks to the passion.
Plan in the 'present perfect' and watch your dreams become reality.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Friday, 5 February 2010
Monday, 2 November 2009
Kung Fu Business
I've been a student of martial arts for many years and there is a case that business and martial arts share many similarities.
Timing, being balanced, your distance (closeness) to and from your customer - the 'invisible strategies' that make martial arts work have some applications with our clients and customers (and no, it doesn't include the use of violence as and when you might feel like it with certain prospects and clients....!)
My youngest son has recently taken up training and his first martial path is the Chinese art of Kung Fu. Bringing him to class every week I get the chance to learn something of this ancient art (as it applies to 6-10 year olds). They have an excellent young instructor who connects very well with the little guys and each week has a message for his young charges. The two that have struck me most where as follows:
1. Kung Fu actually means 'hard work' - to accomplish anything of value takes concentration and effort.
2.'Horse Mind' is a reflective, attentive mind while 'Monkey Mind' is the 'all over the place', distracted mind - knowing which one to use and when is important.
Effective use of 'Kung Fu' and 'Horse Mind' together with patience and persistence, is what's needed to help us through the challenges we face in business today and emerge victorious from the commercial battlefield.
It is our focus, our intention and our expectations that drive our outcomes. What we hold within our minds is the pattern that we project onto the world.
Timing, being balanced, your distance (closeness) to and from your customer - the 'invisible strategies' that make martial arts work have some applications with our clients and customers (and no, it doesn't include the use of violence as and when you might feel like it with certain prospects and clients....!)
My youngest son has recently taken up training and his first martial path is the Chinese art of Kung Fu. Bringing him to class every week I get the chance to learn something of this ancient art (as it applies to 6-10 year olds). They have an excellent young instructor who connects very well with the little guys and each week has a message for his young charges. The two that have struck me most where as follows:
1. Kung Fu actually means 'hard work' - to accomplish anything of value takes concentration and effort.
2.'Horse Mind' is a reflective, attentive mind while 'Monkey Mind' is the 'all over the place', distracted mind - knowing which one to use and when is important.
Effective use of 'Kung Fu' and 'Horse Mind' together with patience and persistence, is what's needed to help us through the challenges we face in business today and emerge victorious from the commercial battlefield.
It is our focus, our intention and our expectations that drive our outcomes. What we hold within our minds is the pattern that we project onto the world.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Hibernate or Activate
God I love good weather and it is 'cracking the stones' here in old Dublin town...loving it. The sun is shining and the summer is coming. But we have a question to ask ourselves.
Traditionally the summer is a time of rest and relaxation, the kids are off school, the traffic is lighter in the cities and we like to feel that the pressure comes off a little - we start to hibernate. We rationalise that people are on holiday, nobody wants to make decisions, everybody is away and so its ok to take it easier.
Not this year. There is no time to hibernate this year. By all means set a holiday date and take it. R&R is critical for mental, physical and spiritual relaxation - and more productivity as a result. Enjoy the break but before and after we cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal.
Holidays are not what they once were. People stagger holidays, some take winter holidays and others take it off-peak. So there are people working - decision makers are in place and doing business and so should we be.
Activate. Get focused, engage in even more focused activity, set a specific personal and sales objective for the summer season and reach it. Stay in the game when others head for the sidelines. It'll make all the difference to making the numbers when it comes closer to the end of the year.
So don't hibernate - activate.
Traditionally the summer is a time of rest and relaxation, the kids are off school, the traffic is lighter in the cities and we like to feel that the pressure comes off a little - we start to hibernate. We rationalise that people are on holiday, nobody wants to make decisions, everybody is away and so its ok to take it easier.
Not this year. There is no time to hibernate this year. By all means set a holiday date and take it. R&R is critical for mental, physical and spiritual relaxation - and more productivity as a result. Enjoy the break but before and after we cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal.
Holidays are not what they once were. People stagger holidays, some take winter holidays and others take it off-peak. So there are people working - decision makers are in place and doing business and so should we be.
Activate. Get focused, engage in even more focused activity, set a specific personal and sales objective for the summer season and reach it. Stay in the game when others head for the sidelines. It'll make all the difference to making the numbers when it comes closer to the end of the year.
So don't hibernate - activate.
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