TURNING WANTS INTO GOALS

So far, you have your list of wants, balanced in the different areas of your life.  You have checked them against your values, and each supports the other.  Now, how do we turn those “wants” into meaningful and achievable goals?

Today, take one of your Balance Wheel sections. One that is always important to me is Family. So, one of my goals is to spend time with each member of my family, and for them to know that I am always available.

Now, it is important to understand the difference between "want to" and "do." "Wants" set up the "do's" in your life, and your goals will need to be written to reflect the "do." So, when my goal is to spend time with each child, I write the goal like this: "I spend quality time with each of my children. They all know how important they are to me."

Suppose that you are a single mother, trying to balance work and home and family. It is a difficult road to travel, one filled with many choices. You want to spend as much time with your family, but you have to work. Guilt kicks in as you attempt to do it all. Now, thinking of work as a "have to" causes additional stress, which can shadow your work and home time. To remove the "have to" from work would help a lot, so your goal would be written as, "I love the work I do, because it affords me what I need to spend time with my kids."

One final tip: When you write out your "wants" and goals, make sure you write them in the present tense - the future as now. Take out the "going to" and replace it with "I am." You are seeing your future as if it has already happened.

Take each of your Balance Wheel "wants" and turn them into goals for the future, written in the present tense.

You have come a long way in the last few days, and have started on the path to a successful 2010!

Excerpts from - Best Practices Forums -> Winner's Circle with Lou Tice  - Tuesday, January 26, 2010

GOAL SETTING FOR A WELL-BALANCED LIFE

Now that you have your list of “wants” or “goals” in your different areas, it’s time to check and see how they fit together.  Let’s talk about goal setting for a well-balanced life.

When you think about growing as a person, there are many distinct areas you can consider.  Do you want to grow as a spouse or parent, in your social relationships, in your job or career?  What about your physical and mental health, your intellectual pursuits, your spiritual life?  You can also grow in the things you do for fun or in your involvement with your community.

Have you ever known anyone who puts so much energy into growth in one or two areas that they ignore or neglect the others?  This is what you want to avoid.  A good way to stay both one track and in balance is to write out goals for every distinct area in your life. While you are at it, check to be sure that your goals fit together in a consistent manner.

For example, you have a goal to become a better father,  However, if your career and personal goals take you away from home a great deal, or leave you too preoccupied to function well when you are at home, you might want to take another look at your priorities and adjust your balance. 

This is a good way to help you clarify your values too.  Make a list of your values and match them to you list of goals.  Do they match or is there unbalance?  What is most important to your life?  Why?  Is that where most of your time, energy, and attention are going?  Do you feel that your goals are helping you become a well-balanced person? 

In the next blog, we will discuss turning your wants into goals.

Excerpts from - Best Practices Forums -> Winner's Circle with Lou Tice  - Friday, January 25, 2010

BALANCING MY WANTS

Today, we need to organize your “wants”.  One tool you can use is a “Balance Wheel”.   Draw a circle and then divide it into segments.  The number of segments depends on the number of “wants” you came up with from my last blog.  Label each section. 

Next, starting from the center, with the number 1, run a gauge out to 10 at the outer circle.  With each section decide how satisfied you are with that particular area of your life.  Circle that number.  This will give you a good idea of what areas of your life you might want to work on in order to have a well-balanced life.

 

Now, each of these sections can have a Balance Wheel of it’s own as you delve deeper into the different aspects of what you want in each area of your life.

You may already begin to notice that some areas of your life are not in too bad of shape while others need a lot of attention. 

The next blog will take a look at creating balance in your approach to achieving your goals.

Excerpts from - Best Practices Forums -> Winner's Circle with Lou Tice - January 22,2010.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Here is one question VERY IMPORTANT that begins to surface for many of us as we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year or facing a major change in our life's path: “WHAT DO I WANT?”

If you follow your current direction, or continue to do what you have always done, where will you be in a year?  In five years?  In ten?  Is that where you really want to be?  BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

Some on once said that the best way to predict the future is to get a very clear idea of what is happening now.

Once you have honestly figured out where you are going, it’s time to decide if this is what you “want”.  Let’s face it, sometimes life gets in the way, and we loose contact with those things that we know will fulfill us.  I am not talking about material things hers, but letting loose of those talents and abilities that have been locked up inside us.  

So, when you have a few moments of quiet, let your mind “out for a walk” and spend some time thinking about what it is that you REALLY WANT – want to have, want to be, want to do.  Put no restrictions on your musings, just let your mind wonder and WRITE DOWN what your are thinking about.  The next blog will talk about the process of discovering, “WHAT DO I WANT?”

Excerpts from - Best Practices Forums -> Winner's Circle with Lou Tice Success and Failure by Lou Tice - January 18, 2010