Self Improvement Information

In today’s culture the word “goal” has become a buzzword.  Many people say, “my goals is to ___”.  That is good, in the respect, they are stating what they want.  In that statement, they have substituted the word “goal” for what might, more appropriately, be called an “intention”.  If it has become such a buzzword, why is it that only 2% of the population have written, specific goals?

When I coach and work with people in business, I am always surprised that people find setting goals so hard to do.  They talk as if they will sit down and write their goals, but unless they have a business coach, who will keep them accountable, they tend to stick it in the section of their minds labeled “I will do this tomorrow”.  Why do people struggle with setting goals?

I believe, one reason is, they really don’t know how to set goals.  After gathering the information on how to set effective goals, some will still not do it.  The reason could be that many people are afraid of success.  When people hear that, they tell me they aren’t afraid of success, they are afraid of failure.  Let’s look at that statement a little closer.

As we progress through life we stumble, fall, and fail at many things.  We start this process off, early, as infants learning to walk, feed ourselves, and how to explore our environment.  When our parents tell us “no”, or we fall down, that is failing.  We all learn coping skills for the dreaded failure scenario.  Would it be safe to say most of us have a tool in our toolbox of life called “dealing with failure”?  Don’t misunderstand me, failure can be devastating if you perceive it that way, or it can be a tremendous learning experience.  It is all in perception.

Success, on the other hand, is a bit more frightening for most people.  They really don’t have a clear concise mental picture of what it would look like to succeed.  Our quest for success is often the place were we find most of our limiting beliefs.  Limited beliefs are what stops us from going where we want to go.  Limited beliefs are dis-concerning because, most often, we have no idea what those limited beliefs are until we get a mentor or a coach that can help us uncover them and hold us accountable.

Another area that trips up the goal setting individual is not taking responsibility for the people they hang around.  We are all products of our environment.  Our incomes will, often times, be very similar to the 5 people we associate out with the most.  Think about that for a moment.  Picture in your mind the 5 people that you are in contact with the most.  Are you all in the same economic bracket?

The last thing I want to propose to you is that most people are not in tune with their values.  They haven’t thought, consciously, about what they value the most or the least in their lives.  When we don’t know what our values are, it is easy to set a goal that is in direct conflict with a value we weren’t aware of.  For instances, if a person’s top value is their family and the time they spend with them, setting a goal for the next promotion or starting a business might be in direct conflict due to the increased time it will take to accomplish it.  Can you see the friction in obtaining that goal?

I have found the product called “Mind Movies” to be very helpful in developing a conscious mental picture of what you want.  Their workbook is exceptional in helping to pinpoint what we want and what we value most.  The Mind Movie is an excellent visualization tool for accomplishing the goals we have set.

I have for you, today, a 6 minute video entitled “12 Goal Setting Mistakes in 5 Minutes or Less”.  It has some very good information for you.  As Huxley said, “There is only one corner of the Universe that we can change and that is our self.”  If you gleaned some information that you feel others could use, feel free to pass it on!

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Who we are is formed by the beliefs that we have chosen to embrace, either consciously or unconsciously.  Would you say that is a fair statement?  Beliefs come from all directions as we are growing up.  We get some of them from our parents, our peers, the media, and many other places.  Some of what we choose to believe comes to us with very few filters.  Many cultural and religious beliefs are passed down from generation to generation.

Some people are more skeptical than others.  Skepticism is good.  For instance, we shouldn’t believe everything the media puts out, or everything we were taught in childhood.  A certain amount of skepticism is healthy.  It keeps us growing and learning.  Science was born from not excepting the norm, or what some would call  skepticism.

Does skepticism ever become too much?  Does the fervor for skepticism ever become similar to a religion? These are questions only you can answer for you.

I have a 13 minute thought provoking video from TED Talks from Michael Shermer who is the founder of Skeptic Magazine.  He has made skepticism his life work.  Your beliefs system will determine how much of this video you accept.  It might ruffle a few feathers, but, I promise you it will be thought provoking.  Feel free to pass it on!

Lately, I have been pondering this thought, why do some people live productive lives well into their senior years and some people just grow old watching the clock tick by?  What are the life lessons the more active seniors have learned that keep their minds focused on being productive individuals?  I am sure, these are the thoughts of someone who is marching closer to that age.  But, aren’t we all?

When I was younger, I unconsciously believed in some way I was immortal.  Old age and death are for other people, not me.  When I was in my 20s and 30s, I used to look at my parents and people of that generation as being so old!  Now, I have children who are that age, are they looking at me in that same way?

What keeps the young minded senior citizens productive well into their 80s and 90s?  Is it their ability to keep passion in their lives?  I do know that if we feel good at that age, we will be able to be more productive.  But, is that a chicken and the egg theory?  Are people in better health because of the way they think, or do they think better because they are in better health?

Two days ago, I was involved with a Christmas Candy Making Party.  We were a group of friends of all ages, (ages 3 through 80), men and women, who enjoy getting together, having some holiday fun and making Christmas goodies.  While we were making merry, a true legend was finding his way to his next adventure.  Jim Rohn passed way on December 5th.  He was 79 years old. For those of you that don’t know his work, you can click this link and read more about him.  I would like to take this moment to thank him for the legacy he has left for all of us.  I bid him a fond farewell and wish him well on the next leg of his journey.

As I was wool gathering about this subject, I stumbled upon a Zig Ziglar video called “Life Lessons”.  At the time this video was made, one year ago, Mr. Ziglar was 80 years old.  The young couple that were doing the interviewing asked him some very pointed questions about his long life.  He had some responses that we expect to hear from someone who has been blessed with longituity; exercise, sensible eating and no worrying.  But, what I found interesting was his feelings on what he expects for the remainder of his life.  He states, “The best years of my career are still ahead of me.” He talks about what still jazzes him up and gives him joy.

I’m not going to go into it any further than that.  This video is only 7 minutes long and has so many good things to say that I, personally, listened to it several times.  My question to you is, do you know what you are passionate about that keeps you excited about tomorrow?  If you don’t, shouldn’t you find out?

Feel free to pass his wisdom on to others.