There have been plenty of articles, books, and training materials written about how to effectively establish goals that allow you to chart a course for success. One aspect that I find missing from this recipe is often the importance of understanding your core feelings about the goals you set and understanding how these feelings can influence the types of goals that are most relevant to you.
We understand that goals are crafted to provide direction for our lives. In addition, well-designed goals include mile markers that let us check throughout the process that we are still on track for reaching our destination. However, our emotional fortitude is an underlying ingredient that can give us the strength to persevere.
Begin with Objectivity
When including your core feelings into the goal setting strategy, we still begin with objectivity. Face the facts head on, and be realistic. Pretending that something or some situation is true does not help in designing goals that you realistically can achieve. Consider how you feel about a situation and how you would feel in accomplishing the goal. In reality, the feelings we experience when we achieve a goal are often the essence of what we are striving for. Feelings are how you perceive life. These perceptions, in turn, inform how you live.
Balance Material Attainment and External Pursuits
Develop a healthy relationship to material attainment and external pursuits. Goals and intentions can give you the sense of direction your life needs, but if they create a sense of stress rather than a sense of calm, it’s time to reload. The primary aim to setting and working toward them is to feel the way you want to feel. It’s about ownership and authenticity. Own your goal and take pride. Don’t accept someone else’s version, or you will experience a value conflict.
Identify Your Core Feelings
The range of feelings you experience throughout a day is usually comprised of reactive feelings that relate to the circumstances you encounter. The core feelings that you hold most dear are those that are constant and don’t change with differing circumstances. Identifying your core feelings, takes time and introspection. We are talking about four to five deep-seeded desires that make you feel the most authentic and inspired about who you are and what you yearn for. It is worth some investigation so you feel comfortable in your own skin. Understanding how you want to feel is a journey that takes you away from living on autopilot. You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can always choose how you feel about it.
Plan for Success
Planning for success begins with objectively establishing goals that you realistically can achieve and that allow you to feel comfortable with the process necessary to accomplish the tasks at hand. It is important to reach and stretch for your dreams. It is equally important to make certain that you are realistic in designing your plans and have emotions that match the challenge.
Ann Gatty
Dr. Ann Gatty is a business development strategist with 30 years’ experience, who believes that everyone has the capabilities to get where they want to go if they are enabled with the right strategies and tools. As a business consultant she builds businesses to work brilliantly. She is the co-founder of StrategicPeopleSolutions.com, an organization that helps businesses develop strong leaders while creating a culture where self-improvement is an intrinsic part of the organization’s value system. Ann works with clients to develop a strategic path towards the life they’ve always imagined. Ann can be reached at 855-284-4448 or [email protected].
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