Basketball player Michael Jordan in his book “I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence” wrote:
I approach everything step by step. I had always set short-term goals. As I look back, each one of the steps or successes led to the next one. When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophom*ore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again. So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity.That’s what I focused on all summer. When I worked on my game, that’s what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I guess I approached it with the end in mind.I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there. As I reached those goals, they built on one another. I gained a little confidence every time I came through.
If your goal is to become a doctor and you’re getting Cs in biology then the first thing you have to do is get Bs in biology and then As. You have to perfect the first step and then move on to chemistry or physics.
Take those small steps. Otherwise you’re opening yourself up to all kinds of frustration. Where would your confidence come from if the only measure of success was becoming a doctor? If you tried as hard as you could and didn’t become a doctor, would that mean your whole life was a failure?Of course not.
All those steps are like pieces of a puzzle. They all come together to form a picture….Not everyone is going to be the greatest. But you can still be considered a success. Step by step, I can’t see any other way of accomplishing anything.
The most crucial life skill that regrettably the majority of individuals never master is setting goals. Setting goals can help you in all aspects of your life, including your financial situation, physical health, personal growth, interpersonal connections, and even your spirituality. Less than 3% of people, according to Brian Tracy's book Goals, have specific, documented goals and a strategy for achieving them. Setting goals helps you stand out from the crowd!
Some people attribute all of their life's problems to something or someone else. They assume the victim's position and relinquish all of their authority. Instead, successful people commit to taking charge of their lives regardless of unplanned or uncontrollable circ*mstances. Live in the present because you can only control what you do now; the past cannot be changed.
Clear goals are consistently linked to performance, according to research, which shows that this happens more quickly and readily. A significant first step toward realizing your aspirations is to establish meaningful, long-term goals. Setting and attaining short-term goals, in turn, can assist you in completing the tasks necessary to achieve long-term goals. The Three P's of goal setting should always be kept in mind when developing goals. They must be positive, personal, and possible.
The Three P’s
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POSITIVE: Goals should be worded in a way that makes you feel good about who you are and what you're attempting to achieve. This implies that you put more of an emphasis on what you want to accomplish than what you want to avoid. Negative words are not interpreted negatively by the brain, as it cannot distinguish between right and bad.The brain interprets a goal of "I will not smoke" as "I will smoke."
Write "Make one million in the next two years, so that I can expand to overseas." rather than "I don't want to make a loss".
Maintaining a positive mindset will help you change your perspective and get rid of any negativity.
Your chances of success will consequently increase as a result. By achieving your goals, you will instantly be able to escape your current situation. Keep this in mind when formulating constructive goals: be as explicit as you can.
Making sure your goals are not "wishy washy" is another approach to maintain your positive outlook.Use of terms like "should," "will," "probably," "might," or "may" should be avoided.This signals to the brain that they are not important and may be postponed.
PERSONAL: Goals must be personal. Never involve your family, friends, or anyone else in them. They must be a reflection of your own goals and principles. Making your goals your own puts the onus of responsibility on you, but it also prevents other people from dictating when you succeed. You will never succeed if your goals are not personally meaningful to you.
Use the term "I" rather than "my" when creating your goal statement to make it uniquely yours. By expressing "I," you are also giving your subconscious the go-ahead to begin working on the objective.
Making sure we aren't setting ourselves up for failure while formulating goals is important.Placing the ability to achieve them in someone else's hands is one of the simplest ways to set ourselves up for failure.
It is not about you, so a goal like "My company will make a good profit and pay a handsome bonus this year." is worthless. The employer may still make a healthy profit while withholding bonuses. "I will increase my qualifications, skills, and efficiency as a worker in order to get promoted" might be a better objective. You'll be more driven to succeed and feel more pleasure in your accomplishments when your goals are personal. Several illustrations of rewriting objectives to make them personal are as follows:
POSSIBLE: Make it a priority to consider what is both doable and within your power while setting goals. When setting goals, you must be absolutely honest with yourself. Establishing impossible goals can only result in failure and letdown. You must assess your skills and decide what you are capable of and what you won't be able to do. Once you have established which goals are realistic for you to achieve, success will be within your reach. Establish short-term, manageable goals that are simple and easy to achieve. Setting more challenging and expansive long-term goals is possible when you complete your short-term objectives. In 1964, Ronald Taylor compared the objectives of underachievers and achievers. He discovered that underachievers either had any specific goals or, if they did, aimed low. He discovered that underachievers either had no specific goals or, in the event that they did, set unrealistic standards. In contrast, achievers made goals that were relevant to their academic work and were practical and attainable.
