Intelligent Goal Setting

Nowadays we hear about the importance of goal setting to achieve our goals. However, goal setting needs to be intelligent goal setting. What I mean by intelligent goal setting is to make sure you do not become discouraged by your goal or goals.

Too many people are overzealous with things they want to achieve. Take a look at all the New Year’s Resolutions people make at the start of the year. Here are common Resolutions:

“I am going to lose weight this year”

“I am going to be a better person”

“I am going to earn more money this year”

“I am going to pay off my bills”

Now all of these resolutions are good and should be accomplished, but they are lacking any force or momentum. Anyone can set a goal. The question you should ask is how many accomplish their goals? This is where intelligent goal setting comes into play.

Make a Plan

The power and momentum will come from a plan. The plan should cover the steps you need to take on a daily or weekly basis to move you forward. At the end of each week you need to sit and review how much progress you are currently making towards your goal. The power of a weekly review is the ability to make corrections if you got off track.

Making Mid-Course Corrections

When a plane takes off from New York with the destination of Los Angeles the pilot knows where he wants to end up. However, during the flight he will have to make mid-course corrections if a thunderstorm gets in his path. The worst decision a pilot can make is to continue to fly straight through the storm regardless of any alternative routes. Flying right through an obstacle like a thunderstorm, but people make this mistake all the time.

Making mid-course corrections is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Unsuccessful people keep doing the same thing everyday and hope things will change in their favor. The successful people make changes when something is not going right or come across an obstacle.

Following a plan without any corrections is the same as a pilot flying directly into a violent thunderstorm. Your plan needs to have the flexibility to find alternative routes to your goal.

Weight Loss Plan

For example, if you set a goal to lose weight and the current plan you are using is not producing any results maybe you should look at finding a new plan. There is nothing wrong with your goal to lose weight. The problem is plan you are currently using. You can choose from thousands of weight loss plans. I think this is the number one reason people give up on their goals because the first plan they attempted failed and they think nothing will work.

Following this type of thinking is not intelligent goal setting. Intelligent goal setting is attempting one plan and after a time realize the plan is not working. What you need to do is at this point is to set down and see if the goal is still something you want to pursue. If the goal is still something you have to accomplish then you have to develop an alternative plan.

Intelligent goal setting is the willingness to change your plans when you discover what you are doing is not working. The problem is the current plan, not the goal.