Achievement Management:

NLP

Setting Your Goals

Knowing What You Want

Define What You Want

"To know yourself is the first and most important step to pursuing your dreams and goals." – Stedman Graham

Defining what you want is the critical first step in almost any situation. "You can have anything you really want but you cannot have everything you want."

Behind Every Great Success Is a Great Reason

Successful people aren't inspired from birth to achieve goals. They did what they did for a reason. But not just any reason. It was a reason so strong it overpowered any obstacles standing in the way. A reason that drove them past their fears and on to success. With a strong enough reason, the motivation to act will follow naturally.

Do you know what you want? It's pretty hard to develop a powerful reason behind a goal you don't have, which is why the first thing you need is a clearly defined goal.⁸

The Foundation of Leadership: Achieving Extraordinary Results

By: Brian Tracy

When you set clear goals and become determined and purposeful, backing those goals with unshakable self-confidence, you develop charisma. When you are enthusiastic and excited about what you are doing, when you are totally committed to achieving something worthwhile, you radiate charisma. When you take the time to study and become an expert at what you do, and then prepare thoroughly for any opportunity to use your knowledge, skill or experience, the perception that others have of you goes straight up... More

 Case in Point  Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett – the 2nd richest man in the world and the most successful investor – said his companies ability to generate such large profits is the result of being able to focus on what is important, and not paying attention to things that would distract the company.

 Case in Point  The Story of Monty

In the original Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield tells the story of Monty, who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer of little means.⁷ During his senior year he was assigned a writing project to describe what he wanted to be when he grew up. His seven-page essay minutely detailed the 200-acre ranch he wanted to own. It included a diagram of the ranch and a detailed floor plan of his 4,000 square foot home.

Despite the passion and effort Monty put into his paper, he received it back with a large “F” written on it and a note to see the teacher after class.

The teacher told Monty that the reason he had given him that grade was because his paper was unrealistic. He went on to cite all of the reasons why, and told Monty that if he would rewrite the paper with a more realistic goal, he would reconsider the grade. After considering it for a week, the young man turned in the same paper with no changes, along with the remark, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”

The conclusion of the true story has the teacher bringing 30 students for a summer campout at the 200-acre ranch of the now grown (and successful) Monty who lives in his 4,000 square foot dream home.

If it worked for the son of an itinerant horse trainer it will work for you. The principle is simple:

1. create a dream that is so big that it will keep you excited

2. define the dream in minute detail

3. live in the dream so that it becomes real to you on the inside, and then

4. hold on to it so tightly that no one can take it away from you.

To get the most out of life, ask yourself if you have both a vision and a strategy. Think about your vision for your future – Do you really know what you want to achieve? Have you really thought about who you want to become? And what about your strategy for getting there – Have you set goals? Have you made plans for success? Clarifying both your vision and strategy will help maximize your motivation and your success, not to mention your health and happiness… More

What Goals are Worth Achieving?

Behind every great success is a great reason.

Goals worth achieving are mission-oriented goals. Channeling your grand vision into a specific direction and action makes the difference between being an idle dreamer and being a person with a mission.

"The achievement of one goal should be the starting point of another" – Alexander Graham Bell

Critical Thinking: Socratic Questions

Socratic questioning is at the heart of critical thinking – they enhance your critical thinking skills.

Socratic questions challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal... More

Set Stretch Goals

Stretch goals energize and push you to work harder at meeting more difficult targets and to achieve more than if you had set an easier goal. When you set a stretch goal for yourself you know that you may not meet it 100%, but by coming close you will likely achieve extraordinary results.

Say, if you set the goal to "120," essentially asking an extra 20% of yourself, and achieve "115", you have managed to achieve 15% more than if you had set an easier goal.

Visualize Your Goal

Take a few minutes right now to achieve your goals in your mind. Imagine a life that is exactly as you want it. What would you do each day? With whom would you do it? Nothing is too crazy or ambitious. A few seconds is all it takes to put you in a state of excitement and enthusiasm. If you can see your goal in your mind, you can make it a reality. Visualization is the first step to bringing a dream to life. If you can see yourself happy, successful, healthy and loving life, you can make it happen. The first step is to visualize it.⁶... More

Your Intention

Your intention is a synergistic combination of three elements: desire, belief, and acceptance. It determines your motivation and how successfully you attain your goals... More

Your next step in personal strategic planning is to create your personal mission statement. This is a clear, written description of the person you intend to be. This is often even more important than setting specific financial or business goals... More

 Case in Point  Kentucky Fried Chicken

Why Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants are always packed? "They have outlets all over the world, and they are successful because set a goal and achieved it: they have persuaded people to got there to eat. They are a global brand because they can be trusted to deliver predictable nourishment conveniently and at fair value – and they keep their promise. The very nature of business and branding is that you keep your promise to the customers.

 Case in Point  25 Lessons from Jack Welch

Jack Welch, the former legendary CEO of General Electric, urged everybody to stretch. Stretch targets energize.  "We have found that by reaching for what appears to be the impossible, we often actually do the impossible; and even when we don't quite make it, we inevitably wind up doing much better than we would have done."... More

Bibliography:

1. "NLP Solutions", Sue Knight

2. "Ways of NLP", Joseph O'Connor and Ian McDermott

3. "NLP Technology", Harry Adler

4. "NLP - the New Technology of Achievement", Steve Andreas and Charles Faulkner

5. "The NLP Coach", Ian McDermott and Wendy Jago

6. "Motivation123", Newsletter, Jason Gracia

7. James Allen eMeditation