The
Psychology behind Setting Personal Goals
Setting Personal Goals
- Why? - Because you have ‘gone public’ and you
do not want to lose face or have to answer
questions about what happened to that lofty goal
of becoming first in your graduating class.
Studies prove that public goals create more
positive forward pressure. Having said that,
there are times when you might NOT want to
announce your goals to the world. Choose whom
you tell, when you tell, IF you tell! And do
so, consciously!
Why? Because
there are certain goals you may wish to keep
private and goals you may want to tell only
CERTAIN people. Consider these examples: Your
goal is a competitive goal and your don’t want
your business competitors to know what you are
planning Your goal is in conflict with what your
parents want for you and you don’t want to have
to face their arguments every time you talk
about what you are trying to achieve (they want
you to be a doctor and you want to become an
actor) Your goal is supposed to be a surprise
(like a cruise for a 25th wedding anniversary
second honeymoon celebration).
“Your personal goals are all inclusive, they
hold within them your life, family, career and
anything else you will through in there.”
You can probably
think of other examples. You SHOULD share your
goals with those who will support and encourage
you. Whether your goal is long-term, extremely
challenging, or you just feel you may need more
of a cheering section, you can use the help! IF
you must share information with ‘naysayers’, try
to avoid talking about your goals with them on a
frequent basis. They will only upset you and
discourage you and you don’t need that. Limit
your discussion to facts and stay away from the
dreamy-eyed discussions.
Tell them what you HAVE
accomplished so far to get to where you want to
go. Sometimes that will quiet their arguments
for a while! And remember that some people just
like to downgrade or belittle the goals of
others (especially if they feel inferior because
they are not getting much done in their own
life). Other people will take pride in being
devil’s advocate, and arguing with your plans
even if they secretly think you are doing the
right thing. Don’t take it personally. Stay
focused! If the person with whom you are arguing
about your goals is your spouse or someone who
lives in the same house with you, you have a
different problem.
You need to figure out whether this person has
goals that may conflict with yours and is
therefore frightened of the prospect of your
achieving your goal at their expense.If you are
THIS close to the person who is giving you
problem you should already have included them in
your goal planning sessions anyway to be sure
that you don’t have a conflict. If there is no
conflicting goal, perhaps the person is just
feeling a bit left out and you can help THEM
figure out their goals as well, and give them
encouragement as the two of you work toward your
goals side-by-side. You may even discover
common goals you can both work to achieve and
two heads are always better than one!, this is
the power of Setting Personal Goals. |
Bronwyn
Ritchie's
