Getting Started
Last night I attended a Boulder Entrepreneurs Meetup group and we spoke about blogging. It made me realize how delinquent I have been. I have been writing down new ideas in my journal about topics that I want to blog about, but have not been developing them here. So I am doing it now. A question came up last night about how often to blog and being that I talk a lot about communicating expectations I thought I should lay out what my expectations are for this blog.
I plan to write here once a week. But that is a goal, and I will be working to create that habit. Sometime after I get into the habit of sharing my thoughts and ideas here I hope to increase that to about 2-3 posts a week. The more feedback I get from others and subscribers I get, I am sure my commitment will increase.
Goal Setting Basics
So there it is. Step one in goal setting, write it down and share it with others. Sounds easy. Blogging sure helps with the share it with others part. This one is obvious though, you will easily be able to check on my progress and hold me accountable.
Goal setting is such an interesting skill. We all say we know how to do it, but many of us choose not to do it. Or we only do it half committed. I asked a friend of mine if she has goals that she is working on, and her response was “well yeah, sort of.”
“Sort of” having goals is like being a “little pregnant”. Either you are pregnant or you aren’t. You either have goals that you set and are taking steps to reach them, or you aren’t. Pretty simple.
As a coach I remind people to set goals. I help them develop a plan to accomplish those goals. I support them in becoming aware of and overcoming what Zig Ziglar calls “stinkin‘ thinkin‘. ” And I help them celebrate their accomplishments. These are all little steps in goal setting, but essential steps. After working with many clients I have come to realize, most people do NOT have the skill of goal setting.
Most people have dabbled with the resources of goal setting, but they have never learned the skill of goal setting. No different then, I own a harmonica. I have instructional books and DVDs on how to play the harmonica. I can even play some notes on the harmonica and can string enough notes together to play simple tunes. I cannot play the harmonica. I have all the necessary resources to play and some people might watch me play a simple tune and believe I can play a harmonica. I am not playing the harmonica. I am playing with the harmonica, just as my son plays with his toys.
Now that is not to say that I cannot learn to play the harmonica and develop the skills to play. I simply have not done that yet. The same is true for most goal setters. The resources are there, they just haven’t developed the skill set to be a goal setter. So how do you get there?
What is the quickest way to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice. As any good musician will tell you, practie makes all the difference. Many take lessons to learn from a teacher or mentor. They practice chords in their head (visualization) and hear music in their dreams. And they screw up a bunch before getting it right.
So it goes with goal setting. Learn the chords, find a mentor or coach, and practice, practice, practice. And remember it is OK if you don’t get it right each time, that is why we are practicing. A great place to start is one of my favorite books on goal setting is See You at the Top, by Zig Ziglar. Don’t have enough time to read it get the audio book.
[…] Last post discussed writing your goal down. This is a key step. Where do you write it? Excellent question. As your coach through this journey I suggest you get a Success Journal. A journal where you can write your goals and your progress of these goals on a daily basis. I know sounds hokey. But often drills are a bit hokey. I remember doing this tennis drill where we placed tennis balls on five spots on the court. We would run and bring the balls back to the starting point and then we would put the balls back, making sure they would not roll away. It was gruelling and looked silly. In the beginning I often wondered how this was going to make me a better tennis player. Well now as a racquetball player, I can say that I get to most balls. I don’t have the stamina I developed back then, but back then I got to most balls. I got there in a controlled way that allowed me to still return the ball. […]