Setting Goals for Success

The lack of a clear goal is the most common obstacle to success, even for people with large amounts to drive and ambition. Typically, they focus on the rewards of success, not on the route they must take to achieve it. Remedy;

• Whenever possible, write down your goals, forcing yourself to be specific.

• Periodically make a self-assessment. Take into account your education, age, appearance, background, skills, talents, weaknesses, preferences, willingness to take risks and languages spoken.

• Ask for feedback from others.

• Don’t try to succeed at something for which you have no talent.

• Try out your goal part time. If you dream of owning a restaurant, work in one for a while.


Targeting Success 

• Visualize the results you intend to achieve and write them down. Example. I will increase output 10%.
• List the personal benefits that reaching the goal will confer.
• Jot down at least 10 obstacles and try to find three possible solutions for each.
• Set a target date.
• Start tacking the problems, beginning with the easiest

Climbing to Success without stumbling 

The behavior our parents reinforce in us when we are children always encourages us to strive for bigger and better things. We gain approval for achievement and disapproval for failure. As adults, we keep striving because our developmental makeup says “You’ve got to have more.”

To avoid rising to your level of incompetence:

• Take your life and your job seriously. But don’t take yourself seriously.
• Don’t spend your life climbing and acquiring. Instead, combine accomplishment and satisfaction.
• Climbing to a level that you find fulfilling, stay there for a long period, and then move forward.

Approach promotion avoidance indirectly. One successful ploy is to display some charming eccentricities that in no way effect your work performance, but which might discourage a promotion.