The Secret of Goal Setting and Personal Development

Personal success happens when we make the right decision at the right time. Most of us have an idea of the type of person we would like to be, but few of us take the time to turn this into a reality. A lack of perspective is often the biggest reason for this. People tend to take their lives for granted, which is a shame when we think about the good we can do for our lives when we think about them. Having a goal is great because it injects purpose into our lives. You may already have a broad idea of a goal you would like to achieve. If this is the case, then now is the point to turn it into something specific. For instance, if you are looking to lose weight think about how much weight you would like to lose and in what time. The brain works best when it receives clear instructions. If you were asked to do something vague by your boss at work you would ask them to clarify what they mean. A specific goal is a clear instruction. A measure of self awareness is essential in critical decision making. After all if we do not feel in control of ourselves then how can we expect to take control over our own destiny and circumstance? As with any other extreme though an extreme amount of self awareness can be detrimental. It can cause us to be too fearful of the consequence of tasking action. In addition, what we shall call 'extreme self awareness' can lead us to being overly judgemental of our experiences and actions. So how do we get the balance right? Well fortunately help is at hand. Self awareness is the key to taking the correct initiative. If we are confident and honest with ourselves, then naturally it follows that we will take action that is balanced between knowledge and a desire to get things done. Rash decision making should be replaced with calm rational and decisive action. The difference between success and failure can be made in a snap decision. By being self aware you are conscious of your own skills and your limitations. It is important to not confuse confidence with arrogance. If you are planning a new business venture make sure you have done as much research as possible. Make your goal a calculated risk. Ignorance is the enemy of success. What is even worse than ignorance is self enforced ignorance. This is self induced ignorance brought about by a reluctance to challenge existing knowledge and look for alternatives. Being able to find an alternative solution to a problem is what creates innovation and competition. Without this key asset we wouldn't have different companies or products. This is why you must maintain an open mind combined with self awareness to get your goal setting spot on. There are unhelpful character traits that will inhibit a successful outcome to initiative taking. One of the first things you need to eliminate is any elements of procrastination from your character. If you are the sort of person who says 'it can wait till next week 'frequently then this applies to you. The reason why this is so important is that your mind set directly effects your behaviour and daily habits. Even being lazy towards somewhat trivial things in a business can have a corrosive effect on your overall attitude. Taking control of your life is the key to securing long term success. Regardless of whether we were born rich or poor we all have the ability to manage our lives in a way to ensures we reach our true potential . The refrain 'It was due to circumstances beyond my control' is a commonly used excuse among people. The problem with excuses such as these is that they are defeatist. Rather than getting us to look for solutions to our problems, they encourage us to accept our fate as if we were helpless. The truth is that when it comes to dealing with the circumstances that affect us in our daily lives, that we are happy to deal with the good but not so content to deal with the bad. This might seem an obvious point but the most successful people are not only able to triumph over adversity but are able to draw strength from it. Personal development will help you to become like this sort of person.