Definition Goal Setting

The word “goal” is only one piece of language that describes goal oriented behaviour. The definition goal setting, is not clear cut in my books. That is, there are many different ways to think about what goals are. I’m afraid though, that for a lot of people, the term has negative connotations. People think of deadlines, time committments, and last but not least – the idea that failure is possible. So, to help move away from this typical way of thinking about goals, I want to provide several pieces of language, or other ways of thinking about goal setting. There is obviously more than one definition. Goals can also be thought of as:

Intentions

Aims

Desired Changes

Dreams

Hopes for the future

Wishes

Manifesting what we want

Focus

Do any of these words or ways of thinking speak to you? If so, then I want you to think about one of these particular words as your definition. Goal setting is most effective when you have a way of understanding what works for you!

Visualization for “Non-Visual” Women

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Visualization need not be complicated, artsy and all creative. Many people including myself find it too tedious to do the traditional imaginative exercises in our heads. We lose concentration, we fall asleep, or for some other reason it just doesn’t appeal to us. So, here are some great ideas for the logical person who still wants the benefits of visual exercises, without having to imagine pictures in one’s head.

PRACTICAL VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES

1. Print off a nicely organized list of your goals, or action steps for a particular goal, and then put your goals in a nice picture frame! Place this frame somewhere that you will see it every single day. How’s that for a nice visual? Rather than having your goals written on some piece of paper or notebook shoved in a drawer, now you have them up on display! You can get as obsessed as you want with this technique. You might have several different frames up, each entailing a list of action steps for your various goal projects. Or, you might have several frames up, each with the big picture objectives of your various goal categories.

2. Buy a really attractive or appealing greeting card from your local store. Inside that card, write out all your goals, or again, the actions steps for a particular goal. Keep this pretty card sitting on your night table, on your desk, or even posted on your fridge, wall or bulletin board. Whenever you have a spare minute, read through your goals and action steps.

By writing your goals and action steps in a beautiful card, it ensures that you don’t shove the card in a drawer where it will get lost. So since you write your goals down on something that you paid several dollars for, you are more likely to keep that card in an easily accessible, visible location.

3. Put your goals and actions onto your computer’s screen saver or regular desktop background. How’s that for a constant visualization reminder?

4. Program one of your big goals onto the face-top of your cell phone!

5. Forget showing off your driver’s license picture in your wallet. Instead, use that visual space to insert a printed version or a picture of what is most important for you to focus on completing right now! Maybe, you might even put a motivational quote or reminder in there.

6. Use Post-It sticky notes to write down all the action steps needed for one of your current life projects. Post it right beside your desk where you work most often. This way, whenever you encounter a lull in motivation or a barrier, you will constantly be reminded of the steps that you need to execute to continue on with your goal.

Often, when people run into barriers with their goals, they become foggy-minded, fooled, and disillusioned about their reality of what is happening. Soon, their fear and negative emotions paralyze them. Then, they forget what they need to do or try next to get started again. Don’t let the bumps in the road cause you to forget what to try next. Have this post-it of action steps on your wall so you are always have a visualization to remind you of what you need to do.

7. Use the power of email! Email yourself and in the subject title, simply write an action step or goal. Don’t ever delete this email until you have completed the action or achieved the goal. Every time you log in to your email, you will be reminded of your goals or action steps!

8. Create a vision board! Buy a bulletin board from Walmart, and hang it somewhere visible. Then, cut out pictures that symbolize what you want to do, be and have in your life. You can even post real pictures of you that show you achieving your goals. Keep on the look out of inspirational pictures in magazines, the newspapers, etc. Clip them out and post them on your board.

9. Use a whiteboard! using the dry erase markers that easily are wiped off, you can write your to-do list on here for the day, week, or month. Organize it however you want, but keep it somewhere you can see every single day.

10. Use a scrapbook! If you want a more private medium, then you can store all your visuals in a book. However, keep this book right by your bedside table. In the morning and/or evening, pull out your scrapbook, and flip through all the pictures as reminders.

11. Buy a hardcover, spiral bound journal of medium size – one that is really beautiful with nice designs on the pages. Buy a nice bookstand or picture stand, and place your journal on it. As your goals or to-do lists change, simply turn the page, update your list, and put back on your display stand! I love this one, and I keep mine sitting right on my desk by my monitor.

So, now you have a good handful of visualization techniques that do not involve lying down and listening to relaxational music. These are practical, and tangible strategies that are guaranteed to boost your productivity, keep you focused, and give you all the benefits of traditional visualization!

Here are some questions to leave you with:

1. What other visual symbols or tangible items could I put in my environment to remind me of my goals and required action steps?

2. What visual strategies have motivated me, or kept me focused on my goals in the past?

3. What do I have the most difficulty imagining or ’seeing’ in terms of my success? How can I find a real visible snapshot of this?