Prerequisite Qualities For Optimum Goal Setting
The minute you set a goal, you are creating a ‘mini crisis’ in your mind. You’re telling your mind about a journey you are considering. In simple terms you are stating where you want to be in relation to where you are. And in between these two is a chasm, a gap. As far as your mind is concerned, the ability to achieve your stated goal is mostly dependent on your mental qualities and skills. Selfish mind, right? Maybe not, but the point is, this is the area on which your success hinges.
So, here are the mental qualities you need to optimise your success.
a. Concentration
b. Emotional balance
c. Imagery and
d. Perspective
Lets take a look at these in detail.
Concentration
Concentration is a process of paying attention to certain things to the exclusion of others. The beautiful thing about it is that it is easy to concentrate. Simple! Focus on your goal, and all the unnecessary distractions naturally drop out of your attention span. This means you do not have to worry or focus on getting rid of the distractions. I have heard it said that ‘where thought is directed, energy flows’.
WORD OF CAUTION: Do not concentrate so intensely to the extent that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Focus, but be aware of what’s changing around as far as your goal is concerned.
Emotional Balance
Emotional balance refers to how well you juggle effort (mental and physical) and relaxation. You do not want to be so focused, that you experience burn-out along the way. And you do not want to take things so easy, you lose momentum!
How much are you prepared to put into those activities that will help you achieve your goal, and what is the effort required? I am a big fan of ‘effortless achievement’ – make sure you stay focused on your goals but pepper them with passion and happiness. That way it becomes more fun and relaxing, rather than a chore.
Imagery
This is one critical quality that conventional methods of goal setting gloss over. Rich imagery is central to the mental faculties you require to optimize your success. What do I mean by ‘rich imagery’?
Rich imagery is made up of the qualities in your pictures, feelings and sounds. These qualities combine in different ways to enhance your images.
Here is a quick sampling of these qualities, referred to as submodalities in Neurolinguistic Programming
Sub modalities for pictures would be brightness, contrast and shade. Sub modalities for feeling would be texture, temperature, hardness and softness. And sub modalities for sound would be volume, rhythm, timbre and tone
These sub modalities make the imagery you choose to use, more effective. And you can adjust them as you want, to create a more richer experience.
In goal setting, imagery is used to pre-create the achieved goal in your mind. Just like a dress rehearsal. If you can see it, you can have it!
To make the most of imagery
– be aware of the sounds, pictures, and feelings
– make them as clear and as vivid as possible
– add and adjust sub modalities according to your preferences. The richer the better.
– immerse yourself in the experience. Imagine what it will feel like when you have your goal.
Perspective
The world you live in is a system. One thing that you are doing right now has far reaching implications than you may be aware of. And on top of that, you are being affected by a myriad of influences you may not be aware of. What does this have to do with goal setting?
While you are going for your goal, concentrating intensely (I hope), maintaining the right emotional balance, and using imagery effectively, keep checking how your world is changing and how you are moving towards the future you are attempting to create.
It will be a disaster to try to do one good thing (setting your goals properly), only to spoil your efforts by pretending to be living in a vacuum.
There you have it, the prerequisite qualities for optimum success in goal getting.
Now, before you expend any effort in chasing your passion and goal, do a quick check to see if you mentally have what it takes to get there.