explore the now and shape the future – a practical and inspirational guide to setting goals

What are goals and why do we need them?

Imagine yourself as a ship on the ocean of life. Apart from justkeeping afloat you need steering and motor (or sails).

If you don’t have either, the ocean (your environment, other people) will move you about and you risk ending up wherever.

Having good goals should give you both direction (steering) and purpose/motivation (motor), and you are set for the cruise of a lifetime.

Take a look at the next slide. Where would you end up without steering and motor?

is your motor and steering working?

setting goals are putting legs on your dreams

destination goals are your destination

process goals are the journey towards your destination

Would you go shopping with a list of items you didn’t want?

Be sure to express your destination goal in positive terms. It helps you focus on what you want.

If you set a negative goal the focus will be towards what you don’t want, because our mind can’t ignore the word “don’t”.

Don’t think of a blue elephant with yellow dots ! See what I mean?

Ask yourself instead:What do I want?

Or if you just can think of what you don’t want:What would I want instead?What would I rather have?

The above rule is only true for your destination goals. For process goals, you may have to include negative terms. That is ok.

Now you know to express your destination goals positively.

You also need to be specific, and if your goals are long-term and abstract, it is important that you decide on the evidence that will let you know if you are on track.

If you can’t be specific about the goal itself, try to be specific about the result.

For process goals you should always be able to specify the following:

• How long time will I need to reach this goal?• When will I reach the goal?

The above rules are not true for destination goals.

A destination is a destination.

And now ask yourself some questions about values.

Aligning your goals with your values is an important step. It will boost your motivation…

What is important for me about this?

What is it that means something to me here?

What do I get out of doing this?

Is it meaningful to me?

What does future sound like?

set goals then make sure to

integrate goals and then

the rest will take care of itself … kind of

What exactly will you see, hear and feel when you reach your goal?

How do you measure your progress? There are two important ways:

1. In relation to yourself (which matters the most!)2. In relation to others (this not so much ;-) but can be applicable)

How often will you measure?

Make sure also to check your ownership of your goals

How much control do you have over your goal?What will you do to reach the goal?What can you offer others so they will help you?

Think of success as a consequence of meeting your goal

- not as the goal itself

the 7 golden

rulesfor

goals

Measurable

Developing

Ecological

Specific/ Realistic

Proactive/ Challenging

Positive

Action oriented

Ecology: The study of the relation of living organisms to each other and their surroundings

Are your goals “Ecological”?

Every goal we set have consequences for others as wellas ourselves. This is true both for our destination andprocess goals. You can ask yourself some key questions:

Is the destination important?Will it improve things?Will other people suffer?What measures will I take to reach my goal and how will it affect others?What is the cost of my goals?What do I need to give up?How will balances in my life/work be impacted when I reach the goal?

gear up

Gather your resources…

Objects you might need: Books, gear, technology…

People: Who can help you reach your goal? Who do you know?

Time: How can you create enough time to reach your destination? How do you deal with delays?

Role models: Do you anyone who has succeeded already? What can you learn from others?

Personal skills: What skills do you have or need to obtain in order to reach your destination?

In general:What resources do you need to reach your destination? What resources do you already have? Where do you find the resources you need?

time to act

Start with identifying your destination goals 10 years into the future. That’s right, start with the end in mind

Identify a couple of areas you want to focus on. The goals then work in synergy

Then go five years back and set process goals that you need to reach in order to reach your destination

Go back again in time to two years from now and set process goals you need to reach in order to reach your 5-year goals

Go back in time and set goals you have to reach next year in order to reach your 2-year goals

If you do it right, you will know exactly what to do tomorrow that will take you one step closer to your destination

Remember to have fun and to dream!

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1. Try to describe yourself with a metaphor when working towards your goal.

2. Write a short 1 page story imagining that you have reached your destination. Think of a situation in this future and try to describe it with all senses. What do you see? What do you hear? How do you feel?

3. Share 1 and 2 with each other

Something you can try with your

team/colleagues/friends/family

members

where do you want to go?

Thanks for listening!

Anna Dibell 2010

anna@kudden.se

This presentation was inspired by the following literature which I highly recommend:

Coaching med NLP by Joseph O’Connor & Andrea Lages

Motivation – Livets kärna by Lars‐Eric Uneståhl