How to Set Great Goals

[Santosh Puthran]

How to Set Great Goals

"No man is happy without a goal, and no man can be
happy without faith in his own ability to reach that
goal."

"There can be no purpose worth contemplating which
does not include happiness and experience. When a man
is no longer able to envision happiness as part of his
future, that man is dead." -- L. Ron Hubbard

So to be happy, you need three things:

1. A goal

2. Faith that you can reach that goal

3. The goal must include happiness

Let's go through all three aspects

1. Goals

First, write down your goals. What do you want to
accomplish in the next six months? Year? Five years?
Ten years? Twenty years? What are your goals for
yourself, your marriage and family, your business and
career, your finances?

See the Goal Examples later in this article. Fill out
the Goals Questionnaire.

2. Faith

Take the first goal. Do you think you can reach this
goal? Is it realistic to believe you will accomplish
this end result? Do you have faith in your ability to
make it?

If you have little or no faith in your ability to
reach the goal, what would it take to have faith that
you can? If you can't find the faith, what about the
goal should you change so you can have faith?

3. Happiness

What about the goal would make you happy? What
positive experience would you gain or enjoy from
reaching the goal? When you think of how it will be
when you reach the goal, do you feel happiness?

Repeat these steps for the rest of your goals.

Of all your goals, what are the five most important?

What can you do this week to make progress toward
these five goals?

Start!

-------------------

Goal Examples

Personal and Family Goal Examples: Reduce stress, feel
more confident, find more joy in life. Reduce or
eliminate fears. Stop letting others control me
negatively. Change bad habits to good habits. Resolve
a long-term dispute. Health goals: diet, weight,
alcohol, drugs, smoking. Live to at least ____ years
old. Develop personal skills such as a better sense of
humor, more courage, etc. Create a loving, supportive,
happy marriage. Improve relations with family members.
Raise valuable, productive, happy children. Spend more
time with your family. Teach children to succeed.

Job and Career Goal Examples: Increase your personal
productivity or pay to a certain level. Learn new job
skills. Education goals. Get a promotion. Change to a
better occupation. Start a second career. Start a
business.

Financial Goal Examples: Get out of debt. Increase
income to $_____. Save $_______. Semi-retire or retire
at age ________. Pay for your children's education.
Make certain investments. Buy a business. Buy a big,
beautiful house. Buy a vacation home, boat, plane, new
car, horses, swimming pool, etc. Travel goals.

Business Goal Examples: Improve service or product
quality to a certain level. Reach a new level of
production. Increase profit. Find outstanding staff.
Create a tight, efficient team. Dramatically increase
the size of your business. Open branch offices.
Buy/merge with another business. Sell part or all of
the business/practice.

Social Goal Examples: Help people. Invent, discover or
develop something significant. Change the way people
think about something. Education goals. Charity goals.
Religious goals. Community or society goals.
Environmental goals. Political goals. National or
international goals.

-------------------

Goals Questionnaire

1. What are your personal goals (health, personal
improvement, possessions)? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

2. What are your marriage or family goals? 1 year? 5
years? 10+ years?

3. What are your job or career goals? 1 year? 5 years?
10+ years?

4. What are your financial goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+
years?

5. What are your business goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+
years?

6. What are your social goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+
years?