doug smith training

If working on your goal doesn't bring you joy, how will achieving it ever make you happy? The work may be tough but if the nature of the work allows you to feel happiness, joy, or pride, you'll more likely stick with it. If it disconnects you from your authentic self, wherever it leads is probably the wrong place for you. Choose goals that bring you joy, even when the work is hard. You've got to work hard anyway, right? -- doug smith  

  Do you have any promises with yourself? Maybe a promise about a goal?  Sometimes I have let go of a promise and then picked it up again much later. If it ever appealed to me, there's probably still some energy there. How about you? Keep the promises alive by making progress every day. I'm working on it. How about you? -- doug smith

An outlandish, moon-shot goal means the most when it leads to dozens of small achievable goals. -- doug smith  

  A proper goal prevents wasted time. We don't have time to pursue meaningless goals. What matters most needs most of our time. Take a look at your list of goals. Prioritize the top three. The rest will matter most when the top three are done. -- doug smith

It's easy to "major in the minors..." or focus so much on small details that we miss the big goal. I've done it. Chances are that you have, too. Events wash us forward and we get "lost in the trees." Here's what I tell myself when that starts to happen, "Don't let little goals get in the way of big goals." It's another note to self, but you're free to benefit from it, too... -- doug smith  

Ahead of every goal is a problem, and within every problem is a goal. -- doug smith

How flexible is your perspective? There is value in seeking a different point of view, especially in setting goals and in solving problems. Any way we ever look at anything is always a limited view. That's a broad (and possibly inaccurate) statement and yet what if it's true? Or, as my alternate perspective might state, what about it is true? Or even, what about it could be true? Sometimes we hold our problems too close to see what's causing them. Shifting the perspective opens up new vistas. That might be all we need to see the best possible solution. -- doug smith  

Quick quiz: what are your top three current goals? It's OK to think about it, but if you have to think too long that means that you haven't really thought about it previously. Your goals matter because you matter. Your goals (not those given to you by someone else) shape your near-term future. Your goals shape you as well. Goals are solid steps toward your hopes and dreams. The path is yours. Why not keep moving? -- doug smith  

Goals are important. So is how your goals affect other people. Did you consult anyone your goal will impact? Did you look for help from others? Did you help anyone else achieve their goals this week? People will care more about your goals when you care more about people. Show you care by listening, by helping, and even by laughing at their bad jokes. People are worth it. -- doug smith  

  If you want to sell something, you need at least two things: a really great product, and a really great you. People will care much more about what you have to offer when they care more about you. Products, goals, careers... People will care more about your goals when you care more about people. -- doug smith

  The size of your goals does not define you, but your ability to achieve them does. What you define is secondary to what you do. Set meaningful goals, of course. Then, work them until you achieve them.  Sometimes you will fail. Try again. Sometimes you will succeed. Set a new goal. It's the work that gives you the juice you need to keep working. When people see that when you set a goal you mean business -- you mean to do what it takes to achieve that goal -- that sets a sharp definition you can live with. You do want to be known as someone who works to get what you want, don't you? -- doug smith

  Do you manage your goals? Setting the goal is important. Working the goal is essential. Powering up the goal with a path of high energy discipline is empowering. Also important: managing the goal. Like a project, with the discipline of steady effort and constant communication, each goal is managed to success. Each goal is a project. To get the most of your goal, you've got to manage that project. It does not happen on its own. -- doug smith

  Great goals need great power. They need the power to keep going thru resistance. They need the power to innovate when the temptation is to stagnate.  Where does that power come from? You know this! The power comes from you. Hard as it may sometimes seem, you do have the power to achieve your own goals. Power for your goals comes from what you're already good at -- or plan to get good at -- and are willing to work for, Set the goal, do the work, and feel the power. -- doug smith

It's not the goal that makes you happy -- it's the work you do to achieve the goal that does. If it's too easy, it hardly matters. If it's too hard, you might not reach it. Calibrate your goals correctly and then do your relentless best to get the work done. That's where you'll measure success. -- doug smith  

  If you miss the deadline on your goal, what should you do? Should you... a) extend the deadline b) break the goal down into smaller goals c) double your attention time on the goal d) all of the above If it matters the choice could be: all of the above. When the goal is important you do what you need to do to achieve that goal. Missing the deadline is not the end of the world. It should definitely up the urgency, though. -- doug smith

  When you can achieve your goals, that's success.  Sometimes, a goal is like the peak of a mountain and reaching it is that moment of success. But whether or not you reach the peak, making the journey takes you higher. Take your goals seriously, and you will win. Climb higher. -- doug smith

Working against each other is too much work. How many times have you been working on an important goal and discovered that someone was working against you? Whether it was intentional or not, it was inconvenient, and just plain annoying. If there is anyone who could stand in the way of your goal, start a conversation about gaining their support. Once we've agreed on the goal, the work gets easier. Resistance declines. Progress advances. Goals get achieved. -- doug smith  

  Quick -- think about the goal that brought you the most joy. Maybe it was a big goal, maybe it was a small goal. It could have given you trouble to achieve it, but somehow you did persist and did get it done. Have you got one in mind? Let your thoughts linger on that for just a moment because you deserve that joy. When there is joy in working the goal there will surely be joy in achieving it. If there is no joy in working the goal there probably won't be much joy in achieving it, either. Look for signs of joy early and often. You deserve those kinds of goals. -- doug smith

  It's a weird question, true, but worth asking: is your goal filled with love? Do you love the outcome your goal will bring about? More importantly, is your goal formed with love for something other than yourself? Will the completion of your goal bring about joy? Will achieving your goal bring something positive to the world? It's mostly a "note to self" kind of question because, for me, simply achieving a goal is not enough. The goal needs to matter, and nothing matters more than love. Fill your goal with love and the outcome will improve. Fill your goal with love and you will love the result. -- doug smith

  It's easy to set a goal and then start working on it before figuring out why. It does make sense to start working on a goal. Great ideas without action are meaningless. It's also worth checking to make sure that the massive effort you're about to make is worth it. It is worth asking if a goal is good for you, good for others, and good for some higher cause. If it's yes to all three, it's a goal worth working hard on. -- doug smith