doug smith training

Sometimes resistance to a goal is evidenced of its need. If it wasn't important, it wouldn't catch any heat. Keep going. Act relentlessly on your plan. -- doug smith

We've all set goals that we did not achieve. It could be that the goal was too large. Maybe the goal was beyond our control. Or, maybe we just decided it wasn't worth the bother. If work feels like bother, we may not bother to work. If the goal doesn't excite us, it's hard to see the point. Focus on the goals that DO matter, and make the difference from there. When the goal matters enough to you, you'll do enough for the goal. Both silence, and action, represent prioritization.  -- doug smith

  What's your goal? Is what you're doing achieving that goal? Once in a while I need to check my plan because it's just not up to the goal. There's no shame in it, but there's no game in it either to stay with a broken plan. If what you're doing isn't working -- you know what to do: something else. -- doug smith

  Where does YOUR motivation come from? It's worth checking in on that occasionally. When your motivation is energized, you can do so much more. When you really want what you're working on, you work that much harder. Maybe it's the goal. A great goal can energize you.  Maybe it's the motivation: getting you going to FIND and then achieve a great goal.  The goal can bring the motivation and the motivation can bring the goal -- you might need both. Why not get both going right about now? -- doug smith

Long range goals should get closer everyday. Design your plan and then work on it relentlessly. -- doug smith  

Whatever your hopes and dreams are, you'll get there faster with goals and action. -- doug smith  

Proposition: Goals are rewarding enough that we shouldn't need rewards for achieving them. Rebuttal: you'll feel better after the reward AND it will often spur you on when the going is rough. (PS: the going is usually rough.) How will you reward yourself when you achieve your biggest goal? Figure that out, and the goal gets easier. You deserve it. -- doug smith

  Are you easily distracted? I've noticed that some of my more persistent distractions stop feeling like distractions when I do them too much. What becomes a habit is all too easily accepted.  And not all distractions are bad. Some powerfully creative ideas came from unexpected distractions -- drifts of thinking leading to novel approaches that worked. But living in distraction is dangerous.  Every distraction pulls us away from a noble goal.  When I feel that pull, I try to re-center myself and get back to the goal (or at least a goal.) The goal is where the gold is. -- doug smith

There will be plenty of obstacles between you and your goal -- no need to add doubt to the list. Never doubt, work it out. -- doug smith  

You can let a goal lead you but you must still lead the goal. Every good plan needs relentless action to succeed. -- doug smith

The goal is there to help you grow. To get from one place to another? Sure. To improve your lot in life? Absolutely. Primarily, beyond the benefits that you can touch, the goal is there to help you grow. Let's keep growing. -- doug smith

  Who is going to help you achieve that big goal? My tendency and temptation is to do it all myself -- but it doesn't have to be that way. We can recruit the people we need to get to the next level. All we need to do is share and take care: share our noble goal with enthusiasms and take care that anyone we ask for help will also benefit.  Every goal has a team if you recruit team members. Who do you need on your team? -- doug smith

Do you ever feel disconnected from a goal? I think the key is in knowing what motivates you to achieve the goal. If the answer is nothing, maybe that's a fair assessment of your goal. It's always a choice. When we don't like our goals we can form new ones. Better goals, rooted by strong values, lead to better choices. -- doug smith

If your big goals is really a series of twenty-five little goals, the sooner you get started on those little goals the sooner those goals will add up to that one big goal. -- doug smith

  Have you ever solved a problem and then been disappointed by the result? I sure have. The problem was bad, the solution was worse.  We need to narrow down our target. We need a focus that allows for surprises and yet creates a solution based on something we really want. After all, it's not the END of something we're working on, it's the existence of something better. High performance leaders create better situations. Be careful about solving a problem until you know what you really want. Start with your goal. -- doug smith

The sooner you can let go of uninspiring goals the faster you can work on goals you care about. If you need to you can always come back to the less inspiring goals later. Work on what matters most now. -- doug smith

  Are you catching resistance? Are things standing in your way. Set solid and clear goals. A solid, clear goal can withstand any judging. You've got this. -- doug smith

Are you happy while you are working? I know, that's too much to ask for some people. We've all had jobs that were more chore than joy, and many people are still doing those types of jobs. It isn't that the job isn't important, though -- it's more like it's not appreciated.  Are any of your goals like that? Unappreciated? Do you look forward to the goal because the result is going to make you happy? Are you bringing your own happiness to the work? Achieve your goals with happiness, rather than expecting goals to GIVE you happiness, and the joy will last long after the goals are forgotten. What's your happiest work right now? -- doug smith

Who sets your goals? Yes, there are goals we must achieve because we're in a job and because a boss sets them for us -- but those are just an entry ticket into the big game. The bigger game, the big picture, includes the goals we set for ourselves. Some people will understand that, and some will not. Be careful about letting anyone else judge your goals. They have their purpose, you have yours. Your goals are your business. -- doug smith

There's a lot of overwhelm going around. People are doing more than ever before in circumstances not ever experienced. Should we keep adding more and more goals to the mix? How much is enough? How many are too many? That's up to you. I've heard people describe keeping a list of one-hundred goals. It's their bucket list. I've seen enough episodes of "The Twilight Zone" to never keep a bucket list for fear that once I've completed them all it would be check-out time.  But mainly, I'd be overwhelmed by all of them. A hundred? A thousand? Let's take a shorter list please and narrow it down to goals we actually expect to achieve. If you have too many goals to remember them all you have too many goals. (and now for some advice to myself, but you're welcome to listen in) Narrow your list. Prioritize your list. Get busy. Get stuff done. -- doug smith