Focus guide to gaining goal clarity.

OK, so we have to lay out some things we need to do to get to the goal. I recently finished a book while doing a whole lot of other things. This took time and focus and to some degree, quite a bit of discipline. Does that mean I have it all figured out, of course not. However, maybe I can pass some experiences on to you.

Let’s complete this questionnaire, shall we. I mean we all need more work, right. Actually, what we should be doing is planning and gaining clarity on this specific goal. So in this case, the work matters!

1. Define the goal. If it helps, lay out the pyramid to gain clarity. Perhaps create a mission statement or have a mantra that helps you focus and get to work.
   1. Motivation! It helps to tie emotions to it. Making it larger than yourself is also a plus. Think of the mission. Some people do things for GOD, family, pride, bragging rights, or money. Maybe you can find your why, then tie it to a feeling that will help you push on 6 months from now. Even if you just want to tell people you did this, then you have something to motivate you 6 to 12 months from now. 
   2. Deadlines help as well. Break it down into quarterly and monthly targets if you can.
2. You will never be able to do just one thing for a year, unless you don’t have family, friends, hobbies, a job, bills to pay, or a life. If that’s you, then go for it. The reality is you have to realize there’s a lot of other stuff going on.
3. You have to identify what you don’t want. This is the anti-goal. These are not just distractions but things that will make hitting the target suck. Let’s look at some things we don’t want.
   1. If you have a goal to start a business, do you just want to run the business ignoring family and friends? So you have to think about what kind of business.
   2. If you want to continue doing family activities, like coaching kids or going on family vacations, then realize that is not going to hurt your goal but contribute to your happiness. You can have more than one goal, we’re human, that’s what we do.
   3. Remember, being focused should not make you become an asshole. You should try to be cordial to the people you care about, unless they’re an annoying telemarketer, then maybe you can slap them around. It’s not the ones around you that want to reach your goal, it is up to you. Say to yourself, “if it is to be, it is up to me”. I think Jim Rohn said that.
4. Identify distractions.
   1. I know this seems a little silly, but how often do we know that streaming video service or podcasts will pull us in. Even YouTube can grab our attention for too long. 
   2. We have to identify the distraction and then realize we’re wasting time. A good question to ask yourself over and over again is, how is this helping me reach the end goal. Or, how is this helping me? 
   3. I used to read more news and follow politics. What a waste of time. Sure, I will vote for who I think will be the better candidate, but all that talk is just another distraction. I realize when they get elected they will do what they want to do regardless of what I think they should do.
5. Make a list of what you will say yes to.
   1. One thing that helps, no matter what you do and especially on diets, is what you will say yes to. This is a form of prioritizing what really matters. I know if my wife asks me to do something with her or if the kids come to visit, that is always first. If my full time job has a major project, I do that first, at least until I retire.
   2. Now write down that you will say no to. That’s right, have a firm NO list. If you’re on a diet and you love ice cream, maybe that is something you have to get into your head that you will say no to. If your goal is to save money, then maybe stop going to Starbucks every morning and suck it up by drinking Folgers at home. Sure, it sucks, but maybe it’s temporary until you hit that goal or maybe you realize all that stuff was bad for you after all. For the record, I still like ice cream and hitting up Starbucks once in a while, just not too often.
   3. Make your list, check it twice, and put it on a weekly reminder in your calendar so it pops up on days you think you can focus on your projects. For me, it’s Saturday and Sunday mornings. Those are my writing days. Lately I have been writing every morning, focusing mostly on these blogs, but you get the idea.
6. Now, go back and identify the actual goal in a given time, like 6 months or a year. Clearly lay out the expectations.
   1. Set a minimum goal. My goal was to complete the writing and hopefully have it edited. Unfortunately the editing took way longer than expected. It’s still being edited but I couldn’t wait to publish so I am updating it weekly.
   2. Set a maximum goal, a “Hell Yeah!” goal. This is if everything went right, the stars aligned, and you knocked it out of the park. Set this goal because it gives you something higher to shoot for. 
   3. The minimum goal is so you have a floor to stay above and the max goal is what you really want to shoot for. I think setting both is a good idea because the max goal can lead to disappointment even if you reach your goal. Finishing a major goal in your life is huge so I want you to be happy, not disappointed. It would be great to hit the “Hell Yeah!” goal, but we have to be realistic and satisfied with staying above the floor and finishing the goal. 
7. Now, make a plan for where you want to be in a year. Set a high and low.
   1. What would be the greatest achievement? While this may not be likely, it helps feed you emotionally to think of  a big win! It feels good to see the ultimate outcome. This is your big win.
   2. What is the bare minimum you want to achieve? This makes you feel like you can do it and you achieved the goal. This is you win.
8. Be SMART in goal setting.
   1. Specific goals.
   2. Measured in realistic milestones and time.
   3. Achievable meaning you can do this in the time allocated.
   4. Realistic meaning it can be done, you’re not going to be Superman or Spiderman in that short time.
   5. Time bound which means you have dates for your milestones.
9. If you did it, celebrate the win.
   1. Take time, celebrate, reward yourself! Brag about it.
   2. Then review what you did, what you did wrong and what you did right. 
   3. Learn from this and improve if possible.
10. It’s OK if you don’t, but let that be your gut check.
    1. If you can’t reach a milestone or complete the project, it’s OK. But let this be a reality check.
    2. Go back and understand why you couldn’t do it.

Remember, the journey towards a goal is as important as the goal itself. It’s about finding a balance that allows for personal growth, happiness, and fulfillment.

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