The First Step To Setting Your Goals

17 replies
The first step in creating any goal is to get perspective on your life and how the goal you want to create fits in with that perspective.

Gaining perspective on your life requires a little bit of work.

You will need:
1. A notebook and pen or pencil. Actually writing this down is better than typing it up or recording your thoughts out loud. It helps with creativity.
2. A block of time. I suggest a minimum of 1 hour.

To begin, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to center yourself.

Now:
Imagine yourself at your 90th birthday party. You are vibrant, healthy and wealthy. You are sitting on a chair on the front porch of your house. Out in the yard are your immediate family, extended family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and people from your community. Visualize all the details like the weather, the sounds of children playing, the adults talking, the smells of food cooking, etc.
Now ask yourself the following questions.

What did you do to remain healthy throughout the years? How did you maintain a youthful mindset? What did you do to become wealthy enough to pass it down to your grandchildren? How did you contribute to your community? What are your co-workers saying about you? What kind of legacy have you left for your family? Friends? Co-workers? Community?

Write out your answers and don't worry about your grammar, just get your thoughts down.
Take a few days off and then go back over your experience.
(article reference/promotional line removed by mod)
#goals #setting #step
Avatar of Unregistered
  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    ok this is a great start if someone wants a long happy life.. and instead of imagining what you would have to do to get their ..there is plenty of research on how people who are between 90-100 and are still healthy and productive .with families that care about them .. did to get there ..

    so you can imagine what you need to to to get their .. but their is more than enough research on what those who are there now did .. that one can start replicating .

    one of the critical elements ..which over laps with people who build wealth that supports them into old age..

    Is to do work they enjoy and gives them a reason to get out of bed every morning. and they can occasionally sit down with a beer and sat i built this or made that or did this ..

    so if you want that thing you visualized.. write that down.. then do your research to see what people who have that actually did.. and make it your goal to emulate the behaviors of what those did over the long term.

    so want that vision .. the most reliable way to get it is to find productive work you will enjoy doing every day ..and most likely today you will have to build a business around that.. not to get rich but to do work you enjoy.. and energies you instead of wearing you out
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11496885].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Keith Burns
      As long as it fits with your own vision, yes.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11496890].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Odahh
        Originally Posted by Keith Burns View Post

        As long as it fits with your own vision, yes.
        what does that even mean..

        there are plenty of people who imagine or visualize what it takes to be wealthy or get rich.. but are visualizing strategies that do not actually work in reality ..

        and there are plenty of people who look at the only the bad habits older people have.. and think it is fine to string those together and get to old age and be healthy .. when one or two bad habits and can absorbed by a very healthy lifestyle

        I'm misreading your question ..a critical l part of the vision of the 90 year old with a happy family ..still working ..or with co workers ..blah blah means you are still working at 90 still generating an income still being productive ..

        if you don't enjoy the work you do.. you will be dead long before that.. and if you are still working at 90.. it is because you are poor your family hates you and a really long list of bad things ..

        so want to build wealth want to get to 90 and have a happy family .. find work you enjoy doing and build a business around it that you can run the rest of your life ..
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11496894].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Keith Burns
          The whole point of this exercise is to get into your own mind, not recycle someone else's ideas. Sure, you can google anything, but it's not YOU. Nor will it be if it doesn't mesh with your life goals and purpose in life. You need to explore who you are and what you want from life. If you have that list of bad things, I suggest that's where you start working on yourself, not others. Besides, that can never happen. So in the end, it's all about you, not others first. By working on you, things fall into place, IF you live by the maxim of helping others first. You will get what you want. So not exploring the inner side of you, you will never find contentment.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11501223].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Odahh
            Originally Posted by Keith Burns View Post

            The whole point of this exercise is to get into your own mind, not recycle someone else's ideas. Sure, you can google anything, but it's not YOU. Nor will it be if it doesn't mesh with your life goals and purpose in life. You need to explore who you are and what you want from life. If you have that list of bad things, I suggest that's where you start working on yourself, not others. Besides, that can never happen. So in the end, it's all about you, not others first. By working on you, things fall into place, IF you live by the maxim of helping others first. You will get what you want. So not exploring the inner side of you, you will never find contentment.
            Say you have never built a boat..

            set a goal on building a boat .. but just imagine everything you did to build the boat .

            in a year you will be dropped in your boat or what ever you have built of your boat ..

            do you want to put your life on the line in a boat you just imagined how to build when you will need a boat to survive at a point in the future
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11501240].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Keith Burns
              This isn't about a year snippet in time. It's about your life. Copying someone else's success doesn't guarantee you that same success. This is about the start of finding YOU.
              This is about LONG term planning, not finding a band-aid, which never works.
              Life also isn't just about making money. There are more important things in life, hence the wording of the exercise.
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11501408].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author Odahh
                Originally Posted by Keith Burns View Post

                This isn't about a year snippet in time. It's about your life. Copying someone else's success doesn't guarantee you that same success. This is about the start of finding YOU.
                This is about LONG term planning, not finding a band-aid, which never works.
                Life also isn't just about making money. There are more important things in life, hence the wording of the exercise.
                ok..you do what makes you feel good..

                My father lived to 80. my mother lived to 75.. and their health was terrible the last 5- ten years of their lives . so just imagining how to get to 90 or 100.. will probably not give me the things to do to get there .

                I set the goal of getting to 100 or older a few years ago.. I am 41 now .. and many of the changes i have had to make to my life have drastically improved my health both physical and mental.. and i still have many changes .. based of the research i have been doing i can make .

                most of all the goals i have someone or many people have done ..and made a lot of the mistake .. i can avoid my learning from them ..

                so no .. no band aide that don't work .. finding strategies that when implemented in life .. show and improvement and can be be done long term .. mainly .. stopping of over eating, getting plenty of sleep at night and a combination of fasting and intermittent fasting .. and walking or cardio before or right after breakfast
                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11501444].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
                Originally Posted by Keith Burns View Post

                This isn't about a year snippet in time. It's about your life. Copying someone else's success doesn't guarantee you that same success. This is about the start of finding YOU.
                This is about LONG term planning, not finding a band-aid, which never works.
                Life also isn't just about making money. There are more important things in life, hence the wording of the exercise.
                True, making more money!

                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11502272].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jmosticc22
    This sounds like a good exercise to do, visualization is a very strong tool for life advancements.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11496921].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Believe In You
    Belief is the storming energy that possesses an individual prior making goals.


    Listen, I just wanted to say that - you are GREAT!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11496948].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author senupal
    The inner satisfaction is very important for a person to be happy.there are people who fix a goal of the life and work hard to achieve it but there are people who just like spend each day happy without worrying about future.they believe living each moment 100%.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11496983].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
    Originally Posted by Keith Burns View Post

    To begin, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to center yourself.

    Now:
    Imagine yourself at your 90th birthday party. You are vibrant, healthy and wealthy. You are sitting on a chair on the front porch of your house. Out in the yard are your immediate family, extended family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and people from your community. Visualize all the details like the weather, the sounds of children playing, the adults talking, the smells of food cooking, etc.
    Now ask yourself the following questions.

    What did you do to remain healthy throughout the years? How did you maintain a youthful mindset? What did you do to become wealthy enough to pass it down to your grandchildren? How did you contribute to your community? What are your co-workers saying about you? What kind of legacy have you left for your family? Friends? Co-workers? Community?

    Write out your answers and don't worry about your grammar, just get your thoughts down.
    Take a few days off and then go back over your experience.
    (article reference/promotional line removed by mod)
    Youthful vigor, not having any grandchildren to deal with would be one.

    90th, probably in my mansion near a beach, having a scotch old fashioned, (100 year old scotch, special day) without the garbage, contemplating the meaning of life, and knowing that l improved the world for the better.

    And also knowing that l was right about many things, but it took time for reality to catch up with Apathy.

    Contribute to my community, l prefer the world.

    Co workers, genius, smartarse, ummm, genius.

    Legacy, helping the most in need due to rampant global stupidity.

    Can't really discuss the youthful vigor thing but let's just say l tend to follow Henry Ford and Edison in following certain practices that slash a lot off your perceived age. And ignoring idiots that intentionally hide crucial facts that aid in a long life.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11497018].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by tagiscom View Post

      Youthful vigor, not having any grandchildren to deal with would be one.

      90th, probably in my mansion near a beach, having a scotch old fashioned, (100 year old scotch, special day) without the garbage, contemplating the meaning of life, and knowing that l improved the world for the better.

      And also knowing that l was right about many things, but it took time for reality to catch up with Apathy.

      Contribute to my community, l prefer the world.

      Co workers, genius, smartarse, ummm, genius.

      Legacy, helping the most in need due to rampant global stupidity.

      Can't really discuss the youthful vigor thing but let's just say l tend to follow Henry Ford and Edison in following certain practices that slash a lot off your perceived age. And ignoring idiots that intentionally hide crucial facts that aid in a long life.

      ford and edison both died at 84 and where running their businesses the last few years of their lives ..

      ford though had had heart attacks and strokes in his 70's ..the main secret they had to looking younger than most anyone else was they where richer than everyone else and where not doing the brutally hard work people of the day both male and female had to do .

      I'm a pain in the ass on this point .. the same way i see most successful business people build a skill set first ..then build a business around the skill set
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11497192].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
    Originally Posted by Odahh View Post

    ford and edison both died at 84 and where running their businesses the last few years of their lives ..

    ford though had had heart attacks and strokes in his 70's ..the main secret they had to looking younger than most anyone else was they where richer than everyone else and where not doing the brutally hard work people of the day both male and female had to do .

    I'm a pain in the ass on this point .. the same way i see most successful business people build a skill set first ..then build a business around the skill set
    True, But they also practiced other things that helped them live a long life, sure not working for 10 hours a day helped, (Henry overturned that but that was the norm back then) but the life expency back then was a lot less than 84.

    Henry and Edison were also good friends, eventhough Henry's stupid son, Edsel didn't amount to much.

    Originally Posted by Keith Burns View Post

    The whole point of this exercise is to get into your own mind, not recycle someone else's ideas. Sure, you can google anything, but it's not YOU. Nor will it be if it doesn't mesh with your life goals and purpose in life. You need to explore who you are and what you want from life. If you have that list of bad things, I suggest that's where you start working on yourself, not others. Besides, that can never happen. So in the end, it's all about you, not others first. By working on you, things fall into place, IF you live by the maxim of helping others first. You will get what you want. So not exploring the inner side of you, you will never find contentment.
    Lol, unfortunately when l invest in the stock market l am hoping that enough idiots are losing enough money so l can profit.

    But l am also working on other things that are of benefit.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11501278].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author brucey666
    Definitely a good exercise to do, thanks for the tips

    and i strongly agree with the questioning of what you have done to the world, it is not about living a long life, but to live long enough to make a big impact to the world. If you live long but full of self satisfying activities then you are not changing the world and not filling your true purpose of being born.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11501549].message }}
  • Without a target we cann't get anything. So, It is most important step to achieve anything in life. Always write goals on the paper then go other point.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11502238].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author StevenKenneth
    Good exercise! And, definitely Im looking forward for a good interval to get through this scenario and to write inner sense feelings that comes in my mind for your questions.
    Surely, let me get back to this discussion with a decent write-up.
    Thanks for this activity, Keith. You have assigned an interesting task!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11525188].message }}
Avatar of Unregistered

Trending Topics