How to Achieve Any Goal Successfully

We’ve all heard the phrase before, “It’s not how you start that matters, it is how you finish.” While that is true, I believe how you start things has a huge influence on whether you will finish successfully. I uncovered this great workbook by Seth Godin called Pick Four (available on Amazon) that breaks it down for us using a scientifically proven method.

While you and I have been busy spending time and money trying to change, and usually failing, scientists have been busy trying to figure out what actually works. And now they know:

1. Small steps work.
2. Consistent effort works.
3. Support from peers works.

That’s it. Three things. Set a goal and in small consistent steps work to reach it. Get support from peers when you start running out of steam. Rinse and Repeat. You will change.

Science has proven that if you want to change your life and you apply these three steps to any goal – you will be successful. You now know the secret to success, otherwise known as the goal process. So what’s next?
3 Steps: (easy to describe, incredibly difficult to do)

1. Accept that people following the goals process accomplish more. Your effort pays off.
2. Choose wisely. Pick from among the many things you want to achieve and are willing to do the work to achieve.
3. Stick with the program. Do it every single day until you’re done or until you realize that you don’t actually want the thing you said you wanted.

The results of hundreds of studies on individuals and groups who have been through the goals process are clear: it works. The studies won’t matter if you’re not willing to accept the uncomfortable steps you’ll need to go through to get started. The steps you don’t want to do – unless you want to achieve your goal:

• Write down your dream list. Without censoring yourself, make a list of anything you think you would like to be, do or have. Anything. (scratch off anything illegal or that defies the laws of physics)
• The Why. For the items that remain, write down what’s in it for you and the people you care about if you reach this goal. If you can’t come up with something, cross it off.
• Balance your goals. Make sure your goals fall into various aspects of your life. (i.e. career, family, financial, mental, physical, social, spiritual). If you are too heavily weighted in one area, you may want to rethink the list.
• From your list pick only 3 you are going to start with and do the following exercise for each:

Goal #1

• Benefits from reaching this goal
• Skills or knowledge required to reach this goal.
• Major obstacles you will face.
• Individuals and organizations needed to help you.
• Plan for reaching this goal

If you stick with it for 60 days, you will be amazed. Unbelievable success is available to all of us, if we are willing to follow a simple process.
*The steps and content from this article came from Zig Ziglar’s Legendary Goals Program, Updated and Simplified by Seth Godin, available on Amazon.com

5 Steps to Make 2011 a Triumphant Year

By the time you are reading this we will have already entered the 3^rd month of 2011.  That means there only 10 months left in the year.  I bring this up because I’ve noticed increased activity in the business community lately.  When I ask someone how things are going, I’m consistently hearing “Busy”, “Crazy”, “Awesome”, “Overwhelmed”. 

Peter Drucker is quoted as saying “You cannot manage what you don’t measure”.  It seems obvious yet when business get’s busy, we often put measuring and analysis on the back burner until there is time.  Given that 2011 appears to be starting out nicely for most, I want to make sure we don’t lose ourselves in trying to make up for lost time and repeating some bad habits from the past.  So I’ve put together 5 steps to ensure you end up where you want at the end of 2011. 

1)       Identify your company’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) – Quantifiable measurements that reflect the critical success factors of your organization.  I like having no more than 5 but depending on your business you may need more.  Examples of some KPI’s include:   # of new customers acquired in the last 30 days, %  increase is Internet marketing conversions, increase in average size of project, etc.  The list is endless so choose the ones that matter most.  If you try to measure too much you’ll end up measuring nothing.

2)      Identify who will be responsible for each KPI  – Make sure one person has ultimate accountability for measuring and reporting the KPI.  Determine the frequency it will be discussed.  Monthly is a good place to start if not weekly.    

3)      Make sure there is a simple process for measurement.  – Don’t just assign someone the responsibility of measuring a KPI without making sure there is a simple process.  If it’s too time consuming either figure out how to simplify it or pick something else.

4)      What does it mean?  – Don’t just report it.  Data means nothing if you don’t learn something from it.  Discuss it, use it to grow from, create action steps as a result.  Even if your KPI reveals something negative, it’s always a positive because now you know and can do something about it.    

5)      Do It Consistently –   Develop the discipline to review, discuss and learn from your KPI’s however frequently you determine is right for your business.  Things will come up that make it easy to skip a week or month, so don’t let that happen.  If you do 1 – 4 correctly, this one will be the easiest to do because you will very quickly determine the value it creates in your business.

It’s very easy to get caught up “being busy” vs. “being impactful”.  Especially when so many companies have had too much quiet time on their hands the past few years.  Don’t let the excitement of growth get in the way of making sure you take advantage of what is shaping up to be a great year. 

Wendy Lieber is the president of Athena Marketing, a trusted marketing advisor and resource to companies interested in the growth and success of their business.  Wendy can be reached at 954.294.6467 or wendy@athena-marketing.com.