Goal Setting Template For Personal And Business Planning

Goal Setting (and Getting) is capable of making you more effective in every important aspect of your life.

In this template, we provide you with a system for setting those personal Goals that will make sure that, once attained, your Financial Freedom is but the means to enjoy the things that really matter in your life (if you want to know more about attaining Financial Freedom, ask me).

And so it is that we say:

Now is a good time to Set goals for each of the Key Areas of Your Life.

Just as each of the goals you set for each of the key areas of your business are brought together to form a comprehensive plan, upon which to build your business, so it is that you can set goals for each of the important areas of your life and bring these together to form your own “Life Plan”.

Once you have created Goals for each of the key Life Areas, consider having them laminated and then fastening them inside your shower, where they will serve to “kick start” and to focus you, every day!
Why in the shower?

You already know that the flow of warm water across your body is physically relaxing, but did you know that it is also mentally relaxing?  If you were able to watch your brain activity on an electroencephalograph, you would see the frequency of the electrical impulses that are an indicator of your thought processes, slow from a busy workaday 21-15 cycles per second prior to your shower, to a more languid 14-7 cycles per second during your shower.

This rhythm frequency is known as your “alpha rhythm” and it in this state that you are most capable of learning, and most capable of integrating both right and left brain functions.

Goal Setting Basics – a Reminder on Affirmations
Here, as always, ensure that you obey the basic rules of Goal Setting by casting your final goals in the form of an Affirmation.

Make sure that each Goal, once written on your sheet meets the following specifications:

That it is:

1. In the present tense and incorporates the calendar date on or before which you wish to achieve your goal (eg, “It is 31 December 2009, and I have already ….“)
2. In the first person (“ …  and I have already . . . )
3. A positive expression of what you do want (omit all negatives; find ways of using only positive expressions)
4. Precise (if numbers apply, apply them: – “… and I am now spending more than 12 long-weekends every year in quality activities with my loved ones …”
5. Affirmed!  Close each affirmation with a big “Yes” or “Will do, have done!”

Examples
The following sample affirmations may assist you in creating your own:
Health:  “It is 31 December 2013 and for the past four years (number of years from today to the calendar date incorporated in your Goal) I have enjoyed excellent health, and have attained and maintained a level of fitness that provides me with the energy to excel at everything that I do.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  Setting the date four years into the future ensures that you are not only healthy right now, but will be in 5 years time. It also allows a sensible timeframe over which you can bring about significant changes in your lifestyle.  If you think about it in sufficient detail you will come to appreciate that “Energy” is the one, primary and universal “want”.  The greater your levels of energy, the more you are alive, and the greater your capacity to strive and win!
Happiness and Contentment:  “It is 31 December 2013 and for the past four years I have been, and am, happy and content with my life, and enjoy each of my daily challenges as a means of learning and growing.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  Happiness and contentment are not the product of “an absence of challenges” – only the dead enjoy that circumstance.  They are a matter of maintaining a cheerful and positive expectation that you will learn from and overcome each of your challenges.
Financial Freedom:  “It is 31 December 2013, I am healthy, happy and free, and have more than $5 million dollars in net assets safely invested and returning me more than 4% each year after tax and inflation.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  With “healthy, happy and free” we have ensured that the basic preconditions of enjoying our financial freedom are in place.  The expression “more than” ensures room to exceed our goals and is a positive expression (contrast it with “at least” or “not less than” which are negative.)  Stating “net assets” ensures that our capital is “unencumbered”, i.e. it is not offset against debt or liability; and our statement as to returns ensures the safety and desired level of our income.  Nothing is left to chance.
Work:  “It is 31 December 2010 and in the past year I have achieved all of my major business goals on or before time and have improved my personal productivity and that of my staff to a high level.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  “On or before time” leaves room to exceed our goals.  We have assumed that your profitability is one of your “major work goals” and so have not stated it here – but you could – and we have covered off on “productivity” as it is a major driver of both profits and job satisfaction.
Love Relationships:  “It is 31 December 2010 and during the past year I have been a loving, supportive and engaging partner to my wife/husband/etc and I grow daily in my love and appreciation of her/him. Yes!”

→ Critique:  This one is highly personal and so should reflect your intimate wishes and values.

Family:  “It is 31 December 2010 and during the past year I have been a wise, loving and supportive father/mother to my children; an obedient and loving child to my parents; and a supportive and fun brother/sister to my (siblings).  Yes!”

→ Critique:  This makes sure that each of our primary family relationships/roles is addressed.  Some thought will give you a real lift – and possibly, some insights into your past performance in this area.
Friends & Acquaintances:  “It is 31 December 2010 and throughout the past year I have done my bit to maintain contact with my close friends; have been there to share good times and challenges with them; drawn strength from them; and have positively contributed to the quality of their lives.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  Again, very personal, but ensure that you make plans to spend some of your “good times” with your friends, as some fall into seeking out their closest friends for comfort only in times of challenge.
Contribution to Society:  “It is 31 December 2010 and during the past year I have contributed in a positive and tangible way to my community and have been directly and personally involved in bringing to fruition more than one significant project for the advancement of its members. Yes!”

→ Critique:  If you have specific projects in mind, name them.  Note the “more than one significant project” phrase, to pin a “precise quantity” on the goal, and to leave room to exceed this.
Creativity:   “It is 31 December 2010 and during the last year I have learned to play more than 3 of my favourite musical pieces on the piano.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  Precision.  Whether your talent or yearnings lie in music, theatre, painting, welding, writing, inventing or knitting, you will not do anything in this area, until you set a goal for it.
Intellectual Growth:   “It is 31 December 2010 and during the past year I have read and understood more than 6 books that have introduced me to new knowledge and ideas; and I am continually encountering experiences and people that offer me the opportunity to expand my intellectual capacity and knowledge.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  Note the “read and understood” – not much point churning through volumes of books unless something sinks in and stays with you to enrich your perspective on Life.  Note also that “other people” are a prime source for our intellectual development.  Seeking out people whose thinking processes and ideas challenge your own will grow you in this area.
Spiritual Development: “It is 31 December 2010 and during the past year I now pray/meditate on an average of more than once a day and feel a deep, inner peace and connectedness with all of Life.  Yes!”

→ Critique:  Perhaps the most “personal” of areas. Don’t lose sight of the fact that delving into your spiritual nature and the development of your own “personal philosophy” is the foundation of “mental toughness”.  After “energy”, “peace and contentment” are two universally sought after goals, and the attainment of these is a major factor in your “recovery ability” and resilience.
With the above guidelines, you should now be well equipped to create a “Life Plan” for yourself!

Showering will never be the same again!
And Your Staff?

Consider inviting your key staff to participate in a Group Exercise with you, in setting and sharing their goals in these key areas.  You know your own staff well enough to be aware of whether they would be comfortable with some of the more personal Key Life Areas, but even restricting the exercise to the “safe” areas will produce some revelations.

When setting the scene for this exercise, realize that many people have never defined their Life Goals – even to themselves – and can find the exercise quite challenging, so make sure that you take a fun approach; that you keep it light; and that you precede the session with discussion on the topic, followed by some of the examples provided above, or some of your own devising.

For example, you might start the process by telling staff that you are looking for opportunities where their personal goals might align with the business’ activities.

Through a “lunch table” discussion, you may find that one of your staff enjoys travel, and that your business has the opportunity to be represented at a trade fair or industry exhibition in another city.  Rather than a chore, this staff member may see attending such an event as exciting and interesting.  If that staff members lacks the qualifications to represent the company, the opportunity may prove the ideal incentive to engage their interest in gaining qualifications – and thereby gaining value to you.