In an earlier article I spoke about the importance of goal setting as an enabler for a rich and successful life. This begs the question: How do I choose which goals to focus on?
There are a few techniques I’ve learnt to help me answer this question.
At a high level, I aim to select my goals based on my values and the most important dimensions of my life. The two people who have influenced me the most in this regard are Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Robin Sharma, author of The Monk who sold his Ferrari.
This article contains my interpretation of some of the techniques they suggest that have resonated with me. These techniques can be done quickly (anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour over a quiet cup of coffee). I also find it very useful to revisit them periodically (eg quarterly or annually) to assess progress and tweak my approach. You don’t need to do all of the techniques — simply pick one that feels like it might work for you.
- Stephen Covey’s Funeral Visualisation exercise
Imagine you are at a funeral that is about to begin. You can see the people filing in. Many are crying. There is a coffin at the front. On top of the coffin is a photograph … and the photo is of YOU. It’s your funeral.
There are four people who will deliver a eulogy about you, the life you lived and the impact you had. One is a member of your family, another is a friend, another is someone from your work, and finally, someone from your church or community.
What will they say about your character, your contribution and your achievements? If the funeral was to take place tomorrow, would you be happy with what each of them would say? If not, what would you like them to say?
Assessing the gap between what they might say tomorrow, and what you’d like them to say at the end of your life is a great place to start thinking about what goals could make a positive difference to the way you live your life and your satisfaction with your life. Considering family, friends, work and your local community helps ensure you consider all of the vital elements of your life.
2. Roles Exercise
Think about the differing roles you have and assess your satisfaction with how you are performing in each of these roles.
To help you get started, the roles I have identified for myself include as a Husband, a Father, a member of an extended family, an IT Manager, a work colleague, a church member, a friend, an Asset Builder and an individual/person. I use the last role (as an individual/person) to assess my satisfaction with my mental, physical and spiritual health. The list of roles can change at different times in your life. For example, I have previously included the role of “Author” and “Sporting Team Member”.
I record the roles in a column in a spreadsheet. In the second column. I jot down a few notes about how I am going in each role, any issues I am facing and how satisfied I am. In the third column I write how I would ideally like to be living that role, in the fourth column I document what needs to change to move me towards the ideal situation, and in the fifth column how it will change.
I have found that working through this process has given me a great insight into what goals and objectives to set myself in order to improve the quality of my life.
3. Personal Mission Statement
Another exercise suggested by Stephen Covey, your personal mission statement should tie together the major elements of your life and your dreams or objectives against each. On the basis that it’s sometimes easier to show rather than tell, following is a sample mission statement.
My mission is to live with integrity, to continually develop myself and to be a positive influence on those I come into contact with.
I will live my life in a positive and pro-active manner, exercising fairness in my dealings with others and taking responsibility for my actions.
I will seek to continually increase my self-knowledge and improve my capabilities.
These roles take priority in my life:
Husband: My wife is the most important person in my life. We will work together to develop a loving, honest and harmonious home life
Father: I will ensure my children feel loved and are provided with the skills and knowledge to develop their potential to lead independent and constructive lives
Grandson/Son/Brother: I will interact with my wider family to provide support and love.
Change Agent: I will be a catalyst for developing high performance in organisations with a focus on respecting the dignity and growing the potential of those I work with.
Self-Improver: I will focus on the continual development of my mental, spiritual, emotional/social and physical capabilities.
Asset Builder: I will invest for the future, with the aim of creating opportunities for flexibility and independence.
4. Tying it all together — A personal Annual Plan on a Page
I took this approach from Robin Sharma, who suggests you should fill out a plan on a page containing the following elements:
- “My magnificent obsession”: Similar to the first few lines of a mission statement.
- “My values”: A list of my core values.
- “By December 31 …”: A list of the objectives that I wish to achieve against each of the core dimensions of my life (family, career, etc) by the end of the calendar year.
- Quarterly Goals: A list of the goals I will need to achieve each quarter in order to progress towards achieving my December 31 objective.
My suggestion is to set goals only one quarter in advance at a time, and to review the plan at the end of each quarter in order to set the next quarter’s goals. Setting goals on a quarterly basis is important because it enables you to chunk down a whole-years worth of objective into an achievable goal.
A sample layout follows, partially filled in with a sample entry for “My magnificent obsession” and sample “Values”.
The aim of this plan is to complete it annually. I have always found the Christmas / New Year holidays to be a great time to review my life and consider what changes may be warranted. The fact that I am usually on holidays gives me the space to objectively reflect on my life. I also set up a reminder in my calendar to review it every quarter, ticking off the goals I have completed and adding new goals for the next quarter.
You don’t need to wait until Christmas to complete it for the first time — you can develop your first plan at any time of the year. If you develop your plan midway through the year, my suggestion is to make it a shorter plan, and aim to have it finish at the end of the year. This will enable you to get a feel for the technique and start your annual cycle when the end of year comes around.
Conclusion
Selecting the goals that you will chase is a step of significant importance, especially if you also adopt practices which maximise the likelihood that you will achieve them. By utilising one or more of the techniques in this article, you will achieve insights into what is important in your life and enable yourself to structure your life in such a way as to achieve great results in the areas that are most important for you.
