by Guest Contributor: Minesh Baxi
Let me ask you – Have you ever set a goal that you did not accomplish?
I have set enough goals that I did not accomplish. Identifying these three phases has enabled me to set milestones, measure progress and get those goals accomplished! So let me give you the three basic phases of achieving every single goal. Once you understand this process, you will be clear about accomplishing your goals.
These phases give you a strategy, a place to start. Every accomplishment needs a starting point. You may find yourself evaluating what took place in the past that hindered you from accomplishing your goals. These phases will help you set goals right now and help you get to a point where you can say, “Okay, I need to do ‘X, Y & Z’ before I achieve this goal.
Let’s talk about the first phase which I call the “I Must.”
This is the stage where you identify enough compelling reasons to accomplish your goal. What does that look like? Suppose you were in the situation that if you did not make a certain sale, your house would go into foreclosure. Do you think making that sale becomes a “must?” The consequences would be terrible if you did not make that sale happen.
Now the situation does not have to be that dramatic! It could be that you have a desire, such as a boat you’ve dreamed about, a car you want to buy, or a vacation you want to take. Perhaps you look at your situation in life and say to yourself, “If I keep doing this for the rest of my life, would that life be really worth it? Perhaps you are making good money and enjoying life in general, but are you really accomplishing all that you want?”
To push yourself out of a comfort zone into change, you need to have enough reasons and you should have them from both a positive and negative angle. What would be the positive outcome if you did accomplish it? What would be the worst case scenario if you did not accomplish it? If you have both of those together, you can leverage the power of that intensity and say this is the reason I must accomplish the goal. If it is not a “must” in your mind, then the other stages do not matter. The attitude of “I MUST” keeps you moving toward your goal.
The second phase is “I Can.” In this stage you must have a strategy. To accomplish a goal, you need a strategy. It’s optimum to have a proven strategy, a tested strategy. Either you have seen somebody accomplish a similar goal or you have found a way that has worked for you in the past.
Now it is time to actually have that strategy in front of you. People often say, “I want to lose weight.” Once they have the “must,” they need the strategy. There are different strategies available; anything from Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and a host of other programs enable you to say, “If I am serious about accomplishing weight loss, this is the approach I will take.” If you want to start a business or make your current business grow, find someone who has had that success. Use their business building strategy. If it is proven, when things get tough, you will have the confidence that will help you stay with it until you’ve achieved success.
The third phase is “I Will.” This phase is where you actually follow through consistently using that strategy. You are going to be consistent in saying, “Okay, I need to do this daily in order to accomplish my goal. I will do this when I don’t feel like it or when it doesn’t seem to be working. I will do this when others say I can’t. I will.”
Now there are times when you might have to find a different strategy. There are times when you are going to reevaluate and say, “I need to approach this differently.” That is okay, that is part of the learning process. When you have the “I will,” eventually you will have worked your strategy long enough in order to get the result. “I will” is a commitment to yourself.
What is commitment? Commitment is doing the things that you said you were going to do long after the mood has left you. We can get anything we want, but if commitment is lacking, we will not do what it takes to push past obstacles, continue in our strategy, and accomplish the goal.
Ask yourself the following questions about the goals you are setting:
What does my life look like if I do not accomplish this goal? Is this goal a “must?”
Have I found a proven strategy to achieve this goal?
Am I committed to following the strategy consistently to actually accomplish my goal?
Accomplishing a goal has rewards beyond the goal itself. Stop robbing yourself and make that goal a reality!
Minesh Baxi is a successful author, speaker and business coach. To watch “Three Steps To Unlimited Clients” go to www.Mbaxi.com
