Thursday, December 22, 2005
Setting Goals to Achieve Your Potential in 2006
By: Doug Hirschhorn, Ph.D. “The Head Coach”
TheHeadCoach@gmail.com
Take a minute to think back about your accomplishments and progress throughout the past year. Did you achieve ALL of your goals? Did you really push yourself to set high but realistic goal standards? Did you surpass your OWN expectations of performance? Can you look in the mirror and say with conviction that you were truly A+?
This is not about comparing yourself to others, but looking deep inside and making it your mission to be better than you were yesterday. That is why I do not believe one ever really truly reaches their “full potential.” Becoming your best is and should be an ongoing journey.
The Problem
Through my observations and conversations over the past five years as a coach, I have noticed that 99% of people do a poor job of establishing goals and when they do, they fail to reflect on them on a regular basis. From an achievement perspective, if you think about, it does not seem to make much sense. After all, if setting goals is a useful exercise, then maybe we should be doing it consistently and leverage it to take our game to the next level. My purpose in this post is to challenge you to begin (if you have not already) your journey to achieving A+ in 2006.
The Solution
So what does it take to be A+?
While there are a variety of factors, goal setting is certainly at the top of the list of ingredients. Interestingly, it is something that anyone can do but remarkably few people take the time or make the effort to do it properly. Rather than spend time exploring why this is the case, here are some things you can do to increase the probability of successfully achieving your goals in 2006 and move towards A+.
* Carefully assess what your strengths and weaknesses are as a person and a trader
* Reflect on what you have accomplished in the past, what typically gets in your way, and what you have done to deal with these barriers when they appeared
* Provide yourself with a clear-cut structure and game plan
* Solicit regular feedback, from those you work with or respect, on what you are doing right and wrong
* Regularly “check in” with yourself to measure accuracy, clarity, and progress
* And most importantly, gain self-awareness and accountability by writing everything down in your journal
Remember, setting goals is about YOU. It is about helping you stay on target as you move towards reaching your potential. With this said, learn from 2005 and be more proactive in your goal-setting process as you continue to take our game to the next level in 2006.
Until next time, keep your eye on the ball and your head in the game!
-- The Head Coach
TheHeadCoach@gmail.com
Take a minute to think back about your accomplishments and progress throughout the past year. Did you achieve ALL of your goals? Did you really push yourself to set high but realistic goal standards? Did you surpass your OWN expectations of performance? Can you look in the mirror and say with conviction that you were truly A+?
This is not about comparing yourself to others, but looking deep inside and making it your mission to be better than you were yesterday. That is why I do not believe one ever really truly reaches their “full potential.” Becoming your best is and should be an ongoing journey.
The Problem
Through my observations and conversations over the past five years as a coach, I have noticed that 99% of people do a poor job of establishing goals and when they do, they fail to reflect on them on a regular basis. From an achievement perspective, if you think about, it does not seem to make much sense. After all, if setting goals is a useful exercise, then maybe we should be doing it consistently and leverage it to take our game to the next level. My purpose in this post is to challenge you to begin (if you have not already) your journey to achieving A+ in 2006.
The Solution
So what does it take to be A+?
While there are a variety of factors, goal setting is certainly at the top of the list of ingredients. Interestingly, it is something that anyone can do but remarkably few people take the time or make the effort to do it properly. Rather than spend time exploring why this is the case, here are some things you can do to increase the probability of successfully achieving your goals in 2006 and move towards A+.
* Carefully assess what your strengths and weaknesses are as a person and a trader
* Reflect on what you have accomplished in the past, what typically gets in your way, and what you have done to deal with these barriers when they appeared
* Provide yourself with a clear-cut structure and game plan
* Solicit regular feedback, from those you work with or respect, on what you are doing right and wrong
* Regularly “check in” with yourself to measure accuracy, clarity, and progress
* And most importantly, gain self-awareness and accountability by writing everything down in your journal
Remember, setting goals is about YOU. It is about helping you stay on target as you move towards reaching your potential. With this said, learn from 2005 and be more proactive in your goal-setting process as you continue to take our game to the next level in 2006.
Until next time, keep your eye on the ball and your head in the game!
-- The Head Coach
