Team Alpha 375

"The older I get, the more I see a straight path where I want to go. If you're going to hunt elephants, don't get off the trail for a rabbit."

T. Boone Pickens

Three Keys to Maximizing Goal Performance
By Bob Cox

Another Saturday night, and the office is quiet. My staff is home with their families, out at the movies, gone bowling or partying... and yours truly is working diligently at his desk.

I started as a weeknight working warrior and would happily work until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. after everyone else had left the office. Then I became a weekend working warrior. Finally, I became a weekend night working warrior.

What is wrong with this picture?

I took great satisfaction in what I was doing, knowing I was working hard on my version of the American dream. Years passed until -- far too late -- I had a revelation.

I realized that I filled my daily calendar with meetings and appointments -- and I consistently underestimated the amount of time each would take. Therefore, I ended up working long hours that were not always productive.

To be honest, this made me tired and cranky. And it negatively impacted my long-term goals. It also cost me money and opportunities to spend time with my family and friends. The end result was that my life did not have balance.

I had more ideas and dreams than time to achieve them and still maintain balance in my life. I was trying to accomplish all my goals at once.

Fortunately, over the years, I have learned to modify my "everything at once" approach.

I have learned to become more realistic about the amount of time I have available and how long each task specific to my goals takes to complete. Then I step back for a moment, view what is before me, and resolve to focus on one task at a time.

Recognize Your Limits

You are only one person, with a limited amount of time, energy, and mental sharpness at your disposal. So you need to make sure you're not taking on too much. This may mean limiting the number of goals you work on in 2011 -- ideally to one in each major category: health, wealth, personal relationships, and personal growth/development.

After speaking with hundreds of members of ETR's Total Success Achievement program over the past several years, I've discovered many of them are overachievers. (Sound familiar?) They all have big ideas and more goals than can realistically be completed in one year.

Having too many goals means that you are trying to divide your time, energy, and resources into too many pieces. If you have only five hours a day to devote to your goals, and you have 10 different goals to accomplish, you run the risk of making little progress... or not accomplishing any of them at all.

Three Keys to Maximizing Goal Performance

There are three important success techniques you can learn to use to make sure you always work your level best and avoid taking on too much at once.

1. Be realistic in setting target dates for accomplishing your goals.

Total Success Achievement member Laura from Missouri understood she was setting herself up for disappointment by scheduling exactly WHEN her goals were to be completed. So she CHANGED her mindset to setting target dates. This relaxed her anxiety while increasing her enthusiasm.

Example: Plan for Health Goal (to lose 10 lbs). On January 1, my weight is 140 lbs. My target date is March 30 to lose 10 lbs. Here's how I'll do it:

• By January 15, I want to be at a weight of 137 lbs.
• By January 30, I want to be at a weight of 136 lbs.

• By February 15, I want to be at a weight of 134 lbs.
• By February 30, I want to be at a weight of 133 lbs.

• By March 15, I want to be at a weight of 131 lbs.
• By March 30, I want to be at a weight of 130 lbs.

Her plan is realistic, manageable, and breaks down beautifully and simply. See how she sets it up to lose four pounds the first month and three pounds each of the next two months?

She is ready to maximize her goal performance by simply implementing a realistic plan for success.

2. Keep a flexible mindset.

Your goals will evolve as the year progresses. Your goals may be expanded or they may need to be modified to fit your daily and weekly schedule.

And at times you might feel like you're taking two steps forward and one step back. You will have breakthroughs, triumphs, and opportunities to overcome adversity.

But no matter how the process is going, keep a flexible mindset! You may find, for example, that it isn't possible to write 100 pages of your novel each month. So you make an adjustment and aim for 50 pages a month. This by no means makes you a failure. It is part of the learning process that will help you achieve your present and future goals the best way you can.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for ideas and help.

Part of the goal-achieving process is learning to trust yourself to find solutions to obstacles along your path. But you should never feel like you're alone in this.

You can always ask friends, family members, and coworkers to give you advice, suggestions, and support. Other people are a great resource for compassion, guidance, and applause.

Whenever I find my goals stalled, I put my ego aside and ask myself, "Who can I ask for assistance?"

You will be surprised by how willing to help other people can be!

The main point I want to make today: You already have an appetite for success. You just have to be careful to avoid the tendency to pile too much on your plate.