Goal Setting involves setting specific, measurable and time targeted objectives. In an organizational or business context, it may be an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants are clearly aware of what is expected from them, if an objective is to be achieved. On a personal level, Goal setting is a process that allows people to specify then work towards their own objectives – most commonly with financial or career-based goals. Goal setting is a major component of Personal development.

Importance of writing down your goal!

Goal setting really is far more effective when specific steps are integrated with written time frames and dates to document our thinking. Reality: Written goals clarify thinking, objectify their potential, and reinforce commitment. Another secret of successful people is that they keep their written goals

visible and review them daily. One famous study from Yale in 1953 said that the 3% of Yale graduates who had written goals had more wealth years later than the other 97% of the class combined.To reinforce the study conducted by Yale, l read a book recently titled “Look within or Do without” by Tom Bay. According to Mr Bay, Harvard Business School did a study on the financial status of its students 10 years after graduation and found that:

- As many as 27% of them needed financial assistance.

- A whopping 60% of them were living paycheck to paycheck.

- A mere 10% of them were living comfortably.

- And only 3% of them were financially independent.

The study also looked at goal setting and found these interesting correlations.

- The 27% that needed financial assistance had absolutely no goal setting process in their lives.

- The 60% that were living paycheck to paycheck had basic survival goals;such as managing to live paycheck to paycheck.

- The 10% that were living comfortably had general goals. They thought they knew where they were going to be in the next five years.

- The 3% that were financially independent had written out their goals and the steps required to reach them.

Yes, the result of this study seem a little too perfect, but l’m not suprise at the overall implication. On personal experience, my life was in a shambles until l begin to set goals and write them down, as well as planning my days that l started to witness significant improvement and success in my life and family. Then without goal setting, l was working more and getting less in return for my effort. Why? The answer is simple! No direction and focus.

I understand why you’d not want to write down your goals.Writing down goals seems so contrived.So banal.You think that it may work fine for someone less intelligent – much less individualistic but that’s not for you.

That’s what l used to feel. For years, felt that way about,and made fun of, anything of positive thinking, personal power, or self-help. Then, almost by accident, l stumbled onto Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People Program and that changed the way l thought about self-help.

If goal setting can work for Harvard Business School Graduates, shouldn’t it work for you too? And Let me live you with this quote by Joseph Addison “There is nothing we receive with so much reluctance as advice”.

By: Pius Ephenus