Working towards success

Once you have decided on your purpose in life, it will be time to think about setting some goals in order to achieve it.

How many times have we heard about someone becoming successful ‘overnight’? But people like athletes, actors, novelists, musicians, inventors, scientists, or even politicians and business tycoons don’t become successful overnight.

They have each had to learn and work and train their bodies or minds. They may have had to endure hardships, work day and night, give up a social life and make all sorts of sacrifices because they were passionate about achieving the goals they had set for themselves.

Think about the different areas of your life.

· Write them down in a book or on computer.

Take time to go through, and then take one or two areas that you feel are most important to you.

1. Write down what you want to achieve as if it is really happening.

2. Write all the positive things you can think of about achieving this goal.

3. Make a timeline with an end date for reaching your goal. Be realistic. [Remember those athletes who have to train for years. They would have made lots of goals to reach before the big one.]

4. List every step you will have to take to reach your goal.

5. Write down the problems you will have to overcome.

6. Keep positive, tune out to negative influences around you.

7. Day dream about when you reach the goal. Hold on to the dream in your mind.

8. List the people who can help you.

9. List all the things that you will need to learn.

10. Discipline yourself. Remind yourself of what you are aiming for and keep at it.

11. Read your goals every day to keep focussed.

12. Add other goals as you get a clearer picture of where you want to be and how to get there.

13. DO IT NOW.

Remember that you can only make goals for yourself. You cannot make goals for other people.

· Maybe you would like someone to be your friend.

· Well, you can’t make someone like you, but you could work towards making yourself into a more likeable, friendly and interesting person.

· Even if that person still doesn’t like you, there will be lots of others who do like you, and you will like yourself better too.

Make small goals at first so that you can see progress quickly. Be realistic. You can’t aim to be a singer if you are tone deaf, but you could aim to build on your natural assets to achieve something else in your life.

What next?

Now that you’ve made a start, you are on your way to making positive changes in your life. This will take constant effort.

· Read your goals every day.

· Check if you are on track.

· If you encounter obstacles, work through until you can solve them.

· Make each goal a series of little goals so that you can tick them off as you go and see how far you have come.

· Make affirmations out of each small step. Be sure that you write these down too. This will help you maintain the positive attitude and enthusiasm you need to work towards your goals.

· What’s an affirmation? Here is an example: “I am learning to listen to people, I am becoming a good listener.” Even if you are not really a good listener yet, saying that you are going to become one, over and over, will get that idea firmly into your mind and help you to become one – it affirms what you want to do.

So, go for it! What have you got to lose? Have a successful, busy, happy life.

Source: Daily express, Wednesday, 10^th September, 2008, Section: Youth & Parenting