Im a big believer in setting goals specifically goals which can be tracked ticked failed but definitely not forgotten. There is absolutely nothing I hate worse than the feeling of just spinning my wheels with no directed effort. It gives a feeling of feeling adrift and I'll be first to admit that this is the number one thing that would bring me down.
Which always brings me to the saying.
"If one doesn't know to which port one is sailing, No winds favourable."
In 1915 deep in the antarctic circle, Shackleton and 5 of his men adrift in a 22-foot lifeboat named the James caird certainly knew which direction they wanted to wind. Wind from the Southeast to help them sail the infamous drake passage. In fact, their lives depended on it.
To go off somewhat on a small tangent I recommend reading the book Endurance it's the Story of Shackleton's attempt to be the first party to cross the Antarctic and the journey through hell in which all 27 men survived.
Setting goals allows us to know where to place our efforts. Allows us to remain motivated and on a task over long periods of time. It allows us to specifically organise our time to align our efforts with our goals. In other words once we, not the outcome we desire we can clearly see is we are pointless struggling into a headwind or if we can hoist the sails.
I set my goals yearly and break them down into quarters. I then check to see if I'm on track at each quarter and if im not what adjustments do I need to make to order to reach those targets. I like using quarters because it allows me to break down larger yearly targets into more manageable chunks. It keeps me accountable and focused over shorter periods of time. This also allows me to refocus my efforts before the goals go too far off track.
When it comes to setting goals I do this for almost everything.
What weights do I want to that year
Are there any competitions I want to take part in
Introducing new services into the business
What I'm going to do to improve myself as a Coach
How many private sessions do I aim to deliver
How many people I have in my group sessions
Developing who I become as an individual.
And when it comes to writing down goals I'm old school. I break out the pen and paper and get to work, I also keep a diary with my quarterly targets and I go a step further to break down my months, weeks and days so I know exactly what I need to do each day to move one step closer. I'm a big believer in physically writing them down as it stops them being banished and buried in the vastness of our imaginations.
It's only fitting that I wrap up this blog post with the Shackleton Family Motto
"Fortitudine Vincimus"
Which translates to "By Endurance We Conquer"
Comments