By: Dr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Sr. Associate Editor-ICN Group
Importance of goal setting
KOLKATA: In the first 4 parts of the ‘Excellence with G.O.P.T.A.’ series, we worked upon our own mindset towards our own time utilisation patterns. Now, in the next few articles, we will see what is the importance of having ‘goals orientation’ in life.
I would quote famous motivator Zig Ziglar in saying that “You cannot make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific.”
So, to understand about the ‘Goals Orientation’, first of all, we have to understand the difference between a ‘Desire’ and a ‘Goal’. In simple terms, ‘Goal’ is a ‘desire worked upon’. If we want to get something but are not ready to work upon the same, it is just our desire, not a goal.
For example, one’s desire may be to travel around the world; but if he does not plan how to do so and does not take actions on his plan, this desire will ever remain desire or daydream. On the other hand, if a person plans how to do the same and is ready to take actions to follow the plan, the desire becomes ‘goal’. The desire should be so intense that it may keep motivating you to take actions.
How can you intensify the desire?
By writing down goals and then writing down the advantages of achieving the same. Once list of the benefits crosses 10-15-20, the desire becomes passion and you become unstoppable.
Goal setting is like shooting an arrow. If you do not take action, i.e. shooting the arrow; your desire will remain a desire.Thus, one of the essential steps in achieving any ‘Goal’ is to first form a strong burning desire; then crystallisation of such desire into your goal; and then planning and taking the necessary actions towards achieving those goals. The bridge between desire and goal is ‘action plan’ and the real difference between a desire and a goal is taking ‘ACTION’.
Benefits of Goal Setting
The most important benefit of setting goals is that it gives us a sense of direction. ‘Direction’ and ‘Speed’ are two different concepts altogether, as far as goals are concerned. Slow or fast – speed is not important, if you are on the right direction.
Here I take an example. I live in Kanpur. Can you reach my residence without knowing the correct address? Not possible. You can reach Kanpur and start wandering here and there. Though there is a bleak possibility that by chance, you may trace me in the city but the high chances are that you will have to spend many days. On the other hand, if you have my correct address beforehand, you will find me easily.
Suppose you have to travel from Kanpur to Lucknow. If you know the exact destination and the route, you will reach Lucknow, sooner or later. It doesn’t matter whether you are travelling by car or by bus or by 2-wheeler or even on foot. In any case, you will reach Lucknow crossing one milestone and another. Thus, speed and vehicle are not so important in reaching Lucknow from Kanpur; but the important thing is knowledge about the destination & the directions. The same applies to the goals also.
In my workshops, I ask people how many times since childhood, they have gone out of their home without knowing where they are going. I always got same reply – Never. Reason is that even if you are going for a petty work, you know beforehand where are you going and in which direction, you have to take your first step.
But in life, where are we going, we often don’t know. If you don’t know your destination in life, how will you reach there? It is a point to ponder upon.
(I take your leave at this important juncture to allow you pondering on this crucial point and we will talk about some other benefits of goals setting in the next article. So, stay tuned every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday.)
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Creator & copyright holder of the concept G.O.P.T.A.© is an Author, Certified NLP Lifestyle Practitioner, Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker and recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Excellence (Management) by prestigious Young Scientist University, California, USA
My book ‘How to Add 50000 Productive Hours to Your Life’ is available at Amazon & Flipkart in English at http://bit.ly/HowToAdd50000ProductiveHoursToYourLife
