The Goal Setting Secret Police - Are You Being Watched?
“Goal Setting Secret - Read all about it!” That’s one personal development holy grail that many search for. As a change-the-game career coach, I find goal setting reality to be more beneficial to my clients.
Today I was reminded of some unsettling goal setting truths after rediscovering Ray Bradbury’s classic science-fiction novel, ‘Fahrenheit 451′. It’s a best seller about censorship and in particular, about a group of firemen who are paid to set books ablaze!
A topsy-turvy world where imagination and dissent are literally consumed by the government and where the rebel fireman hero, Guy Montag, discovers the life-and-death consequences of going against the established system.
After reading it I was suddenly struck by the thought that for anyone strongly committed to personal development, it sometimes seems like there is a goal setting secret police out to demolish their dreams and aspirations. This article examines three (non-fictional!) ways to throw these apologists of inertia off your scent!
1-COMMITMENT
There is something both magical and yet foolish about committing to a deeply held desire or goal. You so very much want it to come true just like the fairy tales of your childhood.
Yet the grownup you have become is warning you how foolish you will look and feel when, not if, the dream is dashed on the rocks of reality.
However, everything I currently know about the power of self coaching suggests that total and unrelenting commitment to a major goal is not only desirable but essential. The scale of your biggest challenges requires nothing less.
What prevents this degree of commitment from turning into an unrealistic and unobtainable venture?
Answer — the maturity and wisdom gained from being totally committed to your goal.
Remember, you have the capacity to choose to learn from both positive and negative feedback. You can change course, even reverse your direction, yet still remain totally committed.
2-RESPONSIBILITY
It is one thing to be committed to a project or goal but without the acceptance of responsibility for the outcome, the impact can often be limited. Just why is responsibility so important?
A portion of it comes down to your world view and in particular, to your beliefs about the power of taking action to create the conditions you want to see in your life.
Even totally committed people can find themselves running around in circles because their responsibility for the situation they find themselves in is handed to someone else or to something else.
In other words, a mature and committed human being will seek naturally to accept as much responsibility as they need to create the outcome they want to see, while accepting that some external conditions are beyond their individual capacity to strongly influence or change.
3- ACTION
In the novel, Guy Montag took some very drastic action indeed! Although he was a fictional character it was obvious that with his life on the line he had no other option but to totally commit to his survival and freedom. And as far as possible he took action based on his beliefs and on his value system.
You can take what Guy did as a metaphor for what you may have to do in your life. Of course I am assuming that you are acting within the laws of your land at all times, and that your actions are not designed to harm anyone.
Nonetheless, you may find it something of a shock to discover that even people who often were quite close to you and could be trusted, may not see eye to eye with your goal and your actions toward it.
They may even attempt to turn you in! No, not to any law enforcement authority, but with an appeal to your old familiar self “to give this up and go back to the way you were”.
While some advice from a trusted adviser can cause you to change or sometimes even to stop your original goal, there is often a greater risk that the adviser is not acting in your best interests.
Make sure that however and wherever and from whomever you receive your counsel, in the end you must decide to take action and accept the responsibility and consequences of doing so. This can require a lot of courage to go against the flow of your life as it currently exists.
But swim to freedom you must - as Guy did. And, yes, the dogs lost the scent.
Need help setting career or business or life goals but can’t afford an excellent coach?
Goal Setting Secret
http://www.goalcreationmaps.com/art
Mark McClure is a certified career coach and goal setting secret admirer.
Tags: coaching, commitment, goal setting, smart goals
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