Clear your mind, the rest will follow
Every goal-setting plan must
look at the most important ingredient -mental clarity
The recipe for success is a
complicated one. It takes a lot of talent, a little bit of luck and a
relentless work ethic but even those three ingredients won't guarantee success.
It takes one more thing, and it's something that is often overlooked. The one thing
you can't accomplish goals without is clarity. While there are several types of
clarity -mental, physical, emotional, spiritual -mental clarity is the most
vital when it comes to achieving an objective. The good news is that there are
plenty of ways to obtain mental clarity.Practising the methods below will
jumpstart your productivity, declutter your life and allow you to make progress
towards any goal that you set.
What is mental clarity?
When I asked superathlete and best-selling author of Finding Ultra, Rich Roll,
he described mental clarity like this: “Mental clarity is when you are deeply
acquainted with your highest self.When you truly understand who you are, what
is important and the trajectory ahead.Mental clarity is when your life and
vocation become an extension of your best, most authentic self.“
In other words, you have to
know what you want and be willing to do everything in your power to reach that
goal. The key is having a clear and concise goal. Any ambiguity in your plans
will ultimately lead to negative outcomes, extra steps andor complications
while trying to reach that goal.
Setting Goals
There is a huge difference
between setting a goal and wanting to accomplish something. The goal-setting
process is much more than simply saying, “I want to lose some weight.“
Collecting your thoughts and setting a proper goal is a lost art, like the
midrange jump shot in the NBA or having actual face-to-face conversations
without looking at your iPhone. Here is an easy, 4-step goal-setting hack that
will take your efficiency to the next level. Do this once every three months.
It's a game-changer.
Brain dump:
Grab a notebook and a
pen.Put yourself in a quiet environment with no distractions. Write down
literally everything you've ever thought about accomplishing.Do this for at
least 30 minutes.
Organisation:
Look at everything you
jotted down during your brain dump and organise each line item into a category.
You can choose the categories -maybe you just choose two: wants and needs.
Maybe you go a different route and separate them into categories of life, like
career, fitness, rela tionship, finances and personal. Whatever you think is
best for you and your list, use that. While you organise these items, you'll
weed out the weak entries. Remember, a goal is supposed to be SMART (specific,
measurable, achievable, relevant and timebased). During the organisation
process you'll run into some not-so-smart things you wrote down. Ditch them.
Focus on the good stuff.
Prioritisation:
This is where you
prioritise everything remaining on your list. I use a strategy called the
Prioritisation Matrix.Take a look at each item on your list and rank it based
on 1) doability and 2) impact.Draw a graph where the x-axis represents the doability
of that task and the y-axis represents the impact of that task -each on a 1
(low) to 5 (high) scale. Map the points on this graph by analysing the impact
doability of each task on your list. Be brutally honest with yourself. When it
comes to doability, think about time commitment, any expenses that you may
incur and any resources you need to complete the task. As you map out the
graph, the items that wind up in the top right corner will be ones with a high
impact and a high level of doability. Those are the ideas that you should focus
on first and foremost. Don't do away with the ideas that didn't make the cut
just yet. They will still need to get done, but the priority is placed on the
top right corner of the graph first.
The next step is when you
bring everything together and start to work towards each goal.
Action plan:
Now you have 4-6 great
ideas that will impact your life in a major way. Create an action plan for each
item. This is when you apply the SMART characteristics to each of these
important ideas. Think Who? What?
When? Where? Why?
For example, if one of your general ideas was, “I want to get fit,“ and you determined that the impact and doability were both high, this is when you specify what “fit“ means to you -do you want to lose weight or gain muscle? Remember “success“ is subjective and specific to you. Your final goal may be, “I want to lose 20 pounds before my wedding on August 27, 2016.“ This goal is specific and measurable because you have an exact amount of weight you want to lose. It's attainable and relevant because you've given yourself six months to do this and it directly affects your wedding day. Lastly, the goal is time-based because you've given yourself a deadline of August 27. Now that you have a great goal in place, you can create a plan of attack. Research weight loss concepts. Contact a weight loss or fitness specialist. Join a gym or a hire a professional to help. Track monthly progress, breaking the goal up into six monthly mini-goals. Dominate! Follow the same guidelines for all of the major goals from the top right portion of the graph. Turn the rest of the items into a to-do list with deadlines. You can apply the SMART guidelines to those as well, if time allows.
When? Where? Why?
For example, if one of your general ideas was, “I want to get fit,“ and you determined that the impact and doability were both high, this is when you specify what “fit“ means to you -do you want to lose weight or gain muscle? Remember “success“ is subjective and specific to you. Your final goal may be, “I want to lose 20 pounds before my wedding on August 27, 2016.“ This goal is specific and measurable because you have an exact amount of weight you want to lose. It's attainable and relevant because you've given yourself six months to do this and it directly affects your wedding day. Lastly, the goal is time-based because you've given yourself a deadline of August 27. Now that you have a great goal in place, you can create a plan of attack. Research weight loss concepts. Contact a weight loss or fitness specialist. Join a gym or a hire a professional to help. Track monthly progress, breaking the goal up into six monthly mini-goals. Dominate! Follow the same guidelines for all of the major goals from the top right portion of the graph. Turn the rest of the items into a to-do list with deadlines. You can apply the SMART guidelines to those as well, if time allows.
What you need is a clear
understanding of who you are, what you want to accomplish and how you're going
to accomplish it.
When it comes to goals, any
uncertain ty of even the most minuscule details can lead to you slipping up on
what you're aiming for. Be strict and disciplined, but have fun and enjoy the
journey -not just the destination.
Justin Ochoa
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MM10MAR16
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