Thursday, May 29, 2008
78. Effective Goal Setting


1. Thing Big & Define your Goals before getting Started
Ever wonder why some people seem to have the ability to accomplish a lot? They know where they are headed and exude an enviable confidence. Effective goal setting & Thinking big is one of their keys to success. You may be working very hard at what you do, but without setting goals you'll find that your hard work doesn't yield meaningful results.
Remember Alice in Wonderland? At one point in the story, Alice stops at the crossroads to ask the Cheshire Cat which road to take. He responds by asking where she wants to go. When she tells him that she "doesn't much care where," he replies, "then it doesn't matter which way you go." As a result, she wanders aimlessly in her travels.
Like Alice, we often travel the road of life without a specific direction or goal. Studies have shown that most people either do not know what they want from life or, if they do, have no plans for realizing their dreams. People who write down the goals develop the plans to reach them.
2. Have Faith on your Goals & Visualize


Usually, the more you desire something, the harder you will work toward achieving it. Victor Frankl is a Viennese psychologist and survivor of a World War II concentration camp. In his book Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl describes people who were able to visualize a life and had faith for living were able to withstand the tortures of their circumstances. He maintains that people who had no purpose died quickly; those who kept an eye on their goals were more likely to survive. Have faith and desire in your goals to achieve it.
3. To reach the final destination take the alternative first step
My cubicle is situated in the 7th floor of my office builiding. Everyday as I traverse amidst the hectic traffic and reach office its usually around 9 when I reach there. Thats the time when most of my colleagues reach as well and the elevators are usually crowded. It takes around 5-10 minutes before I can reach my seat. Visibly annoyed initially with this delay, I decided an alternate plan - the moment I reach office I walk up the stairs and reach the First floor. Then I take the elevator from there to reach my seat - Voila! that helped me reach early avoiding any unncessary wait/delays. And taking this first step applies to goals too. If there are several stumbling blocks to reach your goal, take the alternative first step in achieving your goal!
So what are you waiting for - set a goal for yourself today, write them down, plan and achieve your desire!

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posted by Prasanna Parameswaran at 10:05 AM | 4 comments
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
77. Picture speaks 1000 words, but one wrong word...
Agreed, a picture speaks a thousand words just like this one here. But how many times have people realized how one wrong word can literally change your mind, actions and results.
It is important to understand the power of positive talk and avoiding negative words. As a Kid, I was always climbing trees, poles and literally hanging upside down. No wonder one day my father found me atop a 30ft tree swinging back and forth along with my cousin Anu. Our little brains dint realize we could get hurt or the tree would break - it was just fun for us!
At that very moment, my dad and Anu's mom noticed a huge gust of wind swaying the tree. I heard my father yelling "Hold on tight son!" and so I did. The next thing I know, I saw Anu screaming at the top of her lungs and lying flat on the ground badly hurt. Later as years rolled by, my dad told me why Anu fell and I dint - Anu fell because Anu's mom said "Anu! dont fall" and she exactly did. The mind always has a difficulty in processing negative images and when it does its always confused/scared. In order to process the command of not falling, Anu's little brain imagined falling, thereby doing the exact opposite! And this is just not true with negative thoughts even negated words. And what makes matters worse is that most people just simply dont listen.
A group of people were asked by a leading motivator to take a pen and hold it on hand.
Do exactly as I say "Try to drop the pen"
Half of them dropped the pen.
You, werent paying attention, I said "TRY to drop the pen"
Now most of them pretended to be in excruciating pain while trying to drop the pen, eventually dropping the pen.
The point made here is that, if you are instructing your brain " Give it a try" you are actually asking your brain to fail. "I will try" will not give you success in life. Psychologists claim that it takes 17 positive words to offset one negative words. I dont know how far it is true, but if the logic holds true, then remember it would take 17 compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism. It is important that the kids of this generation are taught to be positive, and to do that start today with positive words. Say I can!! Ciao..,
 
posted by Prasanna Parameswaran at 7:21 PM | 4 comments