Photo and blog by Sharman Dow
A Goal is an Intentional Act
A goal is something you have conceived in your mind to achieve. It is the end in which your efforts are placed. Having a goal in business is an intentional act. You must review and apply regularly. A business goal is the sum total of your ambition and aspirations. Have you set any goals for the rest of this year? Or, for that matter, have you set any goals for your life?
A Harvard Study on Goal Setting
According to Mark McCormack in his book “What They Don’t Teach You in the Harvard Business School,” a study was done by Harvard Business School in 1979 on goal setting. The students were asked if any of them had a clear and concise goal for their future in mind. Only three percent had written goals; 13 percent had goals, but did not write them down. The other 84 percent did not have any goals.
Ten years later, a follow-up survey was done on these students. It was incredible to realize, but the top three percent had not only achieved their written goals, but were making 10 times more income than the other 97 percent. The other 13 percent who had goals, but did not write them down, were making double what the other 84 percent were making.
If this study is a true indication of human nature, then it is imperative for you to write out your goals. There are many excuses we have for not taking the time to write out our goals. But whatever the reason, no excuse is valid should you want to achieve success.
Brian Tracy, in his bestselling book “Goals,” states there are four main reasons why people do not write out their goals. I personally believe his number-one reason is the reason why most people don’t write out their goals at all. He states that most people do not realize the importance of goal setting. Is that you? Have you ever thought how important it is to write out your goals?
He goes on to state other reasons why people do not set goals. Some people fear failure of not achieving their goals. Or, they fear rejection from others. Many people think goal setting requires a “magic formula,” and they don’t know where to begin. There might be a magic formula according to Brian Tracy, but as Nike so famously says, “Just DO It!”
After reading about the Harvard study nearly 10 years ago, I started writing out my goals for my personal and business life. There was not a formal way in which I did it. I just took a Sharpie and wrote out my dreams and desires of what I wanted to achieve in my journal –one-liners of my 10 desires I wanted to accomplish in my life. At that point in my career I was working for a top-10 insurance brokerage firm. I was one of the few women who had the opportunity to out perform my male peers. At that time I wrote out I wanted to attend my company’s Peak Performers Conference and sell more than a million in revenue. Guess what? That very next year I did attend the conference and out sold many of my peers!
Another personal goal I had written down was that I wanted to write a book. I had no clue when I wrote out this goal what my book would be about. All I knew is that I wanted to write a book. I looked at this goal regularly and determined to find the time to write. It took me three years to write my first book because I wrote it part-time. But now I have written two books. I would have thought this is something I could have never have achieved, because, for me, being a working mom was difficult — especially juggling my time. Somehow my desire to achieve writing a book overcame my concerns and difficulties for finding the time.
Put Value on Your Goals
I put value on my goals and looked at them regularly, which made me meditate on them. There is something that occurs inside of us when we take the time to write out our thoughts, dreams and goals and then look at them regularly.
How about you? I’m writing out my goals for 2016 and what I want to do with the rest of my life. Join me and take an hour to write out your goals for this year. One goal for me is that I want to impact the next generation of Christian businesswomen by passing on a legacy of integrity. That is why I founded the Empower Women’s Conference. Come to our conference and see my written goal become a reality!
Sharman Dow is the founder of the Empower Women’s Conference, coming October 22nd to Orange County. Register today!
