Zen and the Art of Making A Living
Laurence G. Boldt
Let’s be honest. For a lot of us, writing goals just isn’t as much fun as dreaming about visions. A vision is, in a sense, complete within itself, while a goal represents a great deal of effort for only a fraction of the vision. In your imagination, you can experience the totality of the vision now, with practically no effort while working toward goals demands effort and the capacity to overcome resistance. Resistance results from the physical limitations of the natural world - time, space, energy, and matter. Resistance is overcome by concentrating and focusing energy. Writing definite goals is a powerful step to concentrating your energy.
Written Goals Are Best: A goal is measurable written statement of a definite next step toward the realization of a vision you want to see manifest. If it’s not written down, its not really a goal. It’s a wish, a dream, a vision, a hope, but not a goal. Writing your goals down forces you to clarify and refine them. Several studies have shown that a written goal is more likely to e achieved than one that is merely thought or talked about. For example, in 1954 a survey was made of individuals graduating from Yale University. It was found that only 3 percent had definite written financial goals; 10 percent had a clear idea, but had not written it down; 87 percent had no idea of their goals. Twenty years later, these Yale graduates were again interviewed. The 3 percent who had written goals had made more money than all the rest combined. Leaders in business, industry, and finance have long known the power of written goals in achieving success. Today, more and more individuals are writing personally meaningful goals in all areas of their lives, including career.
Goals Can Promote Well-Being: There are indications that identifying goals reduces stress and improve one’s sense of psychological well-being. In this book A Strategy for Daily Living, Dr. Ari Kiev writes, ” In my practice of a psychiatrist, I have found that helping people to develop personal goals has proved to be the most effective way to help them cope with problems” [emphasis added]. Many psychological problems are the result of an abundance of unchanneled or or unfocused psychic energy. When we lack direction or creative challenge, life seems alternatively dull and boring or overwhelming and confusing. Establishing clear goals puts you in charge of your life. You’re not at the whim of changing circumstances or opinions of others. You know exactly what you want. You look forward to the coming years because you know that you will progress and how you will progress.
Goals Increase Motivation: Once a goal is clearly fixed in your mind and written down on paper, you can begin to measure progress toward that goal. Psychologists studying motivation in the workplace have identified clear and consistent feedback as the most effective means of improving motivation and increasing performance. Feedback is only meaningful to the extent that it is the measurement of progress toward clear definite goals I encourage you to take the time to identify long rage career goals - your mission objectives.
