Are you setting the right Goals?

Have you ever achieve a planned goal only to find out it is not fulfilling and it is not what you wanted? Achieving the goals seems meaningless and does not bring to real growth. We all ever make the same mistake including myself.

Sometimes when we start planning our goals for the term ,year or period, we tend to neglect one very important key ingredient. This is not only confine to personal goals but also envelope organisation goals.

The missing ingredient is core values. We all have core values because it is what drives our behaviour whether we are aware of it on not. Discovering our core value is a process and a journey. It requires a lot of self clarification and getting to know yourself better.

One of my core values is continuous learning. It is what drives me to read daily and buy books or discover new knowledge. It is not a task but something I am passionate about. When I set a goal , taking consideration my core values, it becomes easier to achieve the goal because I am naturally motivated by it. Unlike some goals we set, it seems that we have to drag our feet forward to struggle to accomplish the goal. Most of the time we fail or end up in frustration.

When you set a goal find ways to integrate the core values into that goal. One way is the 5 Why method . When you set an intended goal ask your "why is achieving the goal important to you" and then from the answer you ask again the same question. Usually it won't take till 5 series of question to uncover the underlying reason. Sometimes by clarifying the goal, you may decide it is not what you actually wanted.

Core values do not change despite the change in our environment. It is the one constant guiding principles in all our goals setting. This also include organisation that is thinking to expand it's business. Take time to discover what are your core values. There is no hard and fast rule about the numbers of core values you can have. However it can be quite confusing if an organisation have too many of those because some of the values may conflict with one another.

Since we spend most of our waking hours at work, we often display our values in our working environment. Key questions to consider :

1.) If you awake tomorrow morning with enough money to retire for the rest of your life, would you continue to live according to the values?

2.) What would you say to your children and loved ones the core values you stand for in your work, values that you hope they will stand for when they become working adults?

3.) How would you want others to remember you by when you have passed on?