We human beings are a naturally goal driven species. Study after study has confirmed that taking the time to document and regularly review your goals is the rocket fuel required for success in all areas of your life.
The sad fact is most of us fail to invest the time to develop and document our goals and then complain when we don't get what we want.
Goals don't have to be fancy or complicated as in their simplest form they are just something that you really want. I want 1000 breeders, 50,000 acres, a close family, good health, $1m in the bank, happy healthy kids, to have an impact on the world etc.
Some of the most successful farmers and graziers I know have big goals. Goals that most of us would listen to and pass off as fanciful. I know one grazier who wants 20,000 head of cattle. They have built to 6000 and are only in their early 40s. So if they get to 15,000 and not 20,000, so what. That's an amazing success story.
It is at this point, that I also stress that goals and success are not always measured in financial terms. I know lots of people who are not successful in a financial sense but have an amazingly impactful relationship with their kids or grandkids, the sort of relationship that will echo through the generations.
What I have come to understand is that part of the problem is that we are asking ourselves the wrong question. Questions are powerful and a small change in the way we phrase a question can have a significant impact on the result.
In my experience rather than asking yourself what your goals are, you should try instead:
"If we were sitting here 12 months from today, what would have had to happen for you to look back and say, 'what an awesome year'?".
As a financial adviser I have asked this question hundreds of times and it always impresses me how we all engage so much better when asked this.
So take the time now, grab a piece of paper and on one side write down at the top 'My Goals'. On the other side write down 'Your Awesome Year: It is November 2021 and I have had an awesome year because'.
Almost everyone I know who has done this ends up with one side almost blank and the other side filled with cool stuff.
So next time you are thinking that you are in a rut and you need to start really kicking some goals grab that piece of blank paper and put right at the top 'It is (Insert 12 months from today's date) and I have had an awesome year because' and then start filling the page with dot points.
Make sure you save it somewhere safe and read it each week so that you know exactly what an awesome year would look like.
And remember, "People are not lazy. They simply have goals that do not inspire them" - Tony Robbins.
- Ben is an authorised representative of Charter Financial Planning. This article offers general advice only. Seek advice tailored to your particular circumstances before taking action.