Goal setting – take charge of your life! September 13, 2013 – Posted in: Confidence – Tags: , , , ,

Who’s really in charge of your life…?

Do you have a goal for your life?  The next five years?  This year? This month?  The most successful people in life are goal orientated – they’ve decided what it is they want and have taken the necessary steps to get there.  These people might be successful in business, or as parents, or in sport or with their health.  Whatever it is they’ve decided they want to achieve they’ve set a goal and gone for it.  And when they get there they feel great and empowered to set a new goal.

The late, great leadership coach and bestselling author, Stephen Covey advocated we, ‘start with the end in mind’ meaning that with a clear target we know where we’re headed.  We have direction, purpose and clarity.  But so many of us have no goals, meaning we’ve given up our basic human right to decide on the course of our lives.  And if you’re not running your life, who is?

Many of us were brought up in difficult environments that leave us with low self-esteem or fear.  Others want to impress everyone else all the time, no matter what the cost to themselves.  Still others are so concerned about getting something wrong they never start anything… All of these people are allowing their parents, culture, environment or fear to run their lives.

Thankfully, the human mind is incredibly plastic and can change all the time.  What we believe about the world and ourselves doesn’t have to be set in stone.  We really can break out of negative thinking and start to head in a new direction.  I believe that once we change our thinking, we start to change our lives.

One of the most powerful techniques I use with my clients is to ask them to give me the evidence for their belief system.  For example, if a client says, “Everyone at work hates me,” I would respond, “Really?  Everyone? What’s your evidence for that?”  Their usual response is, “Well not everyone…”  And away we go, the door has opened for a new, more realistic and therefore more healthy thought to arise.  For the next week I would like to challenge you to coach yourself.  Whenever a negative thought pops up, challenge it by asking, “Is that really true?”  I reckon you’ll be amazed at the results…

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