Dear London Real Devotee:
As is my custom for many years, I sat down between Christmas and New Year to go over my schedule of goals. These include my personal, family and business goals. I too remember what gets measured gets done! During the month of January, I then fine tune these goals! And then I go into action with my QLA WAR PLAN, like it was my last 2 minutes of my last super bowl/ world cup, of my life! I make it fucking happen and failure is not an option!
Here are a few guidelines for goal setting. As usual conventional wisdom is wrong on many points! DISREGARD WHAT I WRITE AT YOUR OWN PERIL!
WRITTEN, REVIEWED, CHANGED and AFFIRMED!
Goals should be written and reviewed often. Early in my career I read my goals twice daily, along with all my various positive affirmations. Now I read goals monthly and affirmations daily before I go to bed! I check off the goals accomplished. I also change or adjust goals monthly. This is not a new technique and athletes of all descriptions have been following this procedure forever! I CAN’T EMPHASISE TOO STRONGLY, HOW IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL AFFIRMATIONS IN THE MORNING UPON WAKING AND JUST BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP ARE IN FULLFILLING YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS!
NO TIME LIMITS!
Conventional Wisdom says "set time limits". I put no time limits on goal setting. In fact I always say – your goals must be accomplished – as soon as humanly possible! ASAHP! I have found time limits act as deterrents rather than benchmarks. Similarly in school you were given so much time to get something done – by God it took you that much time! I also found time limits allow you to agree with conventional wisdom much too easily. I was told countless times, don’t be in such a hurry, you are way ahead of schedule now! I didn’t listen much to that – thank God!
NOT REALISTIC! BE BODACIOUS!
Another conventional precept is the notion of setting realistic goals. Of course this is advised so you don’t feel badly and discouraged when you don’t accomplish your goals. Guess what! If you are not risking anything you don’t have sufficient incentive to do "whatever it takes" to get the job completed. If the goal and the actions to achieve them aren’t taking you out of your comfort zone – they aren’t making you really stretch! And by now you know WTF I mean when I say, I am committed to something! LOL! In the future, I will right about how your lack of commitment has held you back in being ALL YOU CAN BE!
PERSONAL GOALS!
I have had two sets of personal goals dating back to 1976: 1) Goals that I talk about and may have some other participants; and 2) What Jim Newman used to call "under the skin goals". The later goals are very private and are shared with only your significant other and mentor. These "under the skin goals" are of a very personal nature that are only shared with those that will provide encouragement and support. If your partner in life does not share your enthusiasm, don’t share and consider a new partner! These special goals at times, may seem of an embarrassing nature, but are of extreme importance to your overall wellbeing and success. And yes, if your partner is not part of your goal scheme, it has little chance of succeeding. My experience is most relationships, both personal and business, bust up because goals are different. Of course if your partner has the same goals, but a different level of sacrifice they are willing to endure – THE PARTNERSHIP WILL ALSO BUST UP!
FAMILY GOALS!
My family goals have varied over the years based on where my children were in their own life cycles. Many of these goals should be jointly set when the kids are young. And children’s goals (for themselves) will vary a great deal, but if you get them in the habit of setting goals, they will by default get in the habit of achieving goals. As your family grows so do your goals. I learned, my ideas of what my children should do varied greatly, from what they thought they should do. With any kind of goal setting positive reinforcement is a must! As Plato said, "as long as progress is being made, no matter how slowly, never discourage". I would differ with the great master on the slowness. As any of my mentees would tell you – DAN IS NOT BIG ON BEING SLOW, EXCEPT WHEN HAVING SEX! LOL!
PENA PERSONAL GOALS!
As many of you know my father’s only goal for me was to keep me alive until I reached the age of reason. For me this came later than most. My military experience changed my life. Though I knew what discipline and integrity meant intellectually from childhood from my father, I didn’t really understand the emotional commitment necessary to succeed. When I was deemed "an officer and a gentleman" by an act of the United States Congress, it meant a massive turning point in my life. It still means a great deal to me even now! This was an "under the skin goal" (though I didn’t call it that back then) that I shared with no one. In those days I had no mentor, or significant other. At that time I knew my life would have little or no meaning the way I was headed. I had no focus! So I took a big risk! I stretched way outside my existing comfort zone. I volunteered for an additional stint in the US Army by going for officer training. Actually it was the second step of my "under the skin goal" of making something of myself. I had already volunteered to go into the army at the height of the Vietnam war. My father had told me the military has straightened out countless young men before me. And, he added, "if you can make it, son, be an officer". I didn’t share with anyone, I had volunteered till I was out of the army. The bottom line is it worked!! The rest is history as they say.
BUSINESS GOALS!
These are no different than the family and personal goals. You follow the same pattern. The only difference is you will undoubtedly find more wrong advice than you can ever imagine. Most people will have something to say about things they know a little about, like having kids and raising them, etc. The same is true of your personal goals. After all everyone has lived a little, and learned something about life. But when it comes to business, every dog on the street has some crap to say. From the guy in the post office, to the high school football coach, they all have some comment. And the problem is we listen to them, because we don’t know much about business ourselves. Therefore if you get nothing more from this blog, unless the person giving business advice has been there and done what you aspire to do, don’t listen! Remember even the average accountant (CPA/Chartered Accountant) and lawyer only makes less than 100,000K pa. So if you want more than that, don’t ask! The same goes for parents, in-laws, brothers, sisters, kids and colleagues. Unless your name is Buffett, Branson, Perot, Rockefeller, or Gates forget about listening to them! Of course, you can read all my free content on my site, or other QLA material on torrent!
What I have written is meant to be a few succinct points on goal setting. I have written and talked much about this topic over the years. My overall experience is that people who set goals use only average benchmarks. Yes, almost all people set goals too low! They do this due to their lack of self-esteem and not wanting to get out of their comfort zone. It is also due to listening to people that have set unfulfilled goals themselves! And goal setting is an art, not a science.
WAKE UP CALL!
More than anything this blog is meant as a wakeup call for you to take fucking action for this New Year. This is a great time to "dream it" – "think it" and "do it", as Bill Gates would say! Take action to evoke positive change in your life! So in the words of my mentor, Jim Newman – "Release Your Breaks!" He believed, and I concur, most people go through life, due to lack of self-esteem, filled with self-doubt, with their emergency brake on. Hence, not fulfilling anywhere near their full human potential and not being all you can be!
Let me wish you and yours the happiest 2015 and the most meaningful and prosperous New Year possible.
To Your Quantum Leap in Life & Business!
Daniel S. Peña, Sr
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