By: Shantanu Das Sharma, Sr. Associate Editor, ICN Group
Quick recap of what we have covered in Part 38
Coming Back Even Stronger… After Major Blows
Out of the Ashes of Two ‘Bad’ Experiences…I Built a New Business
Three Major Keys to Powerful Goals
1) Be Specific and Measurable
2) Passionate and Exciting
3) Stretch Goals for Quantum Results
Stretch Goals Excite You & Put Fire In Your Belly
Stretch Goals Result in Stretch Strategies
Setting Crazy Stretch Goals… Will Get You Exceptional Results
The Bank that Used Stretch Thinking to Break Through Restrictions
Dare To Set ‘Unrealistic’ Targets
KOLKATA: Want Exceptional Results? Use Out-of-the-Box Strategies! Time and time again, we hear people with good intentions tell us that we should know our limits. We should not set goals that are too high to avoid disappointment. While it is certainly true that it is so much easier to succeed with incremental goals, if you want to produce exceptional results you have to use out-of-the-box strategies. People who make history are those that set goals that everyone else had thought was ‘unrealistic’ and even crazy. But by using the ultimate success formula and doing whatever it takes, they made the impossible possible. In fact, I believe that when people say something is impossible, it’s only impossible because a strategy has not been found yet. Many of the things around us that we take for granted were not too long ago dismissed as ‘unrealistic’.
Thirty years ago, if you told someone that almost everybody today will be walking around with a telephone the size of a credit card and it can also play music, take pictures, communicate with computers and send pictures, they would think you were crazy. Why is it now a reality? All it took was for someone to think the ‘impossible’ and then make it real. Everything you see around you first started as an idea in someone’s head. Everything is created twice, first in the mind, and then manifested in physical reality.
Were the Wright brothers being very realistic when they set out to build a flying machine? Not only were they not scientists or engineers, but it was believed by the scientific community that it was physically impossible for machines that were heavier than air to fly. Again, by changing their strategy and doing whatever it takes, they finally invented the first airplane. Today, it is still a wonder that a multiple-tonned jumbo jet carrying over 300 people can lift off and fly 35,000 feet above sea level. If the Wright brothers had been realistic, you and I would still be taking the slow boat to China.
Singapore’s Success… Can be Attributed to Thinking Out-of-the-Box
Think about how Singapore became a developed country and a first world economy within thirty years. When the country gained independence back in 1965, the government had to face the fact that all we had was a tiny island of one million people. Singapore had no natural resources like tin, oil or gold. In fact, we did not even have sufficient water. The only resource we had was human resource. And this human resource comprised of mostly lowly or uneducated immigrants from China and India, and Malay fishing folk. Clan clashes, gang warfare and racial riots were also rampant at that time and the economy (over 70%) was dependent on the British armed forces who were soon going to pull out of their Far East base, Singapore. If the government had been realistic, given the limited resources they had, they would have set incremental goals, growing alongside our neighbours who have huge hinterlands and an abundance of natural resources. If they did, Singapore would still be a developing third world economy. Instead, the government set out to make Singapore a first world economy, modeling itself after tiny Switzerland. At that time, this seemed like a mad and impossible dream. However, this stretch target forced them to develop plans and strategies that were ‘out of the box’. The government decided to jump start the economy by attracting American and Japanese multinationals to invest. The government created a safe and conducive investment climate and provided incentives for them. They came and in the process created thousands upon thousands of jobs. To create social cohesion, the government made it compulsory for every male citizen to serve in the Army for two years and they made it compulsory for every citizen to save 40% of their income. They created a first class education system to serve the industrial economy’s growing needs; a first class transport system and also a financial center to rival Hong Kong by going out and modeling the best systems in the world. As a result, within thirty years, Singapore has achieved first world economy status and has one of the highest gross national product (GNP) per capita in the world.
Design Your Life Exercise
With these three major keys in mind, get ready to design your destiny! This exercise is designed to help you unlock your imagination and tap deep down into what you really want to achieve and create in the next 10 to 15 years of your life. A few rules though. For the purpose of this exercise, I want you to suspend your judgment and internal critic.
Ask yourself the question, ‘What would I do if I knew I could not fail?’.
The second rule is to write with total passion and emotional intensity. Ask yourself, ‘What am I truly passionate about? What would I love to do? If I could create a life full of passion, what would it be like?’.
The third rule is that once you start writing, you cannot stop the pen until the time is up.
So it would be good if you find a place where you can spend the next 30 minutes fully focused. No distractions whatsoever (and turn off your mobile phone). Once you are ready, follow the time indicated and write all the goals that you want to achieve in the following categories. Make sure they are specific & measurable, passionate & exciting and are stretch goals. Also, remember to put a specific deadline for each goal. Ready?
Go for it!
Personal Development Goals (6 mins)
What do you want to be able to learn?
What new skills do you want to acquire & master? Speed-reading? Investing?
Creative-Artistic expression? Public speaking?
Do you want to learn a new language? To dance the Salsa?
To play a musical instrument? Produce a play?
What do you want to achieve in the area of your health?
What is your ideal weight? How do you plan to get fit?
Career and Business Goals (6 mins)
How much more value do you want to be able to create in your career?
What do you want to achieve in your career?
What position do you see yourself aiming for?
Where do you see yourself in your industry?
How could you become the best: a pioneer, an industry leader?
What kind of boss do you want to be?
What kind of business do you want to start?
What are the goals you have for your business?
What do you want to achieve in terms of market share, sales and profit?
What kind of people do you want to employ?
How would you want to serve your customers?
Wealth & Lifestyle Goals (6 mins)
How much would you like to earn a year?
How much would you like to increase your income by each year,
over the next 10-15 years?
When and how much do you want to retire with?
What sources of income do you want to create for yourself?
How would you create them?
What is your targeted annual return on your investments?
What investments would you like to be able to master?
Describe your ideal lifestyle.
What kind of house do you want to live in? Where would this ideal home be?
What kind of car do you want to drive?
What are the places you always wanted to visit? All the things you always wanted to do?
What other dream luxuries would you love to have? A yacht? A private jet? A tropical resort?
Family & Friends Goals (6 mins)
How could you add value to your family & friends?
What kind of son, daughter, spouse, father or mother do you want to be?
A model of kindness and understanding? A source of inspiration & strength?
How could you show them more love & appreciation?
How could you increase the bonds you have with them?
Contribution Goals (6 mins)
How would you want to be able to contribute to your family, your
neighbourhood, your community, your nation, the world?
Do you want to start a foundation? What kind and for what purpose?
Do you want to start a charity or be a regular volunteer in an existing one?
What kind of charity? Do you want to work with the disabled, the poor and needy, young children, troubled teens, single parents or old people?
If you are already an active member in your Community – how much more can you take on? How can you help them to become more effective?
Maybe you would like to introduce new ideas to your Community club, set them in new directions; eg like creating an organic food garden using the volunteer skills of retired farmers?
Perhaps you would like to fight for animal rights. Join the Vegetarian society and campaign for animal welfare? Create a massive fundraiser for a cause you are passionate about? Or even work with humanitarian agencies abroad.
How would you want to be remembered when you pass on?
I facilitate Thought Leaders, Change Makers; Professionals & Business Owners translate NLP concepts into actions to achieve and elicit personal excellence. I conduct NLP Lifestyle Coaching Certification programs for individuals, corporate and celebrity clients. In the next article, you will learn about Why You Must Start Setting Goals. And after that you will come to know in subsequent articles, how you can utilize concepts of NLP+ in all walks of your life to replicate the success blueprint of a winner mindset to win through life. So, stay tuned every Monday & Saturday and fasten your seat belt to ‘Enhance Your Lifestyle With NLP+’)
Shantanu Das Sharma, Creator of the concept NLP Lifestyle Coaching with NLP+ and Founder of Neuromind Leadership Academy is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author, NLP+ Lifestyle Master Trainer & Coach, First Certified Social Panorama Consultant in Eastern India directly trained under Dr. Lucas Derks, Clean Language Facilitator & Strategic Interventionist. To explore about NLP+ Lifestyle Coaching you may visit http://shantanudassharma.com/nlp-lifestyle-coaching/
