Your Goals Must Be Within Your Reach

�

FIRST STEP --

Set short-term, incremental goals. Work up to larger plans later. Never put yourself under the gun right from the get-go. If you do... discouragement will be right at your doorstep. You'll quit! Remember your New Year's resolutions?

Set incremental time frames. Short-range goals are very important. Begin the first month and increase a little bit each succeeding month. Don't give up too early in the game.... give yourself a chance to succeed.

Set UP too big a goal and you know..... nothing happens! Most of us throw in the towel rather than work slowly to the next plateau. Remember all those BIG goals in the past.... how long did they last?

SMALL BITES

Achieve success in small bites. Step-by-step your confidence builds. If you fall down.... get back up. Miss the target and make the correction. Go again with renewed enthusiasm and determination.

Some of us 'workout'.... at least we have good intentions.... before we get out of bed and our feet hit the floor. Strong guys like to "Bench" press. Big "boys" enter strong man contests. Physical fitness is (should be) a major goal for everyone. Keeps our bodies in good working order or it soon will begin to "break" down.

Our motivation can fall away in small bites, too. Don't lose heart in what you are trying to accomplish. Set a daily time to be at the gym. Walk a mile in your neighborhood. Lift those weights "downstairs" or in the "recreation" room. Be sure to 'journal' every day's accomplishments.

REASON-ABLE

Are you reasonable? Most of us are NOT! We are not reasonable in setting goal limits. More is always better. Yes, it is OK to stretch. Run a block. Two blocks. Three blocks and then some. You put down a MILE on the very first day? Don't do it! Same goes for weight lifting at the fitness center.

Yes, it does look better to us in our day-timer. But not on the first day that you decide it's time to get in shape. A lot depends on how long it's been since you ran a mile. For most of us, the answer is NEVER.

How old are YOU? 32, 44, 56, 68 (whatever your age) does not make any difference. The "couch" has kept you in your comfort zone for the last 5,10,20 years. Now, for whatever reason, you are on a new exercise "kick". You are going to show the "world" that you still have it!

You are a prime candidate to have a heart attack in the middle of the street. Be fair to yourself and good to your family. Slow down. There is No rush after all those years when your body was not showing its age UNTIL recently.

NOTICE IN SLOW MOTION

One day at a time our bodies "sag" or "droop" a little more than the day before. Can't even see it happening. A slow process but very sure in a non-threatening way. Only after many years do we begin to "kinda" notice the change.

Eyelids droop. Bags form under the eyes. A little "flab" falls under the arm. Can't seem to see our feet any longer. Love handles have suddenly surrounded us. Hair color begins to match our former dye color. Roots are showing through or turning loose.

Nose hairs are out of control along with hair in the ears. Your Barber now seems to find a lot more places that need trimming than before. Things that never HURT in the past have suddenly taken on a life of it's own. New aches and pains arrive daily.

REACHABLE GOALS

Forget about joining the NFL. Olympics are out of the question. Don't count on buying a 20-speed bicycle and climbing Mt. Mitchell or riding the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of North Carolina. Keep driving the church bus if you want to see the leaves "turn" and take the Senior citizens with you.

Dreams are great. Go to a NFL football game and you can see yourself on the field along with the other BIG guys. Sack the quarterback! Run for a long pass and take the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.

Face it! Your 200-lb. body (men) is out of shape. Maybe just a little bit! Anyway, all of us need to stay fit or "payday" is coming. Either we pay the price for fitness while it is still possible or we pay the consequences later. Our choice. No one is holding a gun to our head demanding action.

DECISIONS - decisions - DECISIONS

Big ones. Little ones. Everyday we are making decisions. Some are very important and can even be life threatening. Others make little difference over the long haul. Do you live by the rule - "don't sweat the small stuff and believe that EVERYTHING is small stuff"? I like that one! Not a bad philosophy either.

Why is life such a challenge? You would not like it any other way. Sports (football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer) are all competitive. Players are challenged to win and thrive on the competition. Business is a challenge too. Trying to beat the odds and increasing profits every quarter.

In many parts of the world there are NO challenges. No jobs. No opportunities to earn a decent living. Poor conditions are rampant everywhere.

In American and other parts of the world there is prosperity and growth in the marketplace. Challenge brings out the best in us. Our competitive nature rises to higher levels. Our goal is to win. A win/win goal is even better.

BUSINESS CHALLENGES

Owners are always faced with new challenges in the marketplace. New competitors are arriving daily. Some have lots of money and power. Profit margins are squeezed to the limit. Pricing of our product or service has peaked.

Expenses are out of control. Our cost for personnel is too much. Where can we make improvements? Cut expenses? Reduce staff? Always on our mind and our worry meter is running constantly.

Goals must be in place to move our business to the next level. Employees must be challenged or they will not grow and meet expectations. Benefit plans. Insurance coverage. Expenses paid. Travel. Meetings. Industry standards. And the list can go on into infinity and beyond.

ACTION TIP: Set reasonable and reachable goals for your personal life, for your business and for your employees. Don't expect to reach the moon in a Piper Cub.

Begin at your level to set goals for the NOW. What you do today will have an impact on your tomorrow.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

===========================================================

Don Monteith is a 32 year veteran of the Staffing industry. His firm placed many hundreds of employees in their dream job and he continues to be a coach/mentor to those seeking career change or new positions. Be sure to visit his websites at http://www.HowToGetYourDreamJob.com and

http://www.actionbits.com

===========================================================

---

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

---

If You Think You Cant Change Course... Youre Right
You've heard the expression that some people see the glass as half full while others perceive the same glass to be half empty? Yesterday I had the opportunity to see this difference in perception in action. � My father and I drove to the airport to pick up my some family members visiting from Florida.

---

The Dog Days of Job Hunting
Does a headline like this scare you? it should because the consolidation is not over yet.Don't despair just because we are in the "dog days" of job hunting there are action items you can do now to keep yourself primed for.

---

Workplace Violence - 8 Tips For Spotting Early Warning Signs
One of the greatest threats facing both employees and the companies they work for, is workplace violence. It has become the leading cause of death for women and the second leading for men, following closely behind motor vehicle accidents.

---

Ten Great Careers For Single Parents
The challenges of raising a child by yourself, whether you're a mother or father, can be very difficult. Add the burden of having to be out of the home for 40+ hours per week to work and raising a child at the same time can be nearly impossible.

---

So, Why Dont You Tell Me About Yourself?
"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" is the most frequently asked interview question. It's a question that most interviewees expect and the one they have the most difficulty answering.

---

Are Your Intentions Clear in Your Job Search?
1. Do you REALLY know what you want?2.

---

Write Resume Keywords That Gets Your Application Read
As children we often used to read stories where magical words can open caves filled with treasures or magicians using words like abracadabra..

---

How To Receive Payment as a Freelance Translator?
A problem most freelance translators are facing with is how to receive payment. In particular: How to receive payment for small jobs.

---

Resumes Arent Important - They are Everything When it Comes to Getting an Interview
Employers and recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for every position they are trying to fill. To select their shortlist of candidates to interview, they look for the most common resume mistakes most applicants make and eliminate them first.

---

Kill the Hype
She was waiting for me when I returned from a meeting. Standing outside my office door, I could tell by her downward glance, Jodie was not there to give me good news on the project.

---

Dissatisfied With Your Job? Stop Putting Your Attention on What You Dont Want!
If I were to ask you the percentage of time you spend thinking about what you don't want, what would it be? And the percentage of time thinking about what you do want?Experience with my clients has shown me that most of us spend a lot more time thinking about what we don't want. Some examples when it comes to our job include:-I hate my commute.

---

Gray Hair, Black Prospects
If you're reading this article, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that discrimination has become much more sneaky than in the past. No one comes out and say, "We're not hiring you because you're too old.

---

How to Receive Multiple Job Offers After You're Fired
Ask survivors of the most popular reality television shows and they'll tell you "If you have to eat a cockroach, don't spend too much time thinking about it." Keep focused on the end-game and move on.

---

Interview Presentation Skills: Dealing With Your Nerves
Sooner or later, the interview invitation is going to say you are required to give a presentation as part of the selection process. And like most people you may dread having to do it.

---

Employment Law: Unfair Dismissal - Employer Succeeded in Changing Terms of Employment
Good News for Employers wishing to change the terms of employment of employees, however, employers must still take care.In Scott & Co v Richardson [2005], the Dependant, Mr Richardson, who worked for a Scottish firm of debt collectors, refused to accept his new terms of employment which required him to visit defaulting debtors during the evenings.

---

Interview Thank-You Letters
The number one etiquette tip for interviews is writing a thank-you letter. This is not a tool commonly used by job seekers right now.

---

Resume Writing Service Website
Promote Your Resume Business Website!While we make our websites to be search engine friendly and easy to navigate, you need to do your share. Resume Businesses on the net are becoming popular, but there is no particular market dominator.

---

Job Search Campaign Tip: An Activity Diary
Looking for a job involves a wide range of responsibilities: preparing a resume, looking at ads, contacting employers, calling and visiting friends and acquaintances, follow ups, interviews. While none of us ever plan to be out of work for very long, it can be very useful to immediately start documenting your activities and your feelings to provide a road map of where you have been and where you want to go.

---

Employment Law: Attendance Rewards - Legal Ramifications
If you were thinking of offering your employees special rewards as incentives for having good attendance records, then you must read on. In fact, employers that offer attendance bonuses may find themselves falling foul of the law.

---

Create Your Plan B Before the Layoff Axe Falls
In one short week, the axe fell at a number of companies and thousands of employees were without jobs. Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Ford Motor Company of Canada, PNC Financial and Kimberley Clark each had to make critical business decisions and lay off large numbers of employees.

---