Setting goals is an important ingredient of ones recipe for success. Goal setting is probably one of the most overlooked elements in business, personal and general planning. In order to work towards your finish line, you must have a clear blueprint, plan or schematic. On top of having a goal setting plan in place, it must be a solid, well thought out and dynamic package. It is something that must be revisited, revised and refined. It is not something that is developed and then left on the shelf to go stale. 

In this edition, we will discuss the importance of goal setting, and some of the initial steps necessary to bring a good goal setting plan together. 

Imagine planning a trip across the country in the family station wagon. There are a number of ways to make that trip. You can meander your way across the USofA stopping off and looking at all the sights. You follow whatever road catches your fancy and take all the pictures you can handle and eat at all the greasy spoon diners that light up the evenings night. Your trip has multiple detours and the only map you buy or use is one that shows the star’s homes in Bell Air! No worries, no schedule, no plan and most importantly, no stress! 

The alternative plan is to map out the most direct route from coast to coast, and make your trip with the most unplanned interruptions and detours. In this case the objective is to get from point A to B as planned….on time and on budget. 

Which of these 2 examples best fits your reason to goal set? Hopefully the latter. Especially if you are life planning or business planning, goal setting is utilized to ensure that you get where you are going without detours. You want to maximize your time, energy and effort and hit goal setting targets that align with your ultimate life or business plan. 

Since you are reading this article you probably are interested in setting goals. You are probably convinced that goal setting is important, at least let’s hope so! If not, here are a couple of important things to consider. If you are in business and you do not have a goal. Stop, drop and roll. Get your number 2 pencil out along with your big chief tablet and begin taking notes! If you are an individual looking to accomplish personal objectives and you do not have a blueprint, then it is time for you to start designing your life plan as well. 

Blueprinting. This is a term that we will use synonymous with goal setting going forward. I prefer the term blueprinting because it conveys the idea of a master plan that is used to build a structure. Our lives and business are definitely building structures. Blueprinting allows us to use a step by step process for goal setting and life planning. Want to know more about blueprinting and goal setting? Check back often, ask your question, email us and most importantly, get your notepad out because at AskKeithNow.com, we will get you set up for goal setting success!