Plant “Goal Seeds” and Feast on Life By Harriet Meyerson When you have a garden you plant the seeds, nurture them with water and fertilizer, keep the weeds out and trust the plants will grow and blossom when the time is right for them. It works the same way with goal setting at work or with your family. Follow these steps for your personal or professional goals and you will soon be living a life that resembles a bountiful harvest. CHOOSE YOUR SEEDS Writing down your goals is like planting the seeds. Write a detailed description of each goal – the more detailed the better. Most goals fail to materialize because they are too vague. So, instead of writing “I want a new car,” describe your new red convertible with the black leather seats. Make sure your goals are realistic, and that they are not in conflict with each other. You should be able to believe that they are attainable. Next to each goal write the feeling you hope to get from reaching your goal. For example you might want: Excitement Success or accomplishment Security Respect Social acceptance Love Fun Happiness Adventure Power VISUALIZE YOUR GARDEN When you feel in your heart that you deserve your goal, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it, you have won the biggest battle – the battle with your mind. Close your eyes and visualize yourself as if you already have attained the goal and are experiencing the feelings that go along with it. Feel the joy and satisfaction of owning your new home, the prestige of having attained your college degree, the excitement of your new red convertible. Then start acting as if you already have your goal. If your goal is a new home, start shopping for furniture. If your goal is a college education, call the college for an application. NURTURE YOUR SEEDLINGS Now that you are clear about your goals it is necessary to nurture them. You must water and fertilize your seeds. Decide what tasks need to be done, and what tools and training you will need. Each evening simply ask yourself, “What can I do today to get closer to my goal?” Then make a list of six things to do, and schedule time to do them. If you don’t accomplish them all in one day don’t beat up on yourself. Simply carry the unfinished tasks over to the next day. At the end of each day write down what you accomplished in a notebook or calendar so you can keep track of your progress. Ask for encouragement, but only from people who have a personal interest in your progress and who will be thrilled about your success. REAP YOUR BOUNTIFUL HARVEST As your garden grows celebrate each step along the way. Celebrate the first bud, the first flowers, the tiny little green strawberries, and finally, the delicious, sweet, ripe, red strawberries. Plant a garden of goals today, so that tomorrow your life will become a delicious feast. About the author: Harriet Meyerson, president of The Confidence Center, works with companies that want confident, loyal, and happy employees, and with individuals who want the confidence they need for success. Harriet is a member of the National Speakers Association and the author of Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget. Visit the Confidence Center web site for - Free employee morale newsletter. Free articles on employee success and personal confidence. Free articles for your company or association newsletters. Seminar, and telephone coaching information. Free daily fun stuff. http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com  E-mail: Harriet@ConfidenceCenter.com Print this article Recommend this article An error occurred on the server when processing the URL. Please contact the system administrator. If you are the system administrator please click here to find out more about this error.