Goals Keep You Headed in the Right Direction

To be or not to be – that is the question.  Are you a monomaniac on a mission, or are you a wandering generality?  It’s YOUR choice to make.

It pains me when someone answers, “I don’t know, I never really thought about it,” to the question, “What are your goals?” 

A person with written, clearly defined goals becomes something like a magnifying glass.  Goals allow one to take scattered energy – like the sun’s rays – and focus that energy into a single point of immense power.  On the other hand, a person without goals is like a wind-up toy that hits a wall, bounces off, heads in another direction, hits a wall, bounces off, heads in another direction, hits a wall…you get the idea – no focus and no direction.

The number of folks who confuse wishes with goals is amazing.  Here are some examples of wishes: I wish I would win the lottery; I wish I would lose 50 pounds; I wish I had a better marriage.  Wishes are nothing more than vague wants.  Goals are anything but vague.  Goals are specific, precise and include a timeline.

Here’s something to ponder: I just saw a football coach interviewed after winning the big game.  When asked the secret to his victory, he waved the rolled-up game plan in the air like it was a baton and answered, “We put together a great game plan and then executed it to near perfection!” 

Another name for game plan is goal setting.  Much of the coach’s success was due to his clearly defined, written goals.  How about you?  Do you have written goals or are you stuck with nothing more than a scattered bunch of vague wants?

I’m a goal-setting fanatic.  If we’ve ever met, then you know I carry a To-Do list with me everywhere I go.  It allows me to stay focused on the tasks that I need to accomplish each day.

I also have an extensive, written list of goals that I review several times a month.  These goals are broken down to things I want to accomplish this month, this year, and during my lifetime.  An example of a monthly goal is meeting with 15 sellers this month; a yearly goal is doing ten deals this year; a lifetime goal is building and flying an RV-7 before I die.

Finally, I have an “I AM” card that I read several times a day.  It’s an index card that lists the qualities that I must have in order to be the person I want to be.  Here are three examples of things on my I AM card: 1) Focused attention, combined with action, persistence, determination and belief are the foundations of success.  2) I’m an athlete – I stretch and workout daily.  3) I’m a creative deal structurer – there is no box.

As the New Year gets underway, it’s a fantastic time to think about your goals and put them to paper.  The power of having written goals in-hand will amaze you!

Bill & Kim Cook are a husband and wife real estate investing team. They live in Adairsville, Georgia and have been investing in real estate since 1995. They specialize in buying single-family homes, mobile homes and mobile home parks. They also run North Georgia REIA and teach folks how to successfully invest in real estate.