It’s Your Conscience. Have You Written Your 2008 Goals Yet?

Today is Wednesday, so this post is on outstanding performance.

Tomorrow is the last day of January 2008.  Time flies, doesn’t it?  Have you written your 2008 goals yet?  If not, get going, you’ve already lost over 8% of the year.  Outstanding performers set and achieve high goals.  If you haven’t set your 2008 goals yet, you are unlikely to become an outstanding performer this year.

Try this to set 2008 – or any other year, for that matter – goals.

1. Brainstorm all of the things you want to achieve this year.  Think big.  Don’t limit yourself at this point.  You might want to create several categories for your goals; things like: career; personal and family; health; personal growth.
2. Write your goals.  Make them S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results Oriented, Time Bound).
3. Review what you’ve written.  Do these goals inspire you?  Are they compelling?  Do they challenge you?  Do you have a good chance of accomplishing them?  Will they help you become an outstanding performer?  If so, great.  Work them.  If not, rewrite.  Rewriting is the key to good writing.
4. Print several copies.  Post one in your office, where you’ll see if every day.  Keep one in your briefcase, so you’ll see it when you are commuting or traveling.  Give one to your spouse or partner and a few close friends.  This public statement of your goals will help you be committed to achieving them.

These common sense ideas for goal setting work.  And, they lead me to today’s common sense point.  Outstanding performers set high goals, and then whatever it takes to achieve them.

January is over tomorrow.  You have only 92% of 2008 left.  If you haven’t written your goals for this year, set – and achieve — a goal of writing them by the end of the day tomorrow, January 31, 2008.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  I am not posting regularly on my www.CommonSenseGuy.com blog right now, as I want to concentrate on this one.  It is still up though.  Please don’t cancel your RSS feed as I will be posting there occasionally.  And, you can still get a free ebook version of my book 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations by visiting www.CommonSenseGuy.com . 

I’ll see you around the web and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.