In
setting goals, the common prevailing thought is to follow a formula which looks
like this:
1.
Dream about what you want.
2.
Write the dreams as goals down on paper or in an electronic filing system.
3.
Write down your goal in terms of a stated objective; i.e., to lose 40 pounds this
year.
4.
The goal must be time-activated, achievable, and specific (not just to lose
weight, but to lose 40 pounds by May 1st, 2004).
5.
This system is followed for each "category" of your life, such as
career, finance, health, family, spirituality, social life, etc., until they've
written out about three goals in each category.
However,
this system fails to help us make sure our goals enable us to meet our deepest
needs (the needs determined by our VALUES) through achievement of the goal. So, I've revised this
system to first examine our spiritual needs and values and THEN to focus on
goals. Without this crucial step, our goals may be matched to our EGO -
which will ultimately not lead to personal fulfillment and may not lead us to
actualize our purpose.
I.
What are our Values?
Our
values are the driving forces behind the choices we make. Without
understanding our values, this exercise is a bit pointless. There are many
other articles about Discovering Your Purpose on AspireNow you may want to read
to help gain more insight into your values if you are struggling a little with
this concept.
In
addition, try this exercise before moving on in this article:
1.
Write down your five more important values as one word statements on a piece of
paper. Take as much time as you need, but try to limit this to five
minutes if possible.
The
value you list could be anything like love, family, honesty, communication, fun,
passion, respect, safety, etc., make sure you use what works best for you.
Don't worry about ranking the values.
Value
1:
Value
2:
Value
3:
Value
4:
Value
5:
When
you are through writing down your values, scroll down.
Do you have a question relating to mapping goals to
values?
Check out the
AspireNow Advisor - solutions for only $29.95!
1.
Write down your five more important values as one word statements on a piece of
paper. Take as much time as you need, but try to limit this to five
minutes if possible.
The
value you list could be anything like love, family, honesty, communication, fun,
passion, respect, safety, etc., make sure you use what works best for you.
Don't worry about ranking the values.
Value
1:
Value
2:
Value
3:
Value
4:
Value
5:
Ok,
you should have your list completed.
Now, take one away. Keep
track of the value you strike from your list. Scroll down when you've decided.
You
should have FOUR values left (make sure to keep track of the value you removed... we'll get back to
it).
Value
1:
Value
2:
Value
3:
Value
4:
Now, take one more away.
Keep track of the value you strike from your list. Scroll down when you've
decided.
You
should have THREE values left (make sure to keep track of the value you removed).
Value
1:
Value
2:
Value
3:
Pay SPECIAL ATTENTION to HOW YOU
FEEL when you removed this. Now
take away another.
You
should have THREE values left (make sure to keep track of the value you removed).
Value
1:
Value
2:
Now
take away one of the remainders. I know. It's hard... how does it feel?
Got it?
Value
1:
You've discovered what is, from an
emotional standpoint, most important to you. You will notice that you will
DECIDE with EMOTION and RATIONALIZE that decision WITH LOGIC.
This training exercise is valuable
to know (a) what it truly important to you, and (b) to recognize the process you
use to make decisions on your priorities. With a better understanding of what
TRULY is most important to you, you can make your goals more powerful and
manifest what you seek to attract to you with the LAW OF ATTRACTION in more
powerful ways.
Please
note: the author of this article may not be certified as a
licensed psychotherapist -- please consult professional assistance as your
situation dictates.
