Trading hopes and wishes for goals and plans...And gold.

Wishes don't count for much; I mean it's a nice gesture to wish someone well however doing so doesn't give that person any additional assistance in actually being well does it? Maybe some moral support, but no definitive or quantifiable assistance towards being well. It's the same when a person wishes for something to come to pass. A wish is simply a desire, or hope, that something will come to pass and has no bearing on that thing actually happening or not, and yet most of us have wished for something; I know I certainly have.

Here's something I have been wishing to have in my life for a little while. It's a one ounce gold coin. I have been wishing and wishing, and wishing for it and still I don't have one in my possession. Surprising no?

It's worth about $1940 Australian dollars depending on the gold spot price and I think it would look great in my collection of precious metals. I don't think, I know!

Wishing and wishing...wishing...wishing, wishing....And yet it's still not mine. Hmm, truly wishing is a wasted emotion and no matter how much I wish for it this gold coin isn't going to miraculously appear in my collection anytime soon. It's all rather disappointing really. I mean it sounds so easy to simply wish for a thing to happen and have it appear out of thin air like magic. POOF! A cloud of smoke...And rolling in gold like a pirate! But alas, it's not to be.

Unperturbed, and still fixed on having one of these gold coins, I woke up from the fairy land of wishing and actually set the goal of having the coin, devised a plan to reach that goal and set my feet, (and determination), on the journey of attaining it. OK, so I'll be honest here, I never wasted any time on the wishing phase and went straight to goals-setting and plan-deployment. After all, nothing comes for nothing! (Despite many people wanting it to).

Setting goals is an important part of achieving anything in life whether it's to win a job promotion, achieve in a sport, improve personal skills or attributes, lose weight, become an astronaut or even simply to own a gold coin...Goals are necessary...And a plan to go with it. Plans are necessary too. You see, a goal without a plan to attain it is simply a dream and dreaming about a thing and expecting it to happen is about as useful as wishing for it. Sure, one can have a dream of achieving something in particular, but the goal and plan combination is what will actually see it attained.

So, my goal of achieving this gold coin was set about 7 months ago and the plan rolled out a little later. I won't go into it however the plan revolves around me performing at my job a little better each hour, day, week and month until June 30 this year, the end of the Australian financial year. You see, that's when my annual financial figures get weighed against my targets. I will get additional incomes based on how far I have exceeded my budget; Funds that I will put towards my goal. The coin.

Goals need to encompass 5 elements to be considered a true goal. These are: Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

What do you want to achieve, why is it important, who may be able to help, when is it likely it may be reached, how do you envision making it happen, what may you need to make it happen: That's the specific part.

How do you track your progress and at what stages to you take stock of the progress? What are the best ways of measuring performance against the end result and periodic points along the way. That's the measurable part.

Setting a goal that is well outside your ability is never going to end well. There's no point setting a goal that is obviously outside one's grasp. I could set the goal of being an NFL quarterback in next years Superbowl but at 49 years old and living in Australia...Well, It's not achievable. Setting goals that are achievable, not necessarily easy mind you, but achievable ensures you'll keep on track. Achievable goals are more often attained.

Making sure goals are worth your time and effort is also important. There's little point in hitting goals that have no value or benefit to you specifically. Essentially, goals need to be relevant to you and your life.

When will your goal be reached? That's a great question and one that needs answering before you set out. Essentially a goal has to to have an end date. Deadlines have a funny way of making things happen so make sure your goals are time-bound.

My goal of the gold coin...It's SMART...Get it? Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. 😃

It's amazing how many people don't understand, or ignore, the benefits of goal setting although I suppose it takes all sorts of people to make up this bloody stupid world we live on. From the moment I understood how goal setting worked, and after a few initial tries at it, I realised very quickly that goals and plans are much more valuable than wishes and hopes when it comes to getting shit done.

So, I hope this post helps you out a little and wish you all the best in your endeavours...Ok, that was a little cheeky...Forget hopes and wishes...Get onto goals and plans...It's legit.

P.s. Yep, I'm on track for that gold coin...Monumentally on track. I've been working hard and slaying it at work! 😏