Goal- Setting Only Works If Done Properly

Traveling around the speaking circuit – I’ve been in over 35 states and provinces in Wisconsin and Canada in the past year – I have several opportunities to talk with people about goals. Some of the roadblocks I come across are simply amazing.

Successful people set goals – end of story. You must know where you are heading and how you plan on getting there. You can’t be successful without this combination. Sadly, there are some people out there whose ideas of goals are working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week and getting a check every two weeks.

You get out of life what you put into it!

I don’t insult my audience when speaking about goals. I assume everyone in the room has goals. But what floors me is the reaction I get when I ask the question - “How many people in this room write down their goals?” Less than ten percent of the audience members usually raise their hands. It’s scary.

Then I ask the people who raise their hands how many pages make up their goals. I throw out numbers like “40-50 pages” because that’s what most people assume goal setting is all about. When questioned, most people laugh or smile and say things like “One page. Half a page. A few paragraphs. A couple sentences. One sentence.”

One of the main reasons people don’t set goals is they don’t know how! They think it is a complicated procedure and it’s not! You simply need to ask yourself questions like “What is my purpose?” “Why do I do what I do?” “What do I want to accomplish?” Then you need to reinforce it and put it in writing.

Brian Tracy, one of the top speakers in the world today says, “You should look at the your goals every single day.” It’s amazing how much stronger it is when we put things down on paper. Do you realize how many activities, ideas, and thoughts, are going on in our brain every day? You need to reinforce the important things – your goals – every day!

A life without purpose is like a ship without a rudder. The purpose of a goal is to focus your attention. One of the most focused people I ever worked with was Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame Outfielder Robin Yount.

In 1982, the Brewers went to the World Series for the only time in the franchise’s history. Yount, who played shortstop at the time, was the American League’s Most Valuable Player, the highest individual honor a player can receive. He had a tremendous season and a great World Series, even though the Brewers lost in the final seventh game.

When I explained to him the Baseball Writers Association, the group who selected the MVP, would contact him in November if he won the award, he went crazy. “I don’t want the award. That’s not what I’m about. I wanted to go to the World Series. That was my goal. And, heck, we didn’t even win it.”

Winning. That was Yount’s goal. It always was. That’s where Yount’s focus was. He didn’t care about individual awards. Only team goals.

Once I explained to Robin that even though that wasn’t his goal, winning the MVP was also a wonderful thing for the team, the organization and the fans, he reneged a little bit.

“Look, have them (the Baseball Writers) call you and you can call me and then I’ll call them back. But you better remind me!”

When that fateful November day came around, Jack Lang, the secretary of the Baseball Writers Association, called me and asked me to have Robin call him. When the call came in, I was very excited – the Brewers had their first MVP – and I called Robin immediately to tell him to call Jack Lang.

Robin had just returned from grocery shopping with his lovely wife, Michele. He promised to call Jack Lang, who was waiting to make the announcement to a large media crowd in New York. Twenty minutes went by when my phone rang and it was a very panicky Jack Lang on the phone.

“Did you get a hold of Robin? He hasn’t called!” he screamed over the phone. “Sure, one minute after I spoke with you,” I said. I immediately called Robin back and asked him why he hadn’t called Jack Lang, explaining that he couldn’t make the announcement to all the New York media without speaking to Robin first.

Yount’s answer was simple. “I was putting away the groceries.”

You see, Robin never lost his focus. Winning was his goal, not getting individual awards. Even at that moment, putting away the groceries was a lot more important that receiving the MVP award.

My goal is very simple and it’s my major keynote. "Be A Hit and Have A Ball!" I want to be good at what I do and enjoy doing it. I approach everything I do with that attitude.

In summary, you can only achieve something when you first have a goal. There is no achievement without goals. Establish a goal worth working for. Your goal will keep you going, especially when times get tough. Life is so much easier by always having something to look forward to. Once you do that, put your goal in writing. Then look at it every single day.

As you go after your goals, remember one of the key things Robin Yount taught me in 1982.

Stay focused.
Be A Hit and Have A Ball!"

Please feel free to reprint any of my newsletters as long as you include the following information with the story. Sky Skibosh is a popular, humorous speaker on stress, communication, image, teamwork, and leadership. To subscribe to Sky’s free email newsletter send an email to skyonlife@skyspeaks.com or visit his website at www.skyspeaks.com

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