As we prepare for 2012 and beyond, one of the most important steps every Leader in FreeLife can take is to define what they want to accomplish in the coming year and lay out a plan to get there. Many years ago I read a quote that I found to really cut to the heart of the power of goals: “The single most powerful predictor of success in the long run is commitment and passion to pursue well-defined goals. If you don’t have the motivation, you are not going to acquire the knowledge base to be self-confident. Ultimately, you need self-confidence to succeed.”
I talk to people all the time who tell me what they would like to accomplish. But when I ask them what milestones they’ve set in order to accomplish their goal, they haven’t really defined the steps or, worse, they don’t know what goal setting requires, so they simply fail to set goals.
Let me give you a pop quiz: Was 2011 a productive year for you? Did you accomplish all that you envisioned in 2011? Do you believe 2012 will be your greatest year? (I certainly do!) The first two questions are “reflection” questions, which tell how you met your goals. The third question, a “perception” question, tells you what you believe, or perceive, of your future. Regardless of your reflection or perception, setting goals impacts your past, present, and future.
That’s why the TAIslim Challenge is so important to your success. You’re challenging yourself to reach a weight loss or fitness goal. Once your Challenge goal is set with conviction, you can never go back to the way you were because you put into motion the belief and perception of what your future will look like. Once you dream it and desire it, you begin gaining knowledge and self-confidence to accomplish it. But goals do not respond to wishes. They only respond to definite plans, backed by definite actions with constant responsibility. Isn’t it amazing how simple it is to get on the Challenge, but yet how profound the Challenge becomes in your life?
Personally, I constantly work at being more goal-focused. I’ve learned to simplify goal setting by focusing on what I want to accomplish or improve on in a few key areas of my life. Every December before the New Year dawns, I follow a few simple goal setting steps in preparation for the upcoming 12 months:
Step 1: Define Your Expectations
The key to goal setting is identifying what you want to achieve based on what you believe to be possible, plus just a little bit more. Many people have great expectations, but their belief is not strong enough. After a few months, they become complacent with where they are and stop striving for their goals.
When you start believing more is possible and you define expectations past your current perceived abilities, this first step becomes invaluable. Goals become your path in life much like steppingstones help you cross a roaring creek. For example, let’s say you’re a Star Director II in January and your expectation is to walk across the stage at Elevate as an Ambassador I. Begin to believe you’re an Ambassador I and commit to attending Leadership Summit in February. Not only will you start advancing just by visualizing yourself walk across the stage as an Ambassador I, you’ll also benefit from the experience and knowledge of being around other Ambassadors attending Leadership Summit.
Step 2: Set Specific Short-term and Medium-term Goals
To achieve the expectations you defined in Step 1, you must develop short-term and medium-term goals. Achieving short and medium goals will lead you through hills and valleys of obtaining your long-term goal.
Let’s go back to the Ambassador I example. At Star Director II, you have 3,000 Points and 2 Personally Enrolled Star Directors. To achieve Ambassador I, you need 40,000 Points, 6 Personally Enrolled Star Directors, and 1 Personally Enrolled Ambassador leg. The difference can look daunting on the surface. But if you set specific short- and medium-term goals on the way to your Ambassador I goal, achieving it in August becomes more probable. For instance, your first short-term goal would be to achieve Star Director IV with 10,000 Points, 4 Personally Enrolled Marketing Executives (MEs), and 4 Personally Enrolled Star Directors. As long as you purchased a Gold or Platinum Quick Start Pack (QSP) in your first full calendar month, this would qualify you for your Lux Car. Achieving the Lux Car Club bonus and inspiring others in your Organization to qualify for the Lux Car Club is a great way to begin the first quarter of 2012. So in reality, achieving Ambassador I can be as simple (I didn’t say easy) as helping 4 MEs get their car!
Here’s another example. You enroll someone with a QSP in January and they want to qualify for the Leadership Summit in February. To attend the Leadership Summit, they will need to achieve Star Director II by January 31. Their first goal is for you, their Enroller, to teach them the START THE CAR Getting Started Training using the video and printout that are under FreeLife University/Business Training in “My FreeLife Office.” The second goal is to help them invite their top 30 to attend a Challenge Party within 4-7 days of enrolling. The third goal is to have the concentrate on achieving Fast Track in January by focusing on the 3-4-3 business structure. The first medium-term goal is to help them qualify for the Lux Car Bonus by achieving Star Director IV. Do you see how manageable the journey is becoming?
More specific short-term goals are daily and weekly goals, such as talking to a certain number of people each day about the Challenge, distributing 100 TAIslim Challenge Today newspapers in a week, or having a Challenge Party. The key is to break down your long-term goal into definable and measurable short and medium goals so you accurately verify your progress.
Step 3: Work It Backward
Once you’ve defined your expectations and laid out your short- and medium-term goals, you’ll want to make sure it all fits together. On occasion, I’ve set very ambitious long-term goals only to realize I didn’t leave myself enough time to effectively work the short- and medium-term goals needed to get me there. When you start with your long-term goal in mind and work backward, you break it down into more manageable chunks so you now believe it can be done!
Step 4: Be Responsible and Intentional
As important as goal setting may be, it won’t work unless you accept responsibility and become intentional about the process of constant progression and personal growth. Great Leaders set intentional goals and accept responsibility for their efforts to achieve them. And remember, it is action that takes goal setting to goal getting.
Remember, there is no reward without risk. Don’t be afraid of not reaching your goals. Goals should push you. At first, it may seem scary, but setting goals is one of the keys to being a Leader worth following. Now is the time to set goals for 2012. If you focus on what your 2012 goals are, your actions will follow, and you will reap the rewards of achieving amazing success in 2012.
God bless,
Kevin Fournier
President & Co-Founder
