Goal Setting Mastery Part 2

I really hope you've felt the energy of your meticulous plan to achieve your goals.  I pray you feel the compelling power of the plan and commitment written on paper.  Some studies have concluded that a written goal and a written plan to achieve the goal produces a TEN TIMES higher rate of success! 

If you didn't complete all 10 steps of the goal mastery introduction then it may be useful to consider what is the fear that holds you back.  Our brain is very skilled at compelling us to avoid the new, unknown, and uncomfortable even when rational thinking says it's important for us to dive into those things that are important for growth. 

If, at this moment you're mind is screaming at you that fear is not the reason… Maybe it's saying some of the following:

Justin doesn't understand how busy you are. 

Justin is an amateur and you've already achieved so much without any of this goal writing.

Everyone has their own way to succeed and this isn't your way.

Your life is already great.

I've already done something similar.

Once I do that other thing I need to do, I'll do this. 

I've failed before.

People who tell you to do this stuff are just trying to sell something

I don't act out of fear, just logic.

You avoiding this is purely because you have better things to do.

You're not the kind of person who get's scared.

Well, to those objections I say:

1. I have these same thoughts daily whether my mind is convincing me that I am not good enough or that I'm too good for something, it still convinces me to wait or deviate.
2. These types of thoughts sound a lot like when our mind tells us things like:
1.  I'm too important to get a full nights sleep. 
1. Quality and quantity of sleep is proven to impact performance and health.
2. I believe that we should forgive always but this time it's different.
1. If you believe the first part then the second part is nonsense
3. Talking someone's ear off with product knowledge is a sure way to impress my client. 
1. Anecdotal evidence, neurological discoveries, and many other sources prove that this is normally more annoying than impressive.

You see?  Our mind will manifest fear all the time but has many crafty ways of disguising it.  Now if you've already done the steps then congratulations and let's move onto step 2!

Share your goal

Your next step is simple.  Once you have your goal well defined, then tell others about what you want to accomplish and ask them for their support. 

Hello fear, what are your objections?

"That is narcissistic, I'm introverted so that isn't a good idea, I read that you should keep your goals to yourself." 

Honestly, there are studies on both sides of the fence on this one, but my personal experience, along with my evaluation of the studies performed compel me to stand my ground. 

If you want to check out some studies to decide whether to share your goals or not I've given you some below.  If you'd like to cut to the chase and figure out how to best share your goals then skip to the cut to the chase section.

This article presented studies of actual people trying to accomplish real goals, where the sharers showed a measurably higher rate of success.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3047432/why-sharing-your-progress-makes-you-more-likely-to-accomplish-your-goals

This article presents studies that are indirectly related to motivation and give us some interesting incite, however I don't see any direct links to reaching goals.

https://blog.trello.com/science-backed-reasons-you-shouldnt-share-your-goals

This article points to the fact that social recognition causes a dopamine rush which could cause us to ease up on actions towards an announced goal.  Interesting though, we get a dopamine rush when we eat tasty food or hug someone we love. I'm not convinced.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuroscience-in-everyday-life/201801/why-sharing-your-goals-makes-them-less-achievable

This website presents two psychological studies which demonstrated that sharing goals with people who have similar aspirations intensifies the pursuit.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002210311100120X

Cut to the chase:

It's important to know that sharing your goal can have some negative consequences. It's also important to know that sharing your goals in the correct way can diminish negative consequences and put you right on the path to success.

1. Make sure you share your goals with the right people.

If you tend to get lots of negative feedback from those you are surrounded by, immediately  start surrounding yourself with more people who tend to encourage and support your goals. In order to share your goal as soon as possible, join a social group of people who aspire to accomplish something similar to you.

2. Be clear that you want support, prayers, and accountability

You are not interested in the "You can't do it because" routine. You may end up modifying the deadline of your goal but most any goal you can think of can be achieved eventually and, even in the worst case scenario, your consistent efforts will give you invaluable lessons and skills.

3. Ask for encouragement in the process, rather than personal character compliments

Our desire to proceed is intensified when we are encouraged to reach the next step.  Focus on the process and ask your supporters to do the same.  When you reach milestones, share them with those supportive people you chose and welcome them to keep you accountable for taking actions towards the next step.  Social media has shown to be a powerful tool especially when your goal plan allows you to post periodic progress reports. 

4. Not all social media is necessarily conducive to goal setting.

Instagram is good because people usually choose to follow you based on common interests that you hold, whereas Facebook,(depending on your policy on accepting friends) could be filled with people who like to troll, are ignorant about how realistic your goal is, or are simply discouraging for any other reason.

5.  Train the audience that you've chosen by the way you ask them for help.

Remember that we have negative thoughts regularly but we have to overcome them in a healthy way.  Assuming you have generally decent friends and connections, people tend to respect when you say. "I'd really like encouragement because this is important to me."  Most decent people won't say "Well I would like to crush your dreams" if they see that you've specifically asked for the opposite.  If you invite them to share their experience then they may feel compelled to tell you why failure is inevitable but if they understand that you aren't looking for anything except support to keep going, most will stay on topic.

6. You can get discouraging comments from people regardless of if you share so it's not an excuse

Hearing the "you can't do it because" story is part of life and it is difficult obstacle that we all have to overcome but is an obstacle that you should learn to face no matter what. The benefits of this practice definitely outweigh the possibility of discomfort.

Science shows that the human desire to collaborate with others, to earn social recognition, and to feel part of a community are all reasons to share your goals.  Take this second step, create your community of support and do what needs to be done to reach your goal!  If you felt encouraged, enlightened or entertained by this please support me by hitting the like button.  If you want to get the third step to Goal Setting Mastery then shoot me an email( frunk.translate@gmail.com ) with the words "Opt-in to Good life emails." Feel free to shoot me a message, share your goal with me and keep me updated.  I pray blessings on your life.

God bless,