Move Forward with Purpose
By Drue Lawlor, FASID
Director of Coaching, Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting & Design Success University
I happen to find quotes inspirational and thought I’d share some favorites with you as we head into a new year with the hope that they might inspire you too! After all, it’s a great time to consider some valuable quotes on goals and planning. Too many New Year’s resolutions are forgotten by February, usually because they are not realistic – they are not measurable and attainable.
As Napoleon Hill advised, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” If you have not done so, take the time to break down your big dreams and/or goals into specific small goals.
As John Maxwell, prolific author and speaker who is seen as an expert on leadership, shares, organization is the key to realizing your goals. He advises to create manageable steps that are measurable and give yourself deadlines – and don’t let yourself get discouraged! Keep in mind the words of Henry David Thoreau: “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
On John Maxwell’s website, one of his followers shared some straight forward advice regarding how to get organized, and it might help get you started.
G oal – What do you want to do?
O bjective – How do you want to do it?
A ction – What detailed steps are you going to take?
L earn – Evaluate and adjust your strategy as needed
Don’t be afraid to make big dreams and set impressive goals – take Les Brown’s advice: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Don’t be part of the “if only” club! “If only I’d …” And don’t be afraid to fail. What’s worse than failure is never even trying.
The great basketball coach, John Wooden was one of my favorite coaches because he coached just as effectively off the courts as on. One of his great pieces of advice had to do with failure: “Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be”. Don’t let fear hold you back. And think about using another of my favorite quotes – this one from Coco Chanel – as a reminder on your road to success: “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”
By breaking down that big dream/goal into small, realistic, measureable goals with deadlines you will more quickly enjoy successes as each small goal is achieved and be sure to have a plan in place to celebrate each of those successes, whether you have a team or work on your own. Make those celebrations worth working toward.
So as you sail into the New Year, move forward with purpose, and keep this last piece of advice in mind.
“Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.”
~Elbert Hubbard, American writer, publisher, artist, philosopher, and founder of the Roycrofters.
