IF I am to grow intellectually, the best thing to do is feed my mind. (I hope you didn’t fail to notice that “IF” had been capitalized.)
Kidding aside, for the year 2012, I have commissioned myself to get a copy of at least one inspirational or personal finance book every month. Whether the book be in the traditional paperback format or e-book, I don’t really mind. I’ll go for an audio book, too, if one is to my liking.
Image courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
But if you know me, I’ll take the paperback anytime.
Currently, I’m working on Van Crouch’s inspirational – Dare to Succeed. Van Crouch, by the way, is regarded as one of the best and most versatile speakers in America. As president and founder of the consulting firm, Van Crouch Communications, he challenges individuals to achieve excellence in their lives.
Part I of Dare to Succeed focuses on vision, goals and purpose. And according to Van Crouch, here are six steps necessary for goal setting:
Step #1:
Focus your thinking. Be specific about the goals you hope to achieve in the next six to twelve months. Specific being the operative word, Van Crouch emphasizes that if a goal cannot be measured, there’s no way one will ever know if he already got there.
Step #2:
Develop a written plan for achieving each goal and a deadline for the attainment of each. Set deadlines that are reasonable and achievable so you don’t get disheartened.
Step #3:
Develop a sincere desire to accomplish your goals. “A burning desire is the greatest motivator of every human action,” says Van Crouch. And again, Napoleon Hill, author of the best-selling Think and Grow Rich, said, “Desire backed by faith knows no such word as impossible.”
Step #4:
Continue to develop an unshakable confidence in the attainment of your goals. Napoleon Hill again states, “Our only limitations are those we set up in our minds.” Faith is a state of mind which can be developed at will.
Step #5:
Take action and follow through on your plans regardless of criticisms, obstacles and circumstances. Van Crouch to his son one day said, “If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.”
Even kids nowadays know that quitters never win. Excuses are stumbling blocks to our goals.
One thing that struck me about the most recent Donaire fight, the one where the “Filipino Flash” won via split decision over Velasco, was the fact that Donaire hurt his hand really badly during the early rounds of the fight.
But despite the pain, he persevered, giving everything he got to win what he came to win.
Step #6:
Set an acceptable base bottom for each of your goals. According to Van Crouch, Base Acceptable Bottom, or B.A.B., is when you tell yourself, “This is the very least I will do in this specific time frame.” A lot of times, we hear people tell great victories they were having in their lives that we feel like losers.
Never fret because we can’t start where someone else is. We can only start where we are right now.
As punctuated by Dr. Kenneth Blanchard in The One Minute Manager, “People who feel good about themselves produce good results.”
Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success. – Vincent van Gogh
May we all achieve our goals, financial or otherwise.
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