Setting Attainable Goals

"Setting attainable goals and having a winning mentality along with a good working plan is essential to success in any realm."

  
      Today, as I enter my 27th year of life, I reflect on all that I have accomplished and look forward to all that I plan to accomplish. Everything I have attained, has been through persistence and a good working plan. My trial and error, reading books, attending seminars, and picking the brains of successful individuals, has lead me to conclude on what I believe is a fail safe path to success in my own life, and its working. Part of this plan is to keep searching for ways to succeed even more.

This is what I have found... We'll just call this Trooper Prince's steps to success:

      The first and most important part of goal setting is a positive winning attitude. This means utter confidence in yourself and your abilities. You must know, before you even set the goal, that you are a winner and this goal you are setting will become a victim of your innate ability to win when given a challenge. In my opinion, that "innate ability", is really just the determination to not quit until you win. (Hence, "All We Know is Go")

        Secondly, and this comes after you have built confidence in yourself...., you must set SMART goals. This is not a method I created, but has proven effective through my own experiences. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/ Realistic, and Time-bound. Every goal should fall under each of these criteria.
 
       Thirdly, you need to come up with a plan of attack.  The best way, in my opinion to plan anything, is backward.  This is what I mean, and I came across this analogy from a business book called, Be Unreasonable. I'll try to paint this clearly.... Picture a tree that has a big trunk, thats breaks off into over 10 branches, of which each branch breaks up into 10 more branches, and those branches break up into 10 more branches... Now imagine an ant trying to get from the trunk to a specific said branch. Seems impossible, especially considering I just "painted" a tree that has 1000 branches. But think about this... What if you put the ant on that said branch, and had it try to find its way to the trunk. It almost inevitably would. So if you try to build a map to your goal, start with your end goal and work backward. Then, once you've mapped it out to where you now stand, work your way forward. Now it doesn't matter how far fetched your goal seemed at first.

        Fourth, and this is a problem that gets the best of most tenacious or extremely ambitious individuals... You must set short term goals that are attainable and celebrate those shorter goals every time you reach them. It helps to build more confidence. Success regarding most of our goals are more comparable to a marathon than a sprint. Enjoy every mile conquered. Before you know it, you're enjoying the run. It becomes a game, as opposed to work. This is key.

         Also, and this is a "toughy" for some..., the company you keep must reflect the goals you have in mind.  I say toughy, because most of us like to be around people we think are fun, and will usually end up getting us into trouble or away from our goal. Its just the way it is. We must be more conscious of these decisions. You must immerse yourself in the company of those who are of the same mind set, meaning those who are also confident, positive and ambitious.  Finding a mentor would absolutely be the best way to do this. Find someone you look up to and that has already succeeded at your goal or at a similar goal. Not to mention, having supportive people who believe in themselves enough to support you is also important. Support from the right people is also key. Don't try to do EVERYTHING by yourself.

          I am clearly ranting at this point, and truly did not intend to write all of that. LOL. But I decided not to delete it and so its posted. The truth is, whether you are setting health goals, career goals, life goals, relationship goals, or any goals at all, setting attainable goals and having a winning mentality along with a good working plan is essential to success in any realm.

         I leave you with this, no one book or person can take you to your own success, but if you hunt for it and are persistent, you will get there.  I do recommend a few books and am open to suggestions for good ones I have not yet come across.  A few books, I recommend, are 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey; The 50th Law, by Robert Greene and 50 cent (Rapper/Mogul), The Tipping Point, by Malcom Gladwell; Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, amongst many others. I also, listen to great motivators, like Anthony Robbins and others.

       Lastly, anyone can achieve whatever they put their mind to. A lot of us accept and go for what seems "doable"(easier). Anything worth attaining is going to be a challenge. I've heard a lot of people, say "I'm just not strong like you..., I'm not that positive...".  You can decide to be and train yourself to be.... Step by step. I believe in YOU, but you have to too....


Go Baby, Go!!!!!


-Trooper Prince

How do I define TROOPER?

        A Trooper is someone that when faced with any obstacle or sign of adversity, perseveres in the name of something far more valuable than the momentary satisfaction of quitting.

        When I say, "All we know is go",  I'm saying that there will be many things that will deter you on your path to success, whether in the gym or in everyday life. Whether things don't seem to be going the way you planned at work, with business, a relationship, family, or anything for that matter, quitting is not an option. The means by which we get to the "finish line" may change, but the destination does not change.  If there is something of value to you, go for it.

       It is truly my belief that we must program ourselves to be successful. Winners decide to win and to be fair the inverse holds true for "losers".  Every time we are faced with a challenge and we overcome it, we have grown and are more equipped to live in the world we live in. In order for a muscle to grow, its limits must be tested. The same can be said for the human character.  Do not shy from life's challenges, grow from them.

       Do not stop doing push ups when it starts to burn, KEEP GOING knowing that its making you stronger.  Do not give up when your boss stresses you out and challenges you by putting pressure on you, step up and KEEP GOING.  When the game is on the line and most people have you and your team written off as losers, KEEP GOING, you have even more to prove. 

      To the single mother/father who goes to work, takes care of her children, and is going to school and getting things done, YOU are a Trooper. To the people who are told that their goals are only dreams, but they are ambitious enough to stick it through until it is reality, YOU are a Trooper.  To the people who have lost so much hard earned money in the stock market decline, but still persevere and continue to make strides toward their goals, YOU are a Trooper. To the person who has lost 100 pounds toward a healthier longer life, because they decided to make a change for the better, YOU are a Trooper.  To those fighting cancer and living everyday with good spirit, YOU are a Trooper. To the families and friends of these Troopers that help to support, YOU too are Troopers. Everyone is a TROOPER if they decide to be. Its not easy to decide to be a Trooper, but respect is deserved to those that do.

KEEP GOING TROOPER....