Goal-setting Monday, 19 August 2013 08:00 Published in Life Style There have been many articles written about

the setting of goals. They are all t rue and correct, but how come many do not work the way they were written? This may be because several basic components of goal-setting tare not tackled. S o many reach their goals, but these are never beneficial to them, thus making th eir goals ineffective in improving their lives. A simple example is like this: a student's goal is to finish his studies. Eventu ally, he graduates and and reaches his goal, only to feel frustrated when he doe sn't get a job related to his course or worse, doesn't land a job at all. His go als, then, are half-baked and half-fulfilled; failure in life is very much evide nt. The reason is the wrong or incomplete way of setting goals. Yes, there are sever al ways to set a fully effective goal. The truth about effective goal-setting an d dream realization is the integration of body, mind and soul. Time, reality and the uniqueness of each individual are the components missed by all the articles written about the topic. If motivated by a good and inspiring novel-like articl e, it ends up as a novel and worse, a fallacy. Secrets to effective goal-setting 1. TIME. This, as they say, is essential. All that are good and better today may not be so tomorrow. Following the current trend, if not carefully planned, a go al could lead to future frustrations and failure. For example, in the aspect of education, when there was a great demand for teachers, most freshmen students en rolled in the education course, only to be employed as domestic helpers abroad i n the end. In more recent times, when nurses became the top demand worldwide, al l freshmen and even doctors enrolled in nursing schools to become nurses. Now mo st of them are now working as call center agents, feeling frustrated and devasta ted. Timing must be computed by mathematical equation. Values and data are now a vailable through internet. What is in-demand today may not be in-demand by the t ime you reach your goal. The reality of goal-setting is not all about personal t iming; it is a synchronicity to all man alive near and afar. Study the numbers a nd learn to count days and people, a simple and complex mathematical procedure t hat will bring success and eventually a fulfilled life. 2. ENVIRONMENT. The actual place or city we are in must be considered for better goal-setting. Different environments offer different opportunities both for sho rt- and long-term. For example, in productive and advanced countries, government offers good retirement benefits and medical care for retirees. But as long as y ou are strong and young, one is required to work hard and lose the opportunity t o have a true balanced, productive life and be happy. The Philippines' way of li fe and government do not take the future needs of retirees into consideration. H ere, your own family will take care of the elderly. We spend for everything they need. The young takes care of the old and not the government. We may be right; we may be wrong, but the thing is we show more affection to our elderly than man y other cultures. So setting goals will vary from one country to another. If one had read an article made by an American writer based on his upbringing and way of life, then Filipinos will surely have a wrong way of setting for a goal. 3. OBJECTIVE. There are short-term objectives and long-term ones for each set of goals. Short-term objectives are set for daily activities or for just an event arising and it may not need to carry all the most important ingredients for a su ccessful goal. The objective is small and not so life-changing. It is more of a community achievement and not a personal issue. Though we don't see anything wro ng if the goal and the results are for the good of the community and society, ou r article dwells more on personal goals and personal success. A successful indiv idual is a treasure to the society and community. 4. HAPPINESS. Happiness is defined by many aspects. One is when you determine wh ose happiness must come first, those of other people like those we love most or our own personal happiness. Answers may vary depending on where we are coming fr om, but all answers are correct. However, end results will be based on your choi

ce of whose happiness must come first. I personally choose my own happiness firs t so I can make others happy also. If I am successful in achieving my own goals, things will be better for all of us. 5. SIZE. Small and big ideas both lead to a successful life. But one must start small before going big. The failure of goal-setting is if one plans big goals wi th less experience or worse, no experience at all on the matter that they are tr ying to achieve. Knowledge and mastery are all gained through years of experienc e. With experience, one knows the easy way and the hard way; and what brings bet ter and worse results. Start small because the risk is small and the pain of pos sible failure will be manageable. Start big and if failure comes, recovery from it is almost nil. 6. SELF-KNOWLEDGE. In setting personal, group or corporate goals, one must know his own capability, ability and capacity. Overconfidence is a risky thing to hav e. So is simply having just a dream and wishing it comes through without using o ne's abilities and capabilities. In short, one must work out his plans based on his own uniqueness not just because someone says so or others did it well. 7. FAITH. Believe in the unseen power. Here we will go universal. Some call it G od, others call it Lord, Jesus, Buddha, or Allah, but the truth is, whatever we call them or whatever depiction we put on them, they possess power that brings a difference. Having such belief tells the difference from having none at all. I was very young when I set my goals. I told myself, my family and friends that I will make it big here in the Philippines rich and famous even without going ab road. I even set the time for this goal all of this will happen at age 26. I kep t on believing in this even when almost all of my friends and families left to w ork abroad and migrate. Though it was not that easy, I reached and fulfilled thi s personal goal. I held on to my faith that God has the power to make things pos sible for those who believe, and I believed that my own country would bring me l uck. At age 26, I had my first house, my first million and happiness in life tog ether with my family. Just to simply share, I believe that being hardworking and sincere make luck and progress possible. I believe in my nation's treasure even when many had lost faith in this country and its system. And best of all, I bel ieve that God will bring connections that will guide me in achieving my goals an d gain success and happiness in life. The best personal goal one can make is about wealth, health and family. With the se three in your life, the goal of happiness and fulfillment is achieved. Comments and suggestions can be forwarded to anthonyvivero@yahoo.com.