I once heard it said that you can’t get anything done in a world without rules.While this is true in a broader sense, I like to say that an individual can’t get anything done without setting their own rules.Since rules need to be followed and discipline must be developed in order to follow the rules we set for ourselves, I equate this rule setting activity to the process of goal setting.A rule in its most basic form is actually a goal that we strive to achieve.  We do not always follow the rules, even though that is the goal and this is evident by the number of penal institutions we have in North America and the number of otherwise good people who are incarcerated for petty crimes each year.Many cases of poor goal setting and non-conformance to the rules go unnoticed every day and those people who are responsible for the errant actions end up living with the guilt of not having lived up to their own internal expectations.  Most people could avoid this kind of disappointment in life if they only had better information in their hands on the characteristics of good goal setting.Should you decide that your goal setting skills are not up to par and you would like to improve your methods and corresponding results, the following list may be helpful.  Good goals must be:

Specific Goals

Before deciding on any goal make sure to take some time to think about what you really want.  The more specific you can be when defining your goal, the better.  For example, if your goal is to have a new car, make sure to define for yourself exactly what make and model of car you want.  What color will it be?  What options will it have?  Being as specific as possible about every little detail will make the goal more real to you.

Attainable Goals

Although it is good to aim high, some goals are so big that they need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable goals.  If you have a goal in your mind that you think you will never be able to achieve, divide it into smaller steps that don’t seem quite so intimidating and can be undertaken one at a time.  Track your progress in achieving the smaller goals that will lead you to your original goal.

Written Goals

If you have a goal that is not written down then it is not really a goal.  Take the time to write down any goal you have serious aspirations of achieving.  We tend to forget about things we do not write down because of our busy schedules, so by writing your goals down, you will have a better chance of following through.

Visible GoalsOnce you have made a written list of all the goals you would like to accomplish, make sure to put the list in a highly visible place where you will see it each day.  I recommend making multiple copies of your goal list and putting a copy in each room of your house.  Put the list on mirrors, on your fridge, by your computer and in any other high traffic area of your home where you are sure to see it each day.  One of the most inventive places to place your goal list is on the toilet seat, or directly across from the toilet.

Time Sensitive GoalsA goal is not a goal unless you set a specific time period within which the goal must be accomplished.  Being as detailed as possible in describing your goals is not enough on its own.  If you do not set a deadline for achieving a goal, you will procrastinate and most likely never complete your task.  So instead of saying you will lose 20 lbs, say you will lose 20 lbs in 5 weeks, or whatever time period you choose.

Planned GoalsYou can have every intention of accomplishing multiple tasks and have set time periods within which to achieve them, but it is highly unlikely that you will succeed without a plan.  For each goal you intend to accomplish, make up a list of activities that if implemented, will bring your goal closer to fruition.  Then, make sure to complete the smaller activities at set intervals in order to see the eventual completion of your goal.

Researched GoalsIf you have set goals that require expertise that falls outside your areas of knowledge, then you have two choices.  Either seek out the information you need to become better informed about the topic at hand, or find someone else who knows what you need to know and pick their brain for ideas.  You can even hire someone with a specific area of knowledge if necessary.  Henry Ford was once brought to trial by his peers and accused of incompetence.  He responded by saying that it was not necessary for him to know how to do things that he could hire others to do for him.

Emotional GoalsWhen deciding to chase any goal, it is best to have an emotional reason for doing so. Particularly in cases where we need to motivate ourselves to complete tasks that we find undesirable, emotion helps us to maintain our focus and follow through on our commitments.  Instead of focusing on the tasks that need to be completed for your goal to be realized, keep your mind on why you want to accomplish your goal and its fulfillment will seem to happen effortlessly.

Supported GoalsIf you are trying hard to accomplish any goal, it never hurts to have a great support system around you.  If necessary, get rid of negative people and influences in your life that do not support you or further your advancement towards your goals.  We become like the people we hang around with and I for one would prefer to only hang around with positive people with a can-do attitude.

Broadcast GoalsOne of the best ways to see any goal through to completion or attainment is by shooting your mouth off about what you intend to do.  We tend to become lazy when we are only accountable to ourselves, but develop a keener sense of urgency when accountable to others.  Tell as many people as possible what your intentions are.  Brag about what you intend to do.  Speak out loud to yourself in the mirror too.  I have found that it is easier to live with a goal attained than to live with the shame of having bragged about what I intended to do while actually accomplishing nothing.To summarize, 10 characteristics of good goal setting can be found in goals that are specific, attainable, written, visible, time sensitive, planned, researched, emotional, supported and broadcast.  If you have anything in your life that you have meant to accomplish but have not made any headway on in some time, apply the principles mentioned above and get the feeling of guilt off your back for good.  Apply these 10 characteristics of good goal setting to any area of life that seems to be mired in the mud of procrastination and quick results are sure to follow.

The motivation states goal setting theory states that people’s behavior is determined by the different goals they set. It goes on to assert that people’s effort towards goal achieving is largely affected by the response that they get. Depending on whether the response is negative or positive, the person’s performance is affected. In short, this explains the necessity of using performance dialogues when it comes to goal setting.
There are five different activities that cover performance dialogues when it comes to goal setting.
1) Highlighting the accomplishments- this includes examining the past achievements and goals. Performance dialogues help people take stock of all their achievements. Dialogues are used as people see only from one point of view and a dialogue will ensure that no person misses out on any of his or her achievements.
This aspect of goal setting also helps people realize their accomplishments with respect to other goals they have set. This makes the possibility of achieving another goal seem more positive. By observing how much they have achieved in the past, they get encouraged to believe that they are capable of achieving much more.
2) Identifying the need for improvement- in this part of performance dialogue in setting goals, people can analyze their previous goals and achievements and conclude where they need to improve. Examination of these areas helps people set better goals thereby increasing their success rate when it comes to achievement of the goal.
3) Having clear expectations- this part of performance dialogue in relation to goal setting helps people realize what they should expect when setting a goal. Due to the above two points in goal setting dialogue, people gain clarity when it comes to the next goal. This helps people eliminate all the goals that they consider will waste their time.
4) Goal setting- the most important aspect of goal setting dialogue. People evaluate their previous goals entirely to know how to set new ones. Therefore this is the most important part of goal setting dialogue. Here people need to apply all that they have learnt from their performance dialogue in order to set a goal that is:
a) Attainable
b) Challenging
c) Specific
5) Planning- when people set a goal, they get a general idea of the direction in which they need to move in order to accomplish that goal. Therefore another important part of the goal performance dialogue process is the actual planning of the specific steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the objective. This advocates the application of all that people have learnt from their past and helps them in avoiding all the mistakes that have already been made.
As is obvious, there are a multitude of advantages that goal performance dialogues can offer. Dialogues can help externally or internally. In an internal dialogue, the person has a dialogue within himself or herself and this helps him or her evaluate past performances objectively and change the goal accordingly. In an external dialogue, the dialogue is between the person and her or his superior. Here, the superior gives a feedback on the person’s performance with respect to the goals that have been set and shows the direction for all the new goals that need to be set. Performance dialogues in the process of goal setting helps people expend their efforts fruitfully.

Every one of us is involved in some for of self improvement or personal development. This is true of you whether it is something you currently realise or not! If you have any desires, dreams or goals then you are striving to better yourself, your environment or your world and this we call self improvement.

However, there is one key area of your life that stops you from progressing in a fast and effective manner towards your desires, dreams and goals. I will now highlight this obstacle and show you how to effectively remove it forever so that you can create the life you want!

One of the worst things you can do when you need to motivate yourself to reach your long held goals and dreams is to criticize yourself. This is a pattern that has been taught to you since you were very young with school tests, grading, placement in your class and class evaluations. Teachers, parents and peers constantly compared you to others as if that was a way of gauging your true worth. This kind of personal evaluation probably continues to this day with employment superiors over-viewing your work, progress and most likely conducting some form of personal evaluation.

This view of assessing your strengths and weaknesses, although probably well-intentioned, has set a pattern within your own mind for self-criticism and self-doubt. Are you in a perpetual state of comparison? Do you find yourslef comparing how you perform to the performance of other people? Do you beat yourself up for not having attained the same level of success as those around you or those you view from afar? Are you disappointed in yourself when you fail to achieve exactly what you set out to achieve in the time you gave yourself?

Being self-critical can cause untold damage in your life. Criticism, regardless of what area of yourself or your life you have focused it, has a ripple effect that damages all other areas. By believing you are less than you should be you are sending a very strong message to your subconscious mind that you are just not good enough. Such a belief halts your progress towards your desires. It leaves you feeling frustrated and extremely unhappy. If you are really and truly not good enough then how could you ever change anything? If you are not good enough then there can be no way for you to change yourself, your circumstances or your life.

The first step to overcoming this self-defeating pattern of thinking and feeling is to become aware that it is there. Look carefully at yourself and how you interact with yourself internally. Notice when you have a tendency to berate yourself. When you notice yourself comparing your behaviour, talents, abilities or results to those of someone else immediately stop. Only judge your own performance. If you must compare yourself to anyone then compare yourself with yourself. Look for how you have improved. If you give a task everything you’ve got and do your best then you are already a success regardless of the outcome. You have stretched yourself and your personal self-imposed boundaries.

Keep a journal of all your goals and list the success you have already created. When you can look back at where you once were and see the improvement that you have made personally then your confidence will be increased and your self-esteem will rocket. If you compare yourself to someone else then bare in mind that you do not know the other person’s circumstances. You do not know what advantages they had when they began, so comparing yourself to them is a futile exercise. Even if these people did overcome serious adversity to achieve the same things that you now want take it as a positive sign. If they did it then so can you!

Try to encourage yourself when you are faced with a challenge. The difference between internal criticism and internal encouragement can mean the difference between a life of fear, dread, discouragement, pain, frustration and a life filled with abundance, joy, peace and harmony.

Giving yourself approval takes practise, so start right now. If you look at what you are doing when you criticize yourself it is really a form of self-disapproval. Approving and disapproving are just choices. You make them internally and you can re-make them in a different way. Approving of yourself and dispproving of yourself is merely a choice you make!

Right now begin to give yourself some approval just for the heck of it. Many times we disapprove of ourselves and others for little or no reason so turn that around. Begin to give yourself approval just because you are you. Can you imagine how differently you will view the world through the eyes of self-approval? Can you guess what kind of strides forward you can make in your life with an internal voice of encouragement? Do you think you, your family, friends and work colleges would benefit from you taking this new radical approach to how you view yourself?

By taking this approach and viewing yourself in a much more positive way the progress you make will astound you and the speed at which you start to move in the life direction that you have chosen will be amazing. You will gain more peace, happiness and harmony as a by-product and live a life filled with much more contentment, satisfaction and joy. Your personal development is assured!

This article will outline a plan that will help you find what is important to you-and how to move in the direction of success. Personal development helps you maximize your potential in every area of your life. If you want to identify areas in your life, set goals and achieve them, follow the outline below.

First, it is important to determine the key areas that need development. This will require that you take some time to really reflect on your life: what are your dreams, goals and aspirations? Write down the top five key areas in your life that mean the most to you. Once you know what is important- you can determine if there is anything standing in your way of improving in those areas. Ask yourself: is there any room for improvement in this area? What is standing in my way of improving in this area? For example: if one of your top five goals is enjoying your occupation, make a list of what is preventing you from your enjoyment: is it the actual work? Is it the fact that you do not actually know what you want to do-you lack focus? Or is it that it just takes too much time away from your family? The answers to the questions will help you realize areas for personal development. I would suggest making a list of the areas of key improvement (top five) and keep it handy so you can refer back to it.

Now that you have identified the area for improvement, find local resources that may assist you in developing in each of the areas that you have identified. Resources can be found in books, in on-line articles, blogs, tapes, seminars, workshops, etc. The important thing is that you identify at least one resource for each key area of improvement and that it is realistic that you will utilize the resource. Personal development is one of the world’s fastest growing industries, so you should have no difficulty in identifying and listing your resources.

From the resources you have found, select one or two of your key areas and write out a growth plan. This can be done on your own using your resources, or can be done by consulting a life coach or personal development professional. It is important to develop a plan that has very specific steps that are simple to follow and detailed enough to complete. Nothing feels better than being able to see progress toward your goal than actually seeing check marks next to tasks that are needed to finish a project or a plan.

The next step is the step that makes the biggest difference in your personal development and is also the step that is most neglected: set aside one hour a day to dedicate to your personal development. This does not have to be an hour all at one time. Setting time aside in the morning and in the evening–or even on your lunch hour will work, but it takes commitment. This is the time that you will be implementing your growth plan or completing a step from above. It can also be used for reflecting and reading in the area for your development.

Finally, find a mentor or a group of individuals that you can build relationships with that are also on the same path of development. This can help you grow more quickly than any other resource you may find and utilize. Relationships with other like-minded people can bring support and guidance that is beyond anything you could ever do on your own.

Be sure to apply all that you learn. Learning is only meaningful through the use of the knowledge in your life. The key is to take action. New behaviors create new results and new successes, whereas knowledge only increases your pride and doesn’t change your life. If you are looking to change your life, take a step-determine where you can apply your newly found information-and practice it. It really IS that simple.

I’m sure you are aware that you talk to yourself constantly throughout the day. You inner voice is continually giving you feedback about situations, people, circumstances and relationships. Many times this inner voice can be a great friend cheering us on and helping us sort out problems. However, all of us, regardless of how positive we are or how much we believe in ourselves and our abilities, are at some time haunted by that voice when it whines and criticizes us. When this small voice becomes our inner critic it instils fear and self-doubt while it causes internal havoc, procrastination and failure.

It is a truth that you and I listen to our own internal voice every minute of every day. Sometimes it is positive but most of the time it is extremely negative and reminds us of our problems, past failures and limitations. What if you could teach that inner voice to be your greatest ally and biggest fan? How do you think your thoughts, your actions and your life would be different?

The first thing to understand is that this inner voice is in no way your enemy. No matter how critical or judgemental and negative your inner talk is your inner voice is your best friend. It is trying to protect you. The very fact that this inner critic is a positive aspect of your mental processes and is designed to help protect you from uncomfortable situations is the reason why it’s so easy to transform it into your greatest fan! It wants to help!

How you use your inner voice and the way you speak to yourself internally is just a learned habit. You have done this so many times that it has become an automatic process. Now this is not as frightening or disheartening as it may first appear because if you have learned to do something in a certain way then you can learn to do it in a different way.

Now trying to force this voice to become more positive is self-defeating and needs a lot of energy. There are much more effective ways to create positive inner dialogue.

There is one simple technique that involves a rubber band. The band is placed around your wrist and snapped against your skin everytime you catch yourself in a critical or negative thought. This stings just a little but after awhile your subconscious mind relates negative, critical thinking with pain. After you snap the band immediately think the opposite positive thought. You can also stroke your wrist gently where the rubber band snapped against your skin. Pratcise this simple technique for seven days straight and you will reprogram your subconscious mind to be more positive and silence your negative critical voice once and for all.

You can also try another way. Become aware of the way in which your inner critic talks to you. Listen to the tone and identify where in your head it is speaking from. The inner critic can be found usually in the center of your head but can you tell if it is more left than right or higher up or lower down? Is it close or far away? When you identify where this voice is originating from and how it is speaking to you, you can start to play with it.

With some simple techniques you can start now to interupt the pattern of this inner critic in a way that is not only very rewarding and life changing but also a great deal of fun. Repeat what your inner critical voice just said to you but give it a funny squeaky high-pitched voice. Move it to a different are of your head. Speed it up or slow it down. Make it louder and then softer. Make it speak in a backwards manner. Change its tone so that it is almost singing. Doing this in a way that you find funny will teach your subconscious mind that you do not take this criticism and negatively seriously. After a short while this inner critical voice will start to fade and you will find that your internal dialogue becomes much more positive and uplifting.

Your personal development is in your own hands. You inner voice can be your greatest motivator or your worst critic. Which one you want it to be is your choice!