Top Banner
Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success By KARL BIMSHAS
38

Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Aug 29, 2014

Download

Health & Medicine

A great primer for planing what's next in your amazing life
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1

Go Get It!Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

By KARL BIMSHAS

Page 2: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

INTRODUCTION

Your Best Year Ever?

Has this been your best year ever? For many people the

answer is sadly, no. Maybe you lost your job, money is

tight, or you unexpectedly lost a loved one. Maybe your

year has been sprinkled with health scares and

economic uncertainty. All of these things are significant

events and a life well lived is full of them. However,

events are neutral. Some may feel terrific, some

horrible and some simply suck. That’s life. It doesn’t

matter, because the only important factor is your

response to those events. You cannot completely

control most events in your life, no matter how hard

you may try. There are too many outside variables. The

only thing within your control is your response to them.

Do you respond or react?

Reaction takes its instinctual cue from forces beyond

your control while responding takes deliberative

thought. Both paths influence your outcome. Wouldn’t

you like to have a say? It’s the difference between

shriveling up and choosing to blame the government,

big business, family and even God, or straightening up,

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2

Page 3: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

grabbing a broom, and cleaning up the messes in life.

It’s about taking personal responsibility.

You could wait until next week, next month or next

year. Next year is full of potential. It’s also full of

procrastination. “Next” is a comforting place to be

because you don’t have any of the responsibility of

being “it” but you get to enjoy the feeling of

anticipation.

January 1st is an arbitrary date; you can begin a goal

and regain control of your life at any hour of any day.

Why wait? Aren’t there are things you wanted to

accomplish this year? There’s time to get started. You

simply have to begin. In this guide you’ll reexamine

your purpose, your goals and learn how to maintain

both.

Find, Set, Get and Celebrate

Regardless of the date on the calendar plant the seed

and follow the lifecycle of every great goal.

Find a Great Goal.

Even if you have a laissez-faire attitude, there is a

special joy in discovering some spectacular thing you

want to have, do or be. Fill yourself with that positive

yearning.

Set a Great Goal

Make it a S.M.A.R.T. Goal (more on that later). It’s

better to come up with three. A set of Short-term, mid-

term and long-term goals keep your momentum, and if

interrelated, can help you achieve each of them all

faster.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3

Page 4: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Get a Great Goal

Meaning, accomplish one. Making your goals a reality is

seldom easy and that’s good. Great goals give our life a

sense of personal purposefulness. Don’t you want to

live your life on purpose? Stick with it.

Celebrate

Get rid of the long bovine or sourpuss expressions. The

good and bad things in your life are tied more to your

attitude than anything else. Want more good things?

Celebrate every positive thing that happens. If you’re

the reserved type, this will feel odd. Why celebrate the

things that are supposed to happen? Because they

worked! We mourn loss. We must celebrate

achievement.

No matter when you start, have a happy and enriching

year filled with meaningful goals.

First, a story …

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

4

Page 5: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Snakebite and Venom

Two friends walked along a path when they happened

across a rattlesnake warming itself in the sun. One of

the men, pompous and careless, severed the snake with

an ax, but not before it bit the foolish man on the wrist.

The man wailed and flailed his arm in pain while his

companion stood immobilized with panic. A third man,

an experienced hiker, witnessed the events from

several yards away.

Which one is you and what do you do next?

Are you like the foolish man, filled with bravado who

acted violently in the face of latent danger and who is

paying a painful price for his folly?

Maybe you are the incapacitated man, made powerless

with indecision and panic, standing about uselessly.

Or perhaps you are the experienced hiker, equipped

with the knowledge that, although painful, snakebites

don’t kill people, it’s their venom. Venom that if not

removed, courses through the veins, accelerated by the

constant movement and shaking of an ignorant and

fearful victim.

This scene is repeated in people’s lives nearly everyday.

Everyone has experienced painful situations. You may

have antagonized someone who then lashed out at you,

or you might have come across trouble unexpectedly

and been the victim of a painful blow. The first

inclination is to lash back, to bellow accusations of

unfairness and to blame others. That energy would be

better spent by removing the venom and repairing the

damage. How often have you acted like the experienced

hiker, yet instead choose to keep walking rather than

help those who are angry, confused or hurting? Even

though you have the skills or knowledge that could

solve the problem, bring about calmness, alleviate pain,

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

5

Page 6: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

or perhaps even save a life, you decide not to get

involved.

Leaders get involved.

Leaders act. They do not shrug their shoulders and

sigh, “Oh, well.” They give of themselves, protect

people, remove the venom from the veins of victims,

and teach others to do the same.

When trouble next looms before you, what role will you

play?

This guide is for those who are, or aspire to be the hiker

who gets involved.

Quick Tip

Why make things more complicated than they have to

be? Here are four simple steps to make improvements

in virtually anything you pursue.

1. Know your desired outcome.

2. Take action.

3. Notice if it’s working.

4. If it’s not working, try something else.

Oversimplified?

Not really.

Stick to it and accomplish things. Fight it and risk

wallowing in mediocrity.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

6

Page 7: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

PART ONE

Finding Purpose

Reassessing

As you get anxious to start a new project, you tend to

neglect the things you have, for things you want. Often

this involves a lot of daydreaming, wishing and

yearning. Sometimes this causes the complete

abandonment of one goal in pursuit of another, and

then another and then another. Reexamine how you are

living your life. You may determine you’re good to go

and wouldn’t change a thing, or you may uncover a clue

to greater success. Either way look, otherwise you may

never know.

Reevaluate your current goals, your progress, and

your beliefs.

Revisit each of them to make sure that you’re acting

authentically and still believe the things you’re telling

people.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

7

Page 8: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Renegotiate contracts that no longer work for

you.

People’s expectations change over time. There’s nothing

wrong with that, it exemplifies flexibility. So does

collaborating to review the terms of any long standing

agreements you have in place.

Repair things that are broken.

Spend time cleaning up the little annoyances of your

life. Organize an out of control junk drawer, fix the

squeaky door or a leaky faucet. This also applies to

relationships. Even with all the social media tools

available, everyone has a friendship that’s been

neglected. Forgive, forget or apologize and send them a

thoughtful card.

Rejuvenate your mind.

You may have had a vacation that did the trick or

maybe you feel like you need a vacation from your

vacation. Get to the place that energizes you and just

be there and enjoy it, even if it’s only in your mind for

twenty minutes or so.

Renew your desires.

Decide on the things you want to keep in your life and

physically or metaphorically dust them off. Put them in

a different shelf so they stand out. Make them appear

new so you can appreciate them again.

Reapply yourself.

Did you fail at something recently? Does that mean you

should quit? No. Take a different approach or just show

your grit and try again.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

8

Page 9: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Ask Better Questions

Having a vision of success is only part of the equation of

achievement; unfortunately that’s where too many

people stop. They can see what they want so clearly

that it hurts. Those yearnings are fine because they

move us forward but it’s a different story if the vision

we set for ourselves leads to feelings of regret or

depression because we’re not achieving them fast

enough.

Some wonder what they’re doing wrong, and why

things never seem to work out for them. As a result,

these despondent people give up on their vision. Don’t

be one of them. Keep your vision, the wilder the better.

What you should be doing is asking better questions.

If you created your own vision then you already know,

deep within, that you’re able to achieve it. Today,

assume you already have everything you want, and

then figure out how you did it by asking forward

reflective questions like;

“Why am I so successful?”

“How did I earn so much money?”

“Where did I find this wonderful person?”

Be as specific as you can in your reflection.

Do you think if you ask questions like these you’re lying

to yourself?

You might not FEEL successful yet, so how could you

ask such questions? It’s easy, because like

Michelangelo’s David, the person you want to be is

already in there, you just need to get rid of the things

that aren’t serving you anymore. Chip away the

baggage that someone else unloaded on you. You’ve

been carrying it for too long.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

9

Page 10: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

The mind is a powerful solution-seeking machine that

likes to find answers. So, if you question why you’re a

failure, you’ll get loads of answers, and you won’t like

any of them. It’s better to question why you are a

success in whatever you choose to pursue. The answers

to those questions may also surprise you, but you’ll like

them better and they will unlock a new way of thinking

that will bring you closer to your vision with greater

speed.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

10

Page 11: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Know Yourself

Everything in life has features, advantages and benefits.

Features are sometimes called technical specs. These

are the things the product or service has. A washing

machine with five speeds. The nightclub that provides

only A-list performers, the airline that offers warm

towels to passengers on red eye flights.

Advantages are the things that the product or service

has that others don’t, or they provide exceptionally

better than anyone else. The washing machine that’s

available in four jewel toned colors, the nightclub that

has a frequent guest VIP program, the airline that

doesn’t charge you for the niceties.

Benefits are the things that people consider valuable.

It may not be unique to you, but it’s very personal and

it’s how people make their decisions. What’s the

benefit? You’re a designer and need a stylish red

washing machine, or you collect autographs of top

musicians for your ailing mother or you like to go

straight to work after an overnight flight and want to

feel refreshed and ready to go. It’s easier to make a

decision when you know the benefits.

That’s how it works in business everyday.

What about for you personally? You have to “sell”

yourself everyday to prospective employers, customers,

maître d’s, loan officers, instructors, even your spouse.

So, give it some thought.

What are your Features?

What do you know? What are your core values and

beliefs? What do you stand for?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

11

Page 12: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

What are your Advantages?

What do you offer your world that others can’t do

nearly as well as you can? What skills make others

think of you first?

What Benefits do you bring?

What value will the people who are looking for you

gain? This takes some self confidence to figure out. You

need to know yourself well, and you’ll need to discover

what your audience needs.

Lead with your benefits, this is what people base their

decisions on. Shore up your advantages and features,

because if people feel the need to justify their decision

about you, that’s where they will look. If you don’t have

anything there, they will quickly change their mind.

They will look to your advantages and features for

validation, so keep them happy.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

12

Page 13: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

How to Confirm Your Purpose

Do you sometimes feel stuck and wonder what you’re

doing with your life? If so, it’s a clue that you are not

fulfilling your purpose. Maybe you think you don’t have

a purpose. That’s a glum outlook, but even if it’s true

you still have a job to do. Let’s start with the

assumption that you have a burning in your stomach.

This exercise will help you better identify that yearning

or confirm the one you’re pursuing is worthy of your

attention.

Tools

Think about how you most often win others over to your

way of thinking. How do you successfully get your way

most often? It might be through humor, or telling a

story. Maybe you communicate with pictures or through

writing. People have different standards of “worthy”.

This is a matter of influence. How is your influence most

felt in your world?

Treasures

Where do you find your rewards? For many, this means

money and that’s fine. If profit is the applause you get

for doing good work, where do you get your standing

ovations? Rewards needn’t be money. Yours might be

measured in smiles or hugs or some other way that

makes you feel happiest. For many people, that’s a

check. It feels good when people pay you. For others

it’s intangible. Identify what it is for you.

Teachers

What group of people do you most enjoy learning from?

In school you probably had a favorite teacher. Think

back as to why? If you’re no longer in school, you’re still

learning things from people. It could be your parents or

your children, your colleagues or members of your

spiritual circle. You might learn something from a

favored author, or the neighborhood grocer. These life

instructors are all around you. Take stock of who they

are and see what they have in common.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

13

Page 14: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Talisman

This is the amulet you figuratively wear around your

neck. Think about what symbolizes you most. What’s a

tangible object you can look at, and preferably hold,

that epitomizes you. The first few things that entered

your mind were probably most accurate. Some people

feel compelled to combine a bunch of images into a

collage, like a family crest. Go ahead if you have to, it’s

your symbol.

Look at your tool, treasure, teacher and talisman of

choice and you’ll have a good indication of your

purpose. When you do things that combine those

elements, you’re acting on purpose. When you drift

away from that foundation, you’re not.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

14

Page 15: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

PART TWO

Goals

Three WaysOne Clear Path

People who want to be, do or have something, generally

fall into three groups.

Group One - 85%

There are those who make no plans and set no goals.

It’s not that they don’t have a list of wants in their life

but they tend to be dependent on outside resources

beyond their control; like winning the lottery. 85% of

the people you meet fall into this category. They have

no specific goals that they’re focused on achieving.

They work day by day, maybe weekend to weekend

with little thought of cause and effect or the role their

own action, or inaction plays in their life.

Group Two – 10%

The next group of people are different. They have goals.

The level of specificity may vary from person to person

but ask them what their goal is and they can tell you. It

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

15

Page 16: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

might sound more like a wish to some, but these people

know what they want. They’re capable of achieving

their goal but they get bouts of insecurity and feelings

of doubt. 10% of the people you meet are in this group.

Group Three – 5%

The final group also have goals and you’ll notice they

are far more specific when they describe them. Even if

they sound far-fetched, there’s something about their

confidence and self-assuredness that tells you it’s not

an idle dream of theirs. It’s a worthwhile great goal and

there’s probably no stopping them. They have a secret

weapon. Not only do they physically write down their

goals, something 95% of the people you know don’t do,

they also make plans toward accomplishing their goals.

A plan needn’t be more elaborate than a series of tasks

and a deadline to meet each of those tasks. People with

great goals achieve the important things they set out to

achieve because they do the work it takes.

You’re probably in Group Two. People in Group One

wouldn’t have read this far into the guide. People from

Group Three reading this are doing so because they are

devoted to continual improvement.

Do the work to move from Group Two to Group Three,

your success depends on it. Start by creating a Great

Goal Statement.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

16

Page 17: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Culling Your Wishes for a Great Goal Statement

People still confuse a list of wishes with goals. Goals

should give you vision and direction so you can create

an actionable plan toward achieving them. It’s been

said that the number one reason people don't achieve

their goals is because they have so many. It’s more

likely that they have too many competing priorities

clamoring for the A1 slot.

This exercise will help you identify the one motivating

goal that is burning inside of you. Think of it as your

Great Goal Statement. Everyone should have a Great

Goal Statement, one that takes precedence over all

others. If you work on multiple Great Goals Statements

you risk diluting your efforts and weakening your

chance at success. Follow these five steps to help focus

your thinking.

Step 1 - Answer These Questions:

• If I won one million dollars tomorrow, what would I

do?

• If I could change one thing about my body, what

would it be?

• Who do I wish to be and why?

• What skill do I wish I had learned as a child?

• Where do I see my career in three or five years?

Step 2 - Pick One

Choose the one answer from the above questions that

provoked the greatest reaction in you. That’s your

foundational goal. Reflect on it and determine what part

of it you believe you can accomplish in less than a year.

Step 3 - Pick a Time Frame

Determine, how long will it realistically take to

accomplish this goal; one week, one month, six months,

one year?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

17

Page 18: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Step 4 - Determine the Cost

What will it cost you to achieve this goal in either time,

talent (effort) or treasure (money)?

Step 5 - Fill in the Blanks

“I resolve to (answer from step 2) in (answer from step

3) by (answer from step 4).

Refine your statement in a way that speaks more clearly

to you. Write it on an index card, fold it over and bring

it with you everywhere you go. Read it as often as you

can; certainly at least twice a day, first thing in the

morning and last thing at night.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

18

Page 19: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Create A Great Goal

How are you going to make sure you achieve your Great

Goal Statement? First, you need to want it, badly. If it’s

not motivating to you, how fun do you think it’s going to

be to achieve? If you’re working on a goal that’s not

fun, you should stop. Life is too short. Look at your

Great Goal Statement. What is it you want to do or

have? Avoid mediocrity. Here’s how to make it a

S.M.A.R.T. goal.

S – Make it specific. Broad goals decay quickly. Vague

goals get vague results.

M – Make it measurable. You won’t achieve your goal

with one grand action. It will take several little actions.

It’s those little actions that you’ll want to measure. A

little now, leads to a lot over time.

A – Make it attainable. Americans are an optimistic

lot and think that anything they want is attainable.

Because of this mindset, they nearly always get what

they want. Stretch yourself, like a rubber band – but

don’t overextend or you’ll snap.

R – Make it realistic. This has a direct correlation to

your motivation. If you’re not realistic about your

current skills, the resources you have, and what

additional things you’ll need to reach your goal, you’re

destined for some disappointment.

T – Make it timely. Getting squishy with time

commitments will serve no one. Time is the silent

accountability partner. It steadily ticks along, whether

you’re ready or not.

Bonus Tip:

Make your goal positive in nature and phrase it in a way

that causes the creation of something. Think about it; a

goal to lose ten pounds sounds silly. Who makes it a

goal to lose something? A goal is about scoring points.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

19

Page 20: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Get enough successful goals and you have a winning

streak. It’d be better to be specific about the realistic

and attainable weight you want to be on the date you

think you can achieve that weight. Soon you’ll be

creating a brand new you!

Another Bonus Tip:

Having a goal to stop doing something will be less

successful than a goal of starting to do something that

is more important to you. Eventually the more

important goal will replace the less important one.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

20

Page 21: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

How Much and By When?

Achieving goals is not necessarily easy. In fact, it’s often

easier not to achieve them. That’s why so many don’t.

It’s easy to stay with the status quo. Sometimes, it’s

even easier to go back to the way things were. That’s

not progress.

Aren’t you tired of being stymied after a long meeting

that didn’t produce any actions? Have you ever

received instructions from your manager or even a

customer that weren’t clear? There are two questions

that will help. How Much? By When? There are other

elements to effective goal setting, however these two

questions cut through much of the clutter.

“How Much?”

This is your volume measurement. It can be anything;

dollars, units, customers, votes, legislation.

“By When?”

This gives you a timeframe; a day, week, month, or

year.

Put the two question together and you have the

immediate basis for accountably. It’s hard for some

people to answer those questions. They want wiggle

room. They don’t want the accountability.

Few like accountability yet most thrive when it’s there.

You’re at your best when you’re accountable to yourself,

your family, customer or constituents, and ultimately a

higher calling. Accountability creates movement. How

much and by when is a catalyst to get things moving.

Get in the habit of asking those questions and providing

the answers to projects that are important to you.

It’s hard to predict the future, so sometimes your

answers will be off. Maybe your, ‘how much’, was too

much or too little. Your, ‘by when’, too near or too far.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

21

Page 22: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

It’s okay. Revise your answer and keep going. If you

can hold yourself accountable to those two progress

inducing questions you can achieve more.

As an exercise, listen when your favorite or least

favorite politician speaks and see how often they offer

answers to those questions. It will give you insight to

the breadth of their vision. If they have no vision, they

don’t know where they’re taking you. Don’t follow them.

Ask, How Much and By When at least once a day for a

week.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

22

Page 23: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Your Goal Planner

You can set goals anytime you want. If you’ve already

established your goals for the year, good on you. Let’s

turbo charge what you have so far.

On the top of your plan include your purpose or

personal mission statement and your top values.

Many people spend their energy trying to balance their

life. Don’t. Strive for harmony instead. Create one or

two complementary goals for each dimension of your

life and you’ll find your chances of achieving more

increases dramatically.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

23

Page 24: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Eight Common Dimensionsand Definitions

1. Financial - Financially independent and free from

financial stress. Satisfied with your current level of

income.

2. Career - A fulfilling and nourishing career. On a

positive career path.

3. Health - In great shape. Receiving effective

healthcare. Exercising regularly and eating for

sustenance and pleasure not emotional comfort.

4. Relationships - Pleased and content with current

relationships. Loved by the people who mean the most

to you.

5. Recreation - Spend leisure time enjoying your

interests. Relaxation, refreshment and pleasure.

6. Contribution - Giving of yourself to others.

7. Personal - Evolving, not just improving, because

you continually experiment.

8. Education - Engaged in creative and stimulating

mental activities. Use resources available to expand

knowledge.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

24

Page 25: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Follow these steps to create a thorough plan.

Step One - Decide on the specific things that you want

to do, have or be during the year. Create a S.M.A.R.T.

Goal for each dimension of your life. Phrase it as a

question beginning with Why?

Step Two - Determine the purpose of each goal.

Describe why you want to achieve each goal and how

you imagine you’d feel once you did.

Step Three - Do the actions that need to be done.

Create a basic task list of things to be done to help

achieve the goal. Include the financial and personal

resources you need to achieve each goal.

Step Four - Deadline when the goal will be done. Stack

rank your 1, 3, 5 or 10 year goals. Include a specific

date in which you plan to achieve each goal by.

If all this seems like too much work, boohoo. It’s very

rare for a goal to show up on your doorstep neatly

wrapped with a bow.

Goals are messy business. They involve thinking and

effort and negotiation and commitment.

If you want to work on wishes, save your coins and

spend a day or two at your local wishing well.

If you want to work on your goals and by definition,

your life, get started.

Today.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

25

Page 26: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

PART THREE

Maintenance

A Calendar, a Clock andYour Head

Maintaining your purpose and your goals take effort.

There are three things you should begin to use in at

least a cursory fashion that will help you: a calendar, a

clock and your head.

A calendar gives you a better perspective on what’s

coming up. You know that Christmas is on December

25th, that taxes are due on April 15th and you know the

date of important appointments. It might be a day in

advance, or a month, a year, ten years, it doesn’t

matter. The point is you know what’s coming.

A clock serves the same function as the calendar but

with greater immediacy. It’s a real time planning tool.

Just like you know things are coming at a particular

date, you know some things are coming at a specific

time. Airplane departures, hotel check-outs, last call at

the bar or what time Macy’s opens on Black Friday are a

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

26

Page 27: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

few examples. You can also use your clock to make note

of the duration of things for future planning. Perpetually

late? That’s a clue that you need to spend more time on

your planning.

Your head is the third thing you should use. With it,

you have the ability to deduce and decide. Things come

up out of the blue ruining well laid plans. Don’t become

a victim of life’s whims. Incorporate them into your

plans. Think a little, don’t simply react. Instead, process

information for a second longer and respond to

situations, based on your values and purpose rather

than something fickle, like your current mood.

If you consider yourself a free-spirit this all sounds like

a horrible constrictive burden. It’s not, so, get over it.

Becoming aware of what’s on the calendar, what time it

is and your capacity to solve a problem can change your

life. Want to change it dramatically? Invest more time

into your planning and what you’ll do in the event your

plans fall through.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

27

Page 28: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

The Find What’s Right Day

It’s easy to find things that are not going well. Alarms

go off too early, cars don’t start, busses are missed,

toast is burned, lines are too long, reports are missed,

on and on.

You get what you look for thanks in part to the brain’s

gatekeeper, the Reticular Activating System (RAS), the

part of the brain that filters out noise and stimuli so you

can function. It’s why you notice things in the world

that are important to you. The parent who hears a baby

gurgle in the next room, how you hear your name in a

crowded room, or see your dream car on the highway.

Spend the day testing your RAS and be on the lookout

for everything that’s going right in your world. From

green lights, to unexpected checks in the mail, finding a

good deal on a new suit, or accepting gracious

compliments on your hair. Instead of being convinced

you’ll be a victim of Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can

go wrong will go wrong“, be determined to be a

recipient of its opposite, “Anything that can go right will

go right.”

Challenge yourself to find everything right in yourself

and others. This may be odd at first, because you may

not be used to looking at things that way. Tomorrow, do

it all day long. Within a few hours you will notice things

you never noticed before and it will lift your spirits and

awareness.

Now … Make It A Perfect Day

What does your perfect day look like?

Perfection can be hard to achieve, particularly if the

judges are harsh critics. If you consider yourself a high

achiever there’s probably nobody harsher than you.

Luckily you’re the one who gets to determine if your

day is going to be a great one and you’re the one who

does the assessing at the end of the day.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

28

Page 29: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Showing gratitude gets you out of yourself. Have you

ever appreciated the elegant simplicity and crucial role

of a stop sign? You can moan about how much you’re

paying in taxes, but instead, choose to be grateful for

the array of humane and unique services you’re helping

fund. When was the last time you sincerely thanked a

person for making your day run smoother, either

because of their contagious laugh and beaming smile,

or their attention to detail on an important project, or

even getting your drink just right? Do it and you’ll

improve the day of at least two people.

Your brain is an incredible problem-solving machine.

Calling things challenges just because it sounds better

is silly. Call things what they are, problems or

dysfunction. Problems shouldn’t have a negative

connotation, but they do. Begin to change that

perception. They are a puzzle that needs to be unlocked

and you’ve been blessed with the key deep within the

recesses of your brain. It just takes time to access it.

When you brainstorm the potential solutions to a

problem that would improve your current condition you

get closer to that key. Eventually and unexpectedly you

will trip over it.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

29

Page 30: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Daily Focus

Beginning tonight, think about your main purpose or

goal for tomorrow and the week ahead and jot it down.

List ten things you need to do that will bring you

closer to that goal.

Before you go to bed tonight, or first thing in the

morning, brainstorm ten ideas to improve a

problem you’re facing. Remember in brainstorming

there are no rules; write out anything even if it seems

ridiculous. It’s the ideas that come out after the

ridiculous ones that will be truly creative. That’s why it’s

important to come up with at least ten. If you’re lucky,

two of them might be pretty good.

During the course of the day strive to be more pleasant.

Make it a goal to give ten compliments to other

people. It could be for a job well done or shoes well

shined. People want to hear from you.

At the close of the day, list ten things you’re grateful

for. Fall asleep in that state of gratitude.

Do this for a week.

Bonus Tip: Your Gratitude List

Thinking about your age can sometimes pull you into a

funk if you dwell on the things that aren’t what you

wish they were. It’s better to do something active,

rather than wallow in the passage of time and poorly

set goals not yet achieved. Your age is revealed not by

a number, but by an attitude. How old would you be if

you didn’t know your age?

Here’s an exercise that forces you to take stock and

practice gratitude. Use the number that is your age and

list, in no particular order, that number of things you

are grateful for. Once you create a comprehensive list,

you’ll have something to refer to often that will lift your

spirits.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

30

Page 31: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Your Inspiration Likes Attention

When did you last feel inspired? Did you do anything

with that feeling? Inspiration often feels elusive,

particularly to those who pursue creative fields. People

call it their muse and often go off in search of it like it

were a mythical creature. The word inspiration literally

means, “breathed upon” which has a divine quality to it.

It’s when you hear your inner voice, or the universe or

even God whispering a hint to you. When you give

inspiration that kind of weight it seems wrong to waste

the experience.

Inspiration, like most of us, enjoys attention and

doesn’t appreciate being ignored. Have you noticed that

those who find inspiration easily also find it often?

That’s because they honor their inspiration. When it

shows up they pay attention and take action. That’s not

to say that every piece of inspiration leads you down

the path of success, but many times it does. The

problem is, you’re ignoring those moments far too

often.

Inspiration doesn’t usually come on your schedule. It

arrives at inconvenient times, like in the shower, or in

the middle of the night, or when you’re waiting in line

and don’t have a pen. Your heart races, your eyes

widen and you are struck in a flash by what seems like

the best idea you’ve ever had. It might be. But just as

quickly as it comes to you, it disappears. Inspirations

are ethereal things. Your job is to make them concrete

and to take action. Any action.

There are limitless conduits for inspiration. A good

book, a fascinating lecture or seminar; maybe for you

it’s surfing or taking a hike in nature. For others it’s

stimulating conversation with friends, or in some cases,

adversaries. Inspiration is all around and it is flowing

constantly, like a river. Regardless of your belief system,

every moment of the day you are “breathed upon” by

forces greater than yourself.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

31

Page 32: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Make time today and everyday to catch some of that

inspiration and then act upon it’s message. Sometimes

you will stumble, but no worse than if you ignored it

outright. Take immediate action, even if it’s simply

making note of the aha within. Don’t wait for inspiration

to move you, but always be moved by inspiration.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

32

Page 33: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Get Your Ships Together!

Dreams, aspirations and goals stimulate your

imagination, but they aren’t enough if you’re used to

achieving more. Sailing through life rudderless isn’t an

option. It’s time to get your ships together. Here are

eight key ships you ought to evaluate for

seaworthiness.

Relationship

Many times, there are wide variables between your

interactions with your significant other, your family

members, friends, and colleagues. Are you being

authentic in all your relationships? Are all of your

relationships where you want them to be or are there

some that you could improve? Are there people you

sometimes want to throw overboard? Examine your

relationships and surround yourself with the best crew

possible.

Leadership

Everyone has the capacity to be a leader, be it of a

household, a company, or even a little league team. Any

organization of people needs a leader. Someone to set a

vision, inspire movement and encourage people along

the way. There is something in your life that you’re

leading whether you know it or not. It would be better

to know it. The helm is yours, captain.

Ownership

Although material possessions really don’t matter much

in the big picture, when you scrape and save for some

tangible thing you want, like a camera, new shoes,

special watch, car or house, the basic pride in

ownership is the same. You take care of the things you

own. You clean it, shine it, and show it off because it’s a

symbol of your success. Are you taking enough pride in

ownership? Polish the brass.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

33

Page 34: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

Citizenship

It is a sense of patriotism. Many look at what a country

owes them instead of what a country full of liberty

provides, like security, tranquility, justice, and the

ability to pursue happiness. Everyone says their taxes

are too high, but if you think about the value you get

for that contribution, it’s probably a pretty good deal. To

function properly a country needs good citizens. A

population that educates itself, votes, serves as jury to

justice and contributes in ways big and small. Raise the

flags, show your colors and salute.

Stewardship

Nothing lasts forever, but there are times when things

fall under your watch. Leading a team, babysitting a

child, living on the planet. No one wants something bad

to happen on their watch. Stewardship is treating

something that’s not yours as though it were and then

leaving it with grace and in a little better condition than

you found it. What can you make better?

Craftsmanship

Everyone does something well. Something that requires

their head, heart and hands. It may be your hobby or

your vocation, but it calls you and your work speaks to

others. It’s funny how people tend to be the most

skilled craftsmen around the things they are most

humble about. Devote time to your craft. Practice,

hone, improve, excel. Make the engines purr.

Entrepreneurship

Start something. You often see a need, a way to be of

service that others haven’t thought about before, but

too often ignore your great idea. How faithfully you go

about filling that need is your entrepreneurial spirit. It

may be risky. It’s okay. Go for it anyway.

Followership

People often overestimate the leader and underestimate

the follower. Without the follower, the leader fails;

without a leader, followers perish. You must know when

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

34

Page 35: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

to lead and when to follow. Know when to offer new

ideas and solutions and when to support and respect

existing ones. Respect your crew mates and the

command.

Navigating these eight ships comes with a fleet of

emotions. Pay attention to them. Take care of them.

Inspect the hull and scrape the barnacles off from time

to time. Send them out to explore uncharted waters.

Spend time with them and just enjoy what they uncover

alone and working in harmony with each other.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

35

Page 36: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

PART FOUR

Final Thoughts

Help Others Who Are Lost

Let’s pretend you’re running late and suddenly realize

you’re lost in a strange city and the street signs don't

make sense to you. You’ve got your mobile device and

your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare friends are only a

few keystrokes away, but your satellite connection is

spotty. You approach a passerby and ask them how to

get where you’re going. There are a multitude of

possible responses:

• I’m sorry, I don't understand you.

• They ignore you and keep walking.

• They give you colorful but convoluted directions.

• They offer to sell you a map.

• They walk with you and safely get you to where you

want to go.

Which would you prefer? Which do you provide to your

coworkers, customers or family? Change and

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

36

Page 37: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

uncertainty can be exhilarating or scary or both. The

answer you prefer is not all that important. If the stakes

are high, you might be willing to shell out some money

for information. You might not feel secure walking with

a stranger. Depending on the circumstances that might

be exactly what you want.

The point is people you care about are thrust into

situations similar to this metaphor everyday, sometimes

multiple times a day. As a leader and an artist, take

note of the people around you. Some of them are lost

and could use your help. If they ask you for it, don't

ignore them. If you don't understand them, try harder

because they’re at a bigger disadvantage than you. Be

on the lookout for those who are lost and be the

friendly face that helps them reach their goal.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

37

Page 38: Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success

About the Author

Karl Bimshas is the author of several business and inspirational books and programs designed for people who are serious about finding, setting and getting their great goals.

He owns an independent consultancy for personal, professional and executive

development. As a valued strategic accountability partner he helps his clients discover the aha within.

He is also publishing a growing number of titles in fiction. For more information, visit KarlBimshas.com

If you liked this ebook you may also like:

“How To Stay When You Want to Quit;” Re-scripting your life from whiner to winner”

“Pushing Back the Ocean; Tide Turning Leadership Lessons

“Write Advice; Inspirations, tips and thoughts for Leaders and Artists”

“Disposable Journal: Write it out and let it go”

“Perspectives; A 30 Day Journal to View Your World Differently”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

38