The End Result Approach

Next month is when many people make New Year’s resolutions that will change their lives for the better – for a few weeks anyway. Before making those resolutions, take time this month to determine what your goals are for next year, five years from now, and retirement. By looking at these goals, you will know what changes or resolutions need to be made now to give you the bright future you so desire.

How should you determine your goals? By dreaming big. If there were no obstacles in the way of you reaching your dream, like money, education, and work, what would you really like to do that would make you really happy? This is when you need to use the end-result approach. Set your final big goal and work backwards by setting smaller more manageable goals.

If your goal is to become a black belt before your next birthday, but you are a white belt now; it probably isn’t going to happen. That doesn’t mean you can’t become a black belt, it just means that you will need to rethink your timetable. Your first step would be to make an appointment with your instructor. He or she will be able to help you set reasonable goals for reaching each belt color. Once you have a time table, you can see what you need to be doing to stay on track.

As hard as it may seem, write down your weaknesses and find out what you can do to overcome or strengthen them. If you are only 5-feet tall and 90 pounds, find out how you can use your size to your advantage. Turn something you have no control over into an advantage -- you are probably faster than a larger opponent. If lack of upper-arm strength is your weakness, you can change it by adding weight training to your workouts.

You’ve heard it before, but it works; write down your goals so they will seem real to you. Share them with friends and family, too, so they can help motivate you. Most importantly, you need to know what your goal is, not what others think your goal should be. Grandma Moses was in her 70s when she began her prolific career as an artist. Her goal wasn’t to be an artist. Her goal was to enjoy a creative outlet by painting scenes from her long, rural-based life. Even if she had not become famous, she would have succeeded in reaching her goal; becoming famous was just an added bonus. Today, she is known as having been a successful artist, but even if she had never sold a painting, she would have died knowing she had achieved the goal she set before her. Would you be able to say the same thing? It’s not too late!