Tag Archives: 2020 Plans

Top 5 Reasons Why Employees Don’t Set Goals.

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I’ve been doing a series on goal setting and planning because it’s end of the year and the vibe is on.

You see the average person trying to show the world what he’s made in 2019… Black Friday impulsive spending just happened about four weeks ago in shoprite… Everywhere was packed.

Finally, we’re waiting for 2020. Everyone is excited about the new year but how many are ready for it?

We tend to forget that

A new year is nothing but a promise of change. Things will not necessarily get better. But they will not remain the same either.

Yet, few employees are setting goals that will affect their work and life. And can I tell you what 2020 is full of?… time and change not trout and chocolates.

So, how do you control it? How do we as employee think we’ll control these constants?

If we know that time and change will come then the best strategy is to set goals. Goals give you direction and control.

Research says just barely 3% of the population set goals. But why?

Fear of failure of setting goals.
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FEAR OF FAILURE

One of the goals I set when I was a teenager is that I want to play for Manchester United. However, the best I’ve done is watch all their matches on TV. Lol…

Have I felt stupid? Yes! Have I stopped setting goals? No! Why? I figured out that life goes on whether I achieve my goals or not.

I know you didn’t achieve certain things in your work place. I didn’t too. For example, I couldn’t start my podcast for teens. I’ve pushed it into 2020.

Will I stop setting goals for 2020 because I’m afraid it’ll fail?

Here’s a view of what I’m working on already:

List of 2020 goals
Personal 2020 Goals

Can I tell you this:

You only lose when you stop trying.

Psquare, one of Nigeria’s top musician sang a song that says: E no easy for me, if I no get today I go get am tomorrow (If I don’t have it today, I’ll have it tomorrow).

This should be the mindset. If your previous goals failed, try again wisely.

Trying to know how to set goals.
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DON’T KNOW HOW

How many of us knew how to set goals while in school?

Brian Tracy, in a post, mentioned goal setting as the number 1 habit of successful people. So if as an employee, I don’t set goals because I don’t know how, what are my odds of being successful?

Like I said earlier, most of us were not taught – neither in school nor at home.

Thus, it’ll be wrong to blame you if you don’t know how. But if you refuse to learn how to, then I will.

You can read here, How to Set Goals.

Trying to achieve everything now without setting goals.
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I Want It Now MENTALITY

Gavin Ingham, who’s a speaker and author says it this way:

In today’s society, we want everything now. We are living in an instant gratification, ‘short-termist’ culture. If we want something we buy it. Never mind whether we have the money or not, if we want something we borrow the cash and get it. Now! People are really focused on now… live now, pay later. Live now, worry about it later.

Greed and impatience make us see goal setting as a waste of time. The stats for gambling is increasing by the day. And one of the reasons is this thirst for it’s either now or never.

Employees want money now. Not tomorrow. She wants to be born today, attend school tomorrow. Graduate on Wednesday, get engaged on Thursday. Do bridal shower on Friday, marry on Saturday… My dear, how?

You only see that in Cinderella movies. Yet, thanks to Disney World for showing us that Cinderella gets injured too. Goals need patience!

Employee waiting for things to change without setting goals
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One Day E Go Beta MENTALITY

(This means, some day, it’ll be good). I’m a Nigerian and I know deep in my heart that this is one of the ways we escape responsibility for our lives.

While I like the hope it stirs, I hate the complacency it creates in the minds of those who have refused to think and take action.

I read this by Joe Rossini on ehappylife.com

If you don’t take full responsibility for everything that happens to you, but rather find someone, something or some event to blame for every setback or failure, you cannot take the first step toward goal setting.

Believing in luck is not a strategy. Set goals and go to work in 2020.

Employee having a vision for life.
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NO PERSONAL COMPELLING VISION FOR LIFE

I think this should be the first reason.

How many employees have a personal compelling vision for their lives? How many are working beyond just earning? Earning money is good but can we go beyond that?

I’m an employee and I understand the challenges of the average Nigerian employee.

But see, when vision drives your life, no one tells you to look up to something greater than just your belly.


Amongst the 5 reasons, which of them affects you the most?

2020 is barely 16 days from now.

Do you know you can determine certain things that will happen in your life in 2020 with simple goals?

“The only way,” Myles Munroe said, “to control time and change is to plan.”

Plan with your goals. Sure I know there are things you can’t plan or control. Yet, do your part and keep hope alive.

FRIDAY BOOK REVIEW WITH CHUKS | GOALS BY BRIAN TRACY.

Having a goal as a target.
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In clear words, Brian Tracy is saying this to me, you and any one who cares to listen about goal setting from his classical book:

  • Take charge of your life. Really, no one cares about you or will ever, more than you.
  • Clarify your values. What do you esteem so highly?
  • Define your purpose or mission. What’s your life’s vision even as an MTN staff or you’re working in Access Bank or in that dry cleaning firm?
  • Clarify your belief. What do you believe in? What are your convictions?
  • Write down what you want to achieve. Yes. Write down your goals. At this point it should be for 2020.

 

Spending time with fellow employees people
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  • Associate with the right people. I’m sure you’ve heard you’re the average of 5 persons you spend your time with.
  • Manage your time. Hmmm… If you have the best goals and refuse to align your time with it, you’ll most likely see no result.
  • Make a plan of action. Nothing happens until something is done.
  • Review and visualize your goals daily. This is the power of visualization. What if you keep your goals on your wardrobe door, where you can see it like I do?
  • Do something everyday. Take a step daily about your goals.
  • Remain flexible at all time. Yes! This means be ready to learn along the way.
  • Persist until you succeed. Goals need patience. Yes, they do.

Quotes!

Using your potentials with your goals.
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“The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.” Brian Tracy

“You will become as large as your controlling desire; or as great as your dominant aspiration.” James Allen

“The biggest single obstacle to setting goals is “self-limiting beliefs.” Brian Tracy

“We greatly overestimate what we can accomplish in one year. But we greatly underestimate what we can accomplish in five years.” Peter Drucker

“The primary difference between high achievers and low achievers is “action-orientation”. Men and women who accomplish tremendous things in life are intensely action oriented.” Brian Tracy

“Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building.” Stephen Covey

“Realize what you really want. It stops you from chasing butterflies and puts you to work digging gold.” William Moulton Marsden

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” Napoleon Hill

Pursuing a goal
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“The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.” Richard M. DeVos

“No one is better than you and no one is smarter than you. People are just smarter or better in different areas at different times.” Brian Tracy

“Your main job in life is to create the mental equivalent within yourself of what you want to realize and enjoy in your outer world.” Emmet Fox

“Your problem is to bridge the gap between where you are now and the goals you intend to reach.” Earl Nightingale

“If you believe you can do a thing or you believe you cannot, in either case, you are probably right.” Henry Ford

“In our economic system, your income will be determined by three factors: first, what you do; second, how well you do it; and third, the difficulty of replacing you.” Brian Tracy

(I have 14 quotes already… Well, I’ll leave it still…)

Questions?

Pursuing Life goals
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  • If you knew you have six months to live, how would you spend your last six months on earth? Who would you spend the time with? Where would you go? What would you strive to complete? What would you do more of, or less of?
  • Imagine that you have all the inborn abilities to achieve any goal you want, what would you set?
  • What kind of mindset has held you back in 2019? What new information or revelation do you need to change it?
  • What price will you pay to achieve the goals that are most important to you 2020?
  • What would you do if you won a million naira cash, tax free, tomorrow? (Are you doing anything about that same thing now?).
  • Do a complete skills analysis on yourself and your work. Where are you good and where do you need to improve?
  • With what you know today, what would you not get into again if you could rewind time?
  • What one skill, if you developed and did it in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on your career?
  • Who do you need to create relationship with in 2020 to improve my life?
  • Where do you need to go to more in 2020 to improve yourself?
  • Where do you need to stop going to in 2020?
  • Do you have  goals for 2020 ready? (If yes, what if you look at it everyday before you go out and before sleeping? If no, what if you write it now?).

Trust me, 2020 will be exciting if you create deliberate goals. And another year will come after 2020. So, don’t allow external pressure control you.

Shield yourself with your goals.

If you need the book, you can get it here.

 

How to Get Started with Your 2020 Goals: Lessons on Time Management and Goal Setting from Myles Munroe.

One of the greatest men that have taught me the importance of planning is Myles Munroe. He digs deep into it and shares personal experiences not just theories.

Before I get to plan my year, I listen to his videos and get my mind attuned to what should be a plan for the new year.

I know folks who don’t believe in goals and planning especially in our continent flooded with a mindset that’s emotionally driven.

Yet, we see it that no one becomes an influence and a true success without goals and planning – written or not.

And I think that as a Nicheployee, you’ll need this to have a better 2020. So, what would Myles say?

Continue reading How to Get Started with Your 2020 Goals: Lessons on Time Management and Goal Setting from Myles Munroe.