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“Genius” has been described as the “ability to focus on one thing at a time.” Many people who are “geniuses” are so not only because they have a high intellect, but because they are a gift of being able to focus on the objective or goal at hand.
This same focus must come in to play when determining what your goals are in relation to success. You need to learn to work towards one major objective and juggle a few short- and mid-range goals at the same time.
One way to determine what your direction is (and ultimately your goals are) is to do a check-up. I suggest listing 7 categories: Financial, Career, Family, Personal, Spiritual, Mental, & Physical. Rank your goals in these categories and how you’re doing. This will illustrate to you where you are and where you’d like to be and exactly how balanced you are as you move about your process.
- Set goals that are smart. Big goals must be broken down in to manageable pieces. Don’t set more than 4 goals to work on during a single day. Seek divine guidance and direction on each goal.
- Then identify what the pay-off is when you achieve your goal. Nebulous rewards don’t motivate people to achieve much.
List the obstacles that stand between you and your goals. If you’re not aware of potential problems, you’ll be side-tracked when they arise and lose sight of your objective.
- Have someone in your corner who can dispense counsel & guidance.
- Think about who can help you achieve your goal. Identify friends who can be encouragers and who can help keep you motivated and on-track.
- List the skills and knowledge required to attain your goal
- Develop a plan of action to achieve your goal
- Set a deadline for achievement. It’s hard to achieve something that has no ending date.
As you consider your goals, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this really my goal?
- Is this morally right and fair to everyone involved?
- Will it take me closer to my long-range goal?
- Can I commit myself to start and reach this objective?
- Can I see myself attaining this goal?
- You should answer yes to each of these questions. If not, re-evaluate!
And then give each goal a final test of the “basic wants” in life:
- Will it make me happier?
- Will it make me healthier?
- Will it make me more prosperous?
- Will it increase my security?
- Will it help me make more friends?
- Will it give me peace of mind?
- Will it improve my family (and other) relationships?
- Will it increase my hope for the future?
If you can’t answer yes to each of these questions, re-evaluate your goal.
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How To Tell If Work Has Taken Over Your Life
You may be thinking that your life needs more balance, more time spent at home and with friends and less time spent at work. Perhaps you’ve even mentioned this to your spouse, girlfriend, best buddy, doctor or co-workers.
If you have, it is likely that at least one of these people raised and eyebrow and explained the facts of life to you. That is, that nearly everyone is overworked these days and you should get used to it. Besides, your friend Joe said unsympathetically “I work a lot more hours than you do, so you have no reason to complain”.
Yet, there is that nagging doubt. That feeling that you shouldn’t always be so stressed, so tired, so short on time, coupled with the knowledge that you can’t seem to think clearly anymore, that you always forget family birthdays and that you rarely eat dinner before 10:00 p.m.
You should probably listen to your own intuition and take control over your life before you have no OTHER life than what exists in the workplace. If you still need convincing, or perhaps some more objective feedback, try this little quiz:
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Question
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True
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False
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1
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I am spending more time than ever at work and on work-related projects and activities.
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2
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I usually feel that I’ve run out of time at the end of the day, and I worry about all the things that did not get done.
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3
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I don’t have any time for myself, my family or my friends.
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4
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I don’t get to visit with, or talk to, my family and friends very often.
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5
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Social meetings always seem rushed and I find myself thinking about what I have to get done, and how I should be elsewhere, instead of enjoying the time with my family or friends.
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6
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On most days, every minute of every waking hour is scheduled with an activity, or I have something urgent to accomplish.
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7
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I’m not sure who I am anymore, and I often wonder why I chose this job or this career.
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8
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It is hard to recall my last vacation day or day off, or the last time I just sat and read a book or relaxed.
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9
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I don’t have much fun anymore and I rarely do something just because I want to do it or because I think it will be pleasurable or fun.
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10
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I feel stressed out much of the time and I find myself losing patience easily.
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11
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It is sometimes hard to sleep at night and to unwind at the end of the day.
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Question
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True
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False
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12
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My life is a blur. I feel like I have to keep moving from one thing to the next with no time to catch my breath.
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13
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When I do sit down to read a book for pleasure, or to watch a movie, or TV, I find my mind wandering back to work-related subjects, or I fall asleep from exhaustion.
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14
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I want more time for entertainment, hobbies and activities, but I never seem to get it.
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15
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I often have to postpone social engagements, doctor’s appointments or other personal things, or I am often late to these appointments
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16
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I am usually very tired in the morning when I arrive for work and, even after the weekend, I feel exhausted.
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17
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It is hard to find the time to help my children with homework, talk to my spouse or friend about their day or just sit and write out checks.
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18
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People depend on my income, but they also expect me to be there for important dates like birthdays and soccer games, and I feel torn and misunderstood, much of the time.
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19
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I almost always bring some work home at the end of the day, and/or I nearly always work for part of the weekend, or on my days off.
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If you answered ‘True’ to less than five of these questions, you are not overworked and your life is in good balance.
If you answered ‘True’ to more than eight of these questions, your life is seriously out of balance.
If you answered ‘True’ to more than twelve of these questions, you should immediately start a program to regain control over your life, before stress and overwork damage your health and your relationships.
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Not everyone believes this but the emotional and mental aspects of a person, when combined, leads to better self improvement.
Emotions love to dominate our actions and reactions, even though we do not want it to happen sometimes. The society often see emotions as a sign of weakness, so people are used to putting them aside and focusing on the rational aspects more and more.
No matter how strict and logical you may be, you will always feel. One way or another, someone or something will get through you.
Positive emotions are a lifelong goal for many of us concerned about emotional health and self improvement. What is more important; the amount of money you made during your life or the times you laughed out of sheer joy?
People tend to put their positive emotions behind their negative feelings. This is one of the biggest problems that people come across during their lives.
There is no clear way to ignore a negative experience and try to replace it with a positive one. Life just does not work that way.
For example, when you were a child, if your goldfish dies, you would be heartbroken. Your parents will probably buy you another goldfish but the sorrow is still there.
Things get even more complex when you become an adult. A fight with your spouse the night before will affect your entire day. You will go to work angry, tired, and your mind will wander. On the way home from work you will not notice the sun shining and you would not be tempted to stop at a roadside stand to pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables.
All this because that one negative thought has contaminated the way you perceive the reality around you.
In this moment you will realize finding a safe place to relax your mind will do wonders for your emotional and mental improvement.
That place is relatively easy to find. It can be an actual place or an imaginary location. The best idea is to totally lose yourself in it.
Let us say you have a problem on your mind and it just would not go away. Go bowling. Do not know how? Just give it a shot.
Get caught up in the game. Your mind will drift away from the negative thoughts that dominated your last hours or days and start processing a whole new kind of information.
A safe haven can take many forms. It can be a song, a movie, even a person or animal. The main thing is allow yourself to get completely involved with this new activity.
You might still get flashes of the problem every now and then. Ignore it and get even more absorbed in what you are doing.
When the bowling game, the song, or the movie ends you will abruptly return to reality. You will probably want to retreat back to the safe place. Do not do it.
The safe place exists only as a helping hand, not as a solution to your life's problems, may it be a small or big. It serves only as an escape route.
You will return from your safe zone with an increased energy level. You will feel better about yourself and gain more confidence. You will see that any issue can be resolved.
This is how a small escape from a harsh reality can increase your emotional and mental health. Try to do this often and you are on your way to better self improvement.
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