Visualizing Your Goals
Posted Nov 7, 2019 01:05 PM
Visualizing Your Goals
By Natas
Visualizing your goals is extremely important. Think about a foot race, or a car race, or any kind of race for that matter. Chances are you can already see the finish line when you start, or at the very least you know where it is. Why is that? Well, for shorter races it's likely just easier to have a straight line from beginning to end, but, for the most part, it's because being able to see the end is far more motivating than running, driving, or just moving forward without being able to estimate how long you have left.
Much like how in sprints the runner will focus on the end point, or just beyond it, and force themselves to reach that goal, we want to visualize our own goals so that we can reach them without getting demotivated or distracted along the way. If we can't properly see the end point, there's good chance that we'll get distracted by those running ahead of us, alongside us, or even behind us. We'll start to look at things around us instead, and waver off of our course, wasting precious and valuable time and distance. Just one foot at the wrong angle in a sprint can add a full second or two to a runner's time, and that can be the difference between a gold and silver medal.
How can we apply that to our lives, or in business? Well, that depends on your goal. Say you're 18, and you dream of being able to afford your own home and car, but know you need at least $300k to do it. $300k is your goal, not the home or the car. Being financially stable will help you to afford the things you desire, so you can in increments toward your goal. Putting a whiteboard up in your room, with that number on it will help you daily visualize the goal you're working toward, and by cross referencing that number against your bank balance will help you see your progress toward it.
But will that get old? Trust me, it can. Over time, you can become desensitized, or demotivated by slow progress or even the progress of others around you. So how do we combat that? You break down your larger goal into smaller, more manageable, ones. You need $300k, so work toward your first $3k. That's your first mini goal that you've visualized, and the first step toward freedom. Focus on one step at a time, and keep accumulating on your way to your final goal, checking off those checkpoints along the way. Before you know it, you'll be a significant part of the way through, and can look back on what you've achieved in that time to motivate yourself to get further.
With each mini goal reached, write down what you learned along the way toward that particular one, and you'll have a lesson learned from each mini goal. Looking back, you'll get to visualize what you've done so far, and how you can apply those lessons to the future. One step at a time, visualize those goals!
