Setting Date Specific Goals The Must Haves Whys And Hows Analysis

Title:
Setting Date Specific Goals: The Must Haves, Whys, and Hows Analysis

Word Count:
890

Summary:
So you have decided to make a change in your life. You may have decided to start a home-based business or you want to become more focus at your life. Setting goals is a great exercise in getting a focus and a perspective on life. Not life in general, but where a person wants to be short term and the long term. In this article, I am going show the technique I use to set my goals. I will also provide a worksheet for you to use.


Keywords:
setting goals,success,setting,analysis,must have,why,how


Article Body:
So you have decided to make a change in your life. You may have decided to start a home-based business or you want to become more focus at your life. Setting goals is a great exercise in getting a focus and a perspective on life. Not life in general, but where a person wants to be short term and the long term. In this article, I am going show the technique I use to set my goals. I will also provide a worksheet for you to use.

Also, before I start discussing this technique, you need to realize that this is not a one-time exercise. We need to record our goals onto a document. Our thoughts and desires now become a living document. Every three months, I suggest reevaluating the document and do this exercise again. And ask these questions, “Did I meet my goals?” “Do I have new desires?” “Are the goals I thought to be once important, not in line with my ultimate goal now?”

The technique I use to set my goals is the Must Haves, Whys, and Hows (MWH) Analysis. For the purpose of doing this exercise, download this worksheet: http://www.at-home-incomes.com/downloads/MWH_Worksheet.doc. When the worksheet is opened, there are two sections: MWH analysis and Setting Date-Specific Goals. Lets look at the MWH analysis page.

This page has the template that we will follow to gather our thoughts, hopes, and desires. You will notice that there are multiple occurrences of these lines:

Must Have:
Why:
How:

This is where we will start the process of writing down our information. So let’s start with the Must Haves.

Must Haves: This is where you write down your desires and wants. Think about what is important. Think about those crazy items everyone dreams of owning (expensive cars, big houses, jewelry, etc). Maybe you only want to provide a better life for your family. Maybe spending more time with your family is important. Maybe you want to travel. From the Must Haves, you start to develop your goals.

Whys: Now look at each Must Have and decide why you need these Must Haves. Do you need the Must Have to make a change in your life? Are making the changes just because it is the right thing to do? Do you have a specific need for the Must Have? Is this a dream that has been put on the back burner because life got you? Deciding on the Whys will narrow your goals into categories.

Hows: Lastly, you need to decide the Hows of obtaining your Must Haves. Do you start a home-based business? Do you get a second job? Do you set aside time every day for the Must Have? Do you save our money or do you invest? Deciding on How to complete the process of this exercise.

Example of my own MWH analysis:

Must Have: Money in the bank and in stocks
Why: To secure a great retirement and financial stability for my family and myself.
How: Use my gains from online ventures to supplement other ventures (real estate, stocks, etc)

Must Have: Tithe
Why: Because it is right
How: Take 10% off of the top

Once the analysis is finished, separate MWHs into categories sorted by date’s ranges. Which MWHs are short term and which are long term? On the worksheet, the goals are broken into daily, 3-month, 6-month, 1 year, 5 years, and 10-year categories. When you write your goal in the appropriate category, it needs to be date-specific. If a goal does not have an end date, it is a desire. An end date give a goal a metric be to used to evaluate accomplishments and shortcomings? Repeat these steps until you have assigned our MWHs a category. Here are some examples of my own goals:

1. Daily Goals
a. Spend 1-1 1/2 a day promoting my business.
b. Read GOALS daily.

2. 3-Month Goals
a. By April 30, have 10 new enrollees in my downline.
b. By May 31, have 15 new enrollees in my downline and be helping my first 10 team members
duplicate the process of acquiring new team members

Now that you have completed the worksheet, there is only one thing left to do. READ IT DAILY. Set aside sometime everyday that is “me” time. It does not have to be long, 10-15 minutes. Make several copies of the worksheet that are easily obtainable. If possible, read more than once at day. By reading them everyday, our mind starts to focus on reaching these goals. To remind myself to read my goals daily, I use my Yahoo calendar to send me a daily remainder to my email account to read my worksheet.

Reading the goals daily will also help you plan your days. One question that needs to be asked while reading the goals would be, “What am I doing today that will help me accomplish my goals?” Use our time wisely to help you strive to our goals. Time is never given back. Make the best of it.

By using the MWH analysis worksheet, our wants and desires can be written down and evaluated. After the MWH steps are completed, they can be converted into date-specific goals. By defining date-specific goals we now have a living document that we can read on a daily basis to focus our day’s plan to obtain our goals.

BONUS : Title:
Setting Goals

Word Count:
474

Summary:
Imagine a boat on the high seas. The boat is equipped with the latest instruments and gadgets. All the officers and the sailors are fully trained. The fuel tanks are full. The machinery is in order. Everything is fit and fine. Except that the boat has started sailing, but the commander does not know the destination. Read on...


Keywords:
seas,boats,friends, hobbies, religion,family,goal


Article Body:
Imagine a boat on the high seas. The boat is equipped with the latest instruments and gadgets. All the officers and the sailors are fully trained. The fuel tanks are full. The machinery is in order. Everything is fit and fine. Except that the boat has started sailing, but the commander does not know the destination.

Some people live like this boat. They are well educated, and healthy in body. But as they have set no goals for their life, they keep on changing the direction at every opportunity. What are goals and how do goals help us in life? Let us discuss this. We have many parts in our life that combine together to give us a whole look. Career, home, religion, hobbies, friends are some such parts of our life.

For some of us who are young, career goals take the priority. For some others family goals are equally important. For those who are now retired, friends, hobbies, religion, get the priority. One has to sit quietly and think and write about one's goals. One has to imagine of the ideal life, one desires, and what must happen to get that ideal life. That will give broad parameters of goals in different areas.

Once we know our goals in general, we have to prioritize them. What comes first? For example, If I have a goal of getting more promotions and reaching the top of my company, should I not give more time and thought to that compared to developing new friendships? After the broad goals are set, divide them in small parts of the time frame. I want to reach the top of my company in next ten years. This year, I will try and get at least one promotion. Or I have a goal of keeping myself fit for my life. This year, I will change my diet to include more of fibers and stop eating what my doctor advises me not to. I will not give in to temptations, but always keep my goal of fitness in my mind.

After diving the goals in small steps, take a weekly summary of everything. What did I achieve this week? Was it satisfactory? Where did I go wrong? What needs correction? What are my goals for the coming week? Same exercise should be repeated every week, every month and every end of the year.

As you find that you are not only setting goals, but also are nearing them, it will give you more inspiration. It will increase your self esteem. It will give you focus and it will give you more determination. Happiness is the result of hard work and achievements. No one who wastes away the time, ever feels happy. Happiness comes after realizing that you completed your work to your own satisfaction. Set goals to lead a happy life.