“There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish”…Warren Bennis

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”…Pablo Picasso

“Give me a lever long enough, and a prop strong enough, and I can single-handedly move the world”…Archimedes

“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise”…Robert Fritz

For every goal that you set for yourself or dream of accomplishing, it is imperative to have very strong reasons for wanting to accomplish them. Creating strong “Why’s?” for achieving your goals provides powerful leverage. The reasons that you list become a source for what “pulls” you into action each day.

Metaphorically speaking, it's all very well being in Melbourne and wanting to take a car trip to Perth.

However - is the logical first step - to get in your car and turn on the engine?

Planning the trip is essential. Setting clearly defined goals and recording them are the equivalent when on life’s journey.

Goals are your journey’s various destinations. Clear plans of action are your road map.

Your milestones are the cities and towns along the way, indicating that you’re on the right track.

Knowing yourself and your usual patterns of behaviour allows you to fit or adjust these to suit your plans.

Improvements to your engine, your driving and navigation could mean fewer stops and an easier ride.

Taking others along on your trip allows for team work and lightens the load (depending on who you take!).

Having clear and strong reasons for wanting to get to the destination will keep you driving when the journey becomes boring, tedious or the road gets a little rough (there's that arid stretch of Nullabor between Melbourne and Perth). They're the "why you began" your trip in the first place.

For every goal record at least five “Why’s?”

I suggest five because everyone can usually come up with the first two or three “wishy-washy” reasons.

Listing five reasons (or more) finds you digging a little and you end up writing more deeply felt reasons. The reasons that you list, have a momentum of their own - regardless of what the final results end up being, these responses get you moving toward your goal.

Please note, that when I work with clients (and with myself) I'll often begin with clarifying and determining what you want and then from that foundation developing the concrete, physical, tangible, feasible and measurable embodiment of these "wants". These then become the goals around which our action plans are designed.

The reason I write this article is that, more often than not (when left to our own devices) we come up with goals first and immediately start taking action. Realising later that it is not at all what we really wanted. "I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it." (Samuel Goldwyn)

Listing your reasons is a terrific way of checking in with yourself and with your level of sustainable passion and intention for your plans. Remember to ask yourself these questions, consistently: Why am I doing this? What will I and others get out of it? Is it what I really, really want? A website of interest: http://www.mygoals.com/

2005 © Thea Westra is an international life coach who resides in Perth, Australia. She is editor and publisher of a free, monthly newsletter which you can receive by going to her website http://www.forwardsteps.com.au She also publishes a blog called Triggers http://forwardsteps.blogspot.com

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