How To Be Successful: Know Where You Are Going

October 17, 2011 by 3 Comments

Goal Setting © by lululemon athletica

When I go to the ticket office at the train station the sales assistant always asks me where I want to go. If I do not know where to go then what would the point of travelling be? I could let the sales assistant decide but then I risk ending up somewhere I do not want to be.

The same goes for your life; if you do not know what you want then you end up going nowhere or risk getting stuck at somewhere you do not like. What you need to do is to sit down and think about your goals in life; you need to think about tomorrow, next week and next year and set both short- and long-term goals.

If you are stuck at some mountain top and do not know what you want then try to discover what you are unhappy about. When there is something you do not want in life there is always something that you would like instead. A few examples:

You do not like being single – you want a partner.

You do not have a job – you want a job.

You do not like potatoes – you want pasta.

Watching television makes you unhappy – you want to do sports.

Your goal is what you want instead of what is. Your job is to focus on that goal and find out how to get there. Short-term goals can be reached by making a to-do list and long-term goals can be reached by making subsidiary goals.

I will give you 3 easy steps to get started:

  1. Discover what you want by using the method I have described.
  2. Visualise what you want by drawing it on a mental map or use mind mapping.
  3. Ask: What can I do to reach my goal?

Please comment: How did you find your goals?

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How To Optimise Actions

September 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In my previous post I elaborated mapping from the MAKS model. We learned how to draw a map of a problem that will help to action. The second item on the MAKS model is more than taking action; it is a small cycle that repeats a couple of times and it consists of:

  1. Action
  2. Observe
  3. Adjust

If we stick to a cycle of mapping and action we will end up doing the same thing over and over again. The cycle turns into a habit and over time conditions will change and we continue our habit. But if the conditions change then the habit will not serve our purpose and it will end up obstructing development. To prevent this I suggest that we observe what we do and evaluate the outcome.

E.g. if I write an application for something and it is rejected, then I will not get closer to success by writing another one. I have to observe and evaluate the process and see if there is anything I can do better to optimise my application.

If we observe something we can change then we can optimise our actions by adjusting the path we chose, and then try again. Maybe we get success or maybe we fail again. If we cannot see anything we can do better, then it is time to take the next step in the MAKS model – knowledge.

Filed Under: Meaning of life, Mental Maps Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How To Map Your Situation

September 23, 2011 by 3 Comments

In my post about how to take action I presented the MAKS model to you. In this post I will elaborate the first item on the list: Mapping.

Follow these 6 simple steps to visualise your problem and solution. You can use mapping in any situation in life whether it is small or big matters. There is no right way to do it and do not try to be perfect. Mapping is a way to visualise your situation, it is not a piece of art for evaluation! I have made an example with numbers that correspond the items below. It took me about 15 minutes to make on the backside of an old time schedule I had in my bag and scanned it with my iPhone.

Mapping example

  1. Sketch your world and pin your location. After doing this many times you my have different locations on your map that symbolise e.g. job; family; school; sports etc.
  2. Zoom in and draw your location in the landscape (e.g. mountaintop; valley; water)
  3. What is your problem? – Be very concrete and narrow your problem down. If you are unhappy (abstract) then ask why you are unhappy? Put it down in one or two words.
  4. What do you want instead of this problem? Write that down too.
  5. How do you get there? Draw possible ways to get there and name them.
  6. Choose your path

In my next post I will show how to walk the path you chose; i.e. the second item in the MAKS model: Action, observe, adjust.

Filed Under: Meaning of life, Mental Maps Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,