There’s something very interesting about setting goals, creating new plans and writing resolutions or developing strategies to work with. We all have an alarm in our systems and those alarms go off as we try to set those goals. Those alarms determine if some goals will make it to our plan for that period or not.
How do these alarms work? First I must say that the alarm is an unconscious thing that makes you do things you seem to be conscious about. So you may think that you know exactly why you did something or decided not to do it. It is only when we dig deep that we will find other things that are responsible for your decision.
An example might be someone who is living in the village with his or her poor parents. Maybe the family struggles to eat daily and if they do not go out to work they probably will not eat for that day. Just picture a family that manages to get by daily. Now you walk up to the child in that kind of family and you say to that child ‘you will go to school, get a degree from the university, have a master’s degree and even get a Ph.D.’
That child is most likely going to look at you in a very funny way. The chances of getting more of such children looking at you and wondering how it will ever happen will be higher than getting those who will say they believe it and that it will happen.
Why is that? It is the alarm system in your mind that tells you something immediately someone suggests a new goal to you or you suggest a new goal to yourself. What does it tell you and how do you react? The alarm system in some cases reminds you of your past. It may remind you of your limitations or financial challenges. It can remind you of some weaknesses that you have or strengths.
So when you hear a goal you mind immediately think that’s not possible because of the alarm system in your head and you stay off that goal. Even though you are not saying to yourself that it’s not possible, your attitude says it. Your body language says it.
In the same vein your will find people who are always excited about new opportunities. Once they hear it they shout and get really happy. They may not know how the opportunity will become a reality but they start looking forward to it.
Now you can actually change the alarms that go off in your system when new things are being presented to you. It is your choice to stay with the alarm that tells you about impossibility or switch to the alarm that gets you excited about possibilities.
If you stay with the alarm of impossibility you will set small goals. You will simply be setting limits as goals. So you will find that your own goals do not challenge you and you are not exploring new terrains.
You should not be setting goals with limits even though you want your goals to be realistic and achievable. If all the goals you set do not place some extra demand on your creativity or stretch your capacity then you have not set a goal.
Start the switch now! Make sure it is the alarm of possibility that goes off in your mind when you are setting new goals or someone is suggesting it to you. When you are setting goals you want to do that so you can improve. Therefore don’t set goals that further limit your capacity.
About Fola Daniel Adelesi Fola Daniel Adelesi is a professional public speaker who also trains other speakers, an author, business consultant and highly skilled master of ceremony with excellent poise and diction. He was on the Debaters TV reality show season 1, presented 'You Can' on Radio Continental in 2011, did motivational segments on Galaxy TV from Dec 2008 to August 2009, a regular guest advocating for youth on Bimbo,Sola Connect Show of Lagos Television and has authored 3 books including Writing Business Proposals. He currently talks about Social Media on Info.com - An ICT Show on Lagos Television. http://foladaniel.org
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