The third rule in the Ten Basic Rules For Successful Goal Setting is this…

Always define the obstacle that could
come between you and your goal.

What does this mean? Well, whenever you set a goal there is always one or more obstacles that stand between you and your goals. Obstacles are things that stand in the way of you achieving that goal. In other words, it’s most likely something that you fear.

Let’s say for example that you have a goal of beginning a public speaking career among Realtors and your peers. Obviously the big obstacle that stands between you and that goal is your fear of public speaking. So the object of AGS (Active Goal Setting) is to identify those obstacles and come up with an action plan to overcome those obstacles. In the case of this particular goal, a good action step could be to take a Dale Carnegie or similar speaking course. That will teach you how to get over your fear of speaking.

Most people who set goals try to go to work on the goal itself. That is a huge mistake. When you do that you’re trying to take on too much. There has to be a process of breaking down the goal or working on smaller peices of it. The process I’m describing does just that.

The other important factor here is that when you go to work on removing the obstacles, the goal automatically comes closer to you. So achieving the goal becomes a by-product of working on removing the obstacles. Not only is this process effective, it’s also fun!

So remember, don’t go directly to work on the goal. First identify the obstacles between you and that goal and then come up with an action plan to overcome it. By doing this you’re working on one of the foundational principles of success - learning to solve problems. As you work on overcoming the obstacles to your goals you’ll learn a lot about yourself and how you problem solve. Don’t take this lightly. Problem solving is an uncommon trait in sales people these days. If you learn how to solve people’s problems through what you’re offering in a product, you’re chances of success in any economic climate increase.

You can do it and I believe in you!