Keep Your Eye On the Goal and Go Around the Mule

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One of the most exciting ...
you can engage in isgoal setting. The future is bright and filled with ...
and by ... planning a set of ...
... you can achiev One of the most exciting activities you can engage in isgoal setting.
The future is bright and filled with endlesspossibilities, and by carefully planning a set of actionsand milestones you can achieve nearly any goal you commityourself to. After you make your plan, the first few weeks areenergizing as you see yourself moving toward the goal.
Your vision expands and you can feel the positive energy asyou visualize the future and your anticipatedaccomplishments. But sooner or later it's inevitable that you will face anunforeseen obstacle that seems impossible to overcome.
Theobstacle may be financial in nature, such as unplannedexpenses or a failure to achieve initial revenue targets. It may come in the form of a person or a group of peoplewho stand in direct opposition to your plans.
You'll knowwhen you encounter one of these immovable obstacles whenyou find yourself feeling defeated. It's at this stagethat most goals get derailed.
I think of these immovable obstacles as mules. Mules havethree key characteristics.
1) They will completely stop your progress. They seem towait until you're moving full steam ahead, and then stepout in front of you to block the path to your goal.
2) They're stubborn. When you attempt coax them to move,they ignore you.
When you try to move them out of the way,they plant their feet and refuse to budge. 3) They don't go away.
They seem determined to keep youfrom achieving your goals. When a mule steps out in front of you to block theachievement of your goal, you essentially have fouroptions: 1) Abandon your goal.
You can rationalize that the goalisn't really important, or you can simply give up and feeldefeated. This is a common response to mules, especiallyfor people who are in the early stages of working toward agoal.
Hopefully, you're committed to achieving your goalsand have the determination to overcome any obstacle. 2) Wait for the mule to go away.
This will generally leadyou back to option one, because if the obstacle is truly amule, it won't go away. Goals, properly set, includemilestones and are time-sensitive.
The longer you remainin a stalled condition waiting for a mule to move, the moremilestones you'll miss, and eventually you'll be forced toadmit failure. 3) Move the mule out of the way.
This will also generallylead you back to option one, because if it's really a mule,you won't be able to move it. One of the most commonpitfalls in attempting to achieve a goal is gettingde-focused.
Trying to move a mule is a totally frustratingexperience, and you'll dissipate your energy in theprocess. If you want to succeed, you've got to keep youreye on the goal and not on the mule.
Remember, yourobjective is to achieve your goal; not to move the mule. 4) Go around the mule.
This is easier said than done,because it's the mule's nature to completely block the pathto your goal. Keeping your eye on your goal, you simplyconcede that the mule is truly a mule and will not bemoved.
Therefore, you find another path to the goal. A Case in Point Last year, my daughter came up with a business plan to setup an art gallery, a dream she had thought about for years.
The cost to lease and renovate a space in a prominentlocation was well beyond her means, but after severalmonths of diligent effort, she found a backer who waswilling to invest the money to get her started. She was so excited! After finding the perfect space, she began working out her goals down to the smallest details.
She was finally on the road to achieving her dream. Then,just before she was to sign the lease agreement, a mulestepped out into the road.
Her backer backed out of thedeal. Without the finances, there would be no art gallery,and after an exhaustive search for another backer she wasready to give up in the face of an immovable mule.
Before the mule had exhausted all her energy and vision,she began refocusing on her goal, which was to start an artshow business. A friend of hers owns a popular night cluband offered to let her host an art show at the club on aweek night.
After a tremendous job of creative planning,she held her first show and completely packed out the club. It was a total success.
She recently finished her third highly-profitable,standing-room-only show, and is well on her way to buildinga successful art show business without the expense of apermanent gallery. In going around the mule, she foundthat she could eliminate the need for a major expense andat the same time take advantage of the establishedclienteles of successful night clubs.
Today she's morefired up about her goal than ever, and realizes that themule turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Learn to Recognize the Real Mules and Go Around Them It's often difficult to spot a mule when it blocks the roadto your goal.
Unexpected obstacles often get in the way,and generally with creativity and determination you cansuccessfully move or eliminate them. But when a real mulecomes along, learn to recognize it by its stubborn,immovable nature.
When you initially define a goal, you should attempt toanticipate the obstacles and roadblocks you'll meet alongthe way, and plan accordingly. But once you get started,when you run into an unexpected mule, step back and focuson the essence of your goal.
Get creative. Look for highground and assess the landscape.
There may be an evenbetter path to your goal that you've overlooked, and if youcan find it you'll have the mule to thank! Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .