Daily Inspiration 11-17-10

"This is my "depressed stance." When you're depressed,

it makes a lot of difference how you stand. The worst thing

you can do is straighten up and hold your head high because

then you'll start to feel better. If you're going to get any

joy out of being depressed, you've got to stand like this."

-- Charlie Brown

"When you are feeling good, you must be thinking

good thoughts. So you are on track and you are emitting a

powerful frequency that is attracting back to you more good

things that will make you feel good."

-- Rhonda Byrne

"When work is a pleasure, life is a joy!

When work is a duty, life is slavery."

-- Maxim Gorky

This is part three of a talk I gave several days ago, distilling into a few key points over 40 years of study about doing well.

Part one was accepting responsibility for our own success by realizing that our success is not reliant on any one else and that we need to stop blaming and looking at what is wrong, and instead look toward what we want.

Part two was all about decisions, the need for them and a few basic decision points.

Part three is about goals, which is a subject most people I know don't think much of, let alone do anything about. I now understand more where that comes from and why it is that goals scare a lot of people. It's fear, of course, but it goes deeper than this simple explanation.

I've known many people that didn't try because they didn't want to fail. Read that a few times and see how it makes so little sense, but sense has so little to do with our emotions. It's just the way we feel, but the good news is that we have the power to change that, and in turn, change our entire experience in life.

I've set hundreds and hundreds of goals for myself and for my sales teams, and others. I've experimented with all kinds of goals and how high to put the standard, etc. Much of the time the goals were numeric--a certain number of sales, prospects, presentations, gross dollar amounts, average profits, and many others. I've written articles about goals and have spoken often about goals. I've promoted goals and I've watched them be helpful and I've also watched them be just as unhelpful. In business, goals, and goal achievement percentages have a lot of significance--not very much thought about why or how it affects different people, but the goal setting lumbers on in American business today.

So, in all my experience in goals, goal setting, and how goals affect people, plus how well they work to achieve the stated objectives (more goals), I've come to a dramatic conclusion. Most of them are a waste of time, and certainly, group goals are more a waste of time than individual goals, discussed only individually. Sure, no one is listening to me on this, and I understand that I am perhaps in left field as a result (why do they say that? Left field was always a good place to be when I was playing baseball. . .), but I'm used to it, so it's okay. I'll be more in left field when I tell you what I think about goals today. . .

I recommend that we set one and only one goal: To feel good. That's it. To Feel Good!

Regardless of what the task is, people do a better job of it when they feel good. Regardless of the task, everyone in every level can achieve this perfectly. I don't think now that there is a better goal to have for any sales organization, any team, any business, any family, any anything than to feel good. Seek joy. If there is anything that will turn a lethargic organization around, it is people with joy in their lives. So, it behooves every organization to learn how to help their people feel good. Start Feel Good Training. Have Feel Good Retreats. Focus on feeling good--everyone feeling good.

No one need ever be confused about goals any longer. I've simplified it.

How can we do this? I'll talk about that briefly tomorrow. . .

Nothing Is More Important Than We Feel Good. Nothing. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Start out by giving yourself a break. Stop putting yourself down in any way, shape or form. In fact, reverse this to build yourself up at every chance. Find ways to feel good. There is no benefit to feeling bad other than letting you know you are going the wrong direction.