I recently had the honour of representing the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue organization on an international crew exchange program to Germany, where we were followed by a journalist and TV crew, as we patrolled the North and Baltic Seas. During my travels and work abroad, I had the simple, yet powerful, revelation that we are all the same, we are all part of one family, the human family. And although we might eat different foods due to our geographic locations, or buy different things based on local culture, we are the same, striving to make ends meet, providing for our family and friends and hopefully having enough left over for some fun on the weekend. We are all on this path together. This understanding brings compassion.
As many of you know, my personal and professional tagline is – if we focus on the success of others, our success will naturally follow. To this end, I deliver to you this article’s go-forward action: goal setting. Goal setting is something I strongly believe in and I have experienced its rewards both personally and with others. Goals cannot be mandated by someone else, they must come from within. What do you want to achieve? The late, great Zig Ziglar said, “Until we identify our obstacles, we are in denial”. With the goal of removing obstacles, please accept this K.H.I. pen (a small token of our immense appreciation), a K.H.I. goal worksheet and a K.H.I. goal card. The goal setting process is as follows:
- Step 1: Take the next 10 minutes (Set a timer on your phone, all we have is now!) to write out two personal goals and two professional goals.
- Step 2: Out of your four freshly documented goals, select one personal goal and one business goal and further distill the goals by writing them in a concise manner on the back of your business card.
- Step 3: Place the goal/business card in your wallet, and whenever you see it, take it out and read it. This will serve as a reminder, which will help you achieve the things you want to achieve.
- Step 4: Achieve your goals.
The world works in “wonder”ful ways, and when we put our goals in writing, something magical happens. It gives our subconscious mind a blueprint to follow. The more detailed the blueprint, the more precise the outcome. As the enlightened Denis Waitley states “…. learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.” Time to put pen to paper.