Archive for September 25th, 2007

Selfless Goal Setting

When I look back on my life, I realize that most of the goals I set were for the direct benefit of me and my immediate family (a bigger house, no debts, a vacation, etc.).

And though there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I recently had a change in thinking that has gotten me more excited about goal setting than I have been in a long, long time.

Now, instead of setting goals that directly benefit only ME, I have decided to fully trust in and embrace the Zig Ziglar quote you see at the top of this page which reads, you can have everything in life that you want if you will only just help enough other people get what they want.

Setting Bigger Picture Goals

If we truly believe that the more people you help, the more you will naturally help yourself, then shouldn’t our goal be to help more people? That’s the change I’ve recently made.

Now, instead of a goal to make $ my goal is to help x number of other people become successful. More precisely, my goal is to help 12 people earn $10,000, 3 people earn $31,000, and 1 person earn $1 million dollars by owning their own business. (You can read more about that goal here).

Setting a goal that is bigger than myself feels fantastic. It has allowed me to dream again. It keeps me up at night and wakes me up early each morning anxious to start the day.

I have no doubt that I can achieve this goal and I envision the day when I can look myself in the mirror and know that I have really made a difference in the lives of other people, not just myself.

Examples of Big Picture Goals

The authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were passionate about fueling the book’s success because their goal was to sell 1 billion books to raise $500 million for charity by the year 2020.

If you sell a success product, set a goal to help #x of people go from mediocre to wealthy.

If you sell financial services or consulting, set a goal to help #x of people get out of debt.

Set a goal to donate $x to your favorite charity or cause OR to start a charity or cause.

Share Your Opinion

Do you work for a larger cause than just yourself? Can you think of more ideas the list above? Do you think this way of thinking could be more effective and more fulfilling than setting goals solely based on your personal gain?