I still use this template for creating and setting goals in the main areas of my life and see no reason to change a format that works well – everything’s summarized on one page.
Reviewing the guidelines in that post (and you should also read those if you plan to use the same template I’ve linked to again below), the only thing I’d add is that there are now lots of mind mapping applications to choose from.
For example, in addition to commercial tools such as ‘Mind Genius’ , I also like the free open source program, FreeMind.
Your Free 2011 Goal Creation Map Template
And so, that makes releasing this year’s goal setting template a simple job.
I’ll just link to that same pdf file!
(Click on the map icon below to open it or ‘right-click’ it to save on your desktop.)
Update: Goal Creation in 2012
This is a March 2012 update to remind readers that the 2011 goal creation maps template works just fine for this year… and most likely, for many more years to come.
Here’a short video all about ‘how to set and create incredible yet reachable goals on a one page mind map.‘ The process is straightforward but does require some time to think, and then to ‘tweak’ the map.
(Please note that the goalcreationmaps.com site mentioned in the video is being refreshed. If you want to be notified when it’s ready, then subscribe to this blog’s email update or follow me on twitter, @markmcclure2day.)
If you’re on Twitter and found this post helpful please retweet it or alternatively, share it via the Email, Stumbleupon and FaceBook icons below.
Christmas in Japan’s not a national holiday though some of the commercial aspects, but none of the religious, have been imported and successfully packaged.
For example, Xmas trees, decorations and pretty lights adorn many shops and street fronts, but are uncommon within domestic dwellings.
Some children get Christmas presents on Xmas eve but Santa’s buck stops early because a magical transformation happens overnight. If you’re curious as to what that is, I wrote a post about spending Christmas in Japan two years ago.
This is a country and culture of ‘matsuri’ (festivals – local, regional and national) and Christmas is therefore but one of many. And that’s fine.
So, with the Yuletide celebrations neatly wrapped up on Dec 24th, one of the customs I like most about the approach to Japanese New Year festivities is the ‘clean up’ that occurs in the final days of December.
Rooms are tidied, porches and cars washed, the unwanted put in recycling bins and transparent plastic bags. A new beginning’s clearly felt in the air.
I think this winter ‘spring cleaning‘ is excellent mental and physical preparation for the challenges and opportunities that await.
Why?
Because it’s frequently necessary to cast off the old before donning the new. There just isn’t room to physically and mentally store stuff that no longer serves us.
And it makes setting goals (or New Year’s Resolutions, if that’s your preference) a whole lot easier when mind and body are freed from clutter.
Success equals Goals and all else is Clutter.
Here’s my aging copy of Brian Tracy’s marvellous book, “Maximum Achievement“, sitting on top of a file of notes I made about it and his accompanying CD audio program, ‘The Psychology of Achievement‘.
Alas, our tatami room is not 100% clutter free and so there are things not seen that my better half would kill me for if I included more in the photo.
But hey, that’s life. We do the best we can, with what we have, right where we are.
“Tatami Goals”? Yeah, I like it!
And here’s a look inside that blue folder. I spent many hours reading, listening to and typing up what I felt to be the best of Brian’s work from the book and the CDs.
If you have the opportunity to do an end-of-year clean up, I urge you to give it a go and leave a comment here about what you did.
As ‘mental preparation’ for the menial tasks, take a look at these two posts.
It’s been almost three years since I did this email interview about mid-life career transition with Singapore-based writer, entrepreneur and owner of ‘goal-setting-college’, Ms. Ellesse Chow.
Reading it now, but with the benefit of hindsight, I can see where my optimism about mid-career change (as a coach) was about to collide head-on with severe economic turbulence.
Of course, since then we’ve experienced what the Western media have been calling the ‘Global Financial Crisis’, but in Japan is more often referred to as the ‘Lehman shock’.
As we approach the end of 2010, here are my three ‘rules’ of career change (not set in stone, just based on what 36 months of living and breathing untethered from the corporate teat have taught me.)
Mid-Career Change Rule #1 – S##t Happens
Mid-career change is not a ‘walk in the park.’ Stuff just, well, stuff just happens. That’s life. Be prepared and open to change before you embark on such an adventure.
Mid-Career Change Rule #2 – Know Your Strengths
This is where a good inventory of your skills, experience and interests can be a godsend.
I wrote about Prof Ed Schein’s career anchors approach in Dec 2007. And the advice I received in that report about my career anchors has been, almost uncannily, spot on.
Will this type of research-based and guided self-analysis work for someone just starting out in life and thinking of career change?
It’s very possible.
Back in Xmas 1986, I was preparing to swap my science teaching career for an IT training career with McDonnell Douglas Information Systems.
You can get a sense of that transition story in Ellesse’s interview, and also from my ‘About Mark McClure’ page on this blog.
Anyway, on the last day of School, my class of 16-year olds gave me some ‘goodbye’ presents.
It was very sweet of them and I recall those days fondly – even more so when my daughter and I visited the school in March this year. Walking into a school again almost 24 years later is a very humbling experience, especially when so few of the staff there still knew who I was!
The one present that’s survived all those years is the push’nGo firetruck shown in the picture. For the life of me I can’t remember why they chose that. Perhaps I resembled the driver haha!
Looking at the toy this afternoon, I can see how the driver’s head is cracked, the truck’s paintwork is fading, and one wheel kind of wobbles when the head is pushed down.
But it’s still a toy fire truck.
Admittedly, a somewhat beaten up truck, but recognizably one.
And I, at heart, remain a teacher; using my skills in one way or another.
For example, what’s a career coach?
He or she, in my opinion, is a teacher of the self.
A mirror of possibilities and probabilities that another person can use to teach themselves.
And what about a tech case study writer or white paper writer or personal growth writer? (My current three writing loves.)
The best writers use words to help teach the prospect or customer about solutions to the problems they’re facing. And if I’ve learned anything about copywriting and human nature, it’s that people are most interested in ‘benefits’. They care much less for ‘features’.
So it’s in those three worlds – coaching, teaching and writing – that my days are experienced. Funny how those three attributes have morphed and changed as career companions over the years. I don’t expect them to go away while I still draw breath.
Returning to the question of identifying what ‘career anchors’ a person might discover for themselves from their 20s onwards.
Although I didn’t have the advantage of Ed Schein’s work or of the Internet 25 years ago, I did have my own intuitive feeling about what work engaged me, and what bored me. This is sometimes expressed by career writers with a personal growth bias as, “do what you love“.
It’s also regularly disparaged by people of a more pragmatic persuasion. These people quite rightly see career choices and rewards becoming ever more competitive and uncertain, especially as the ‘globalized economy‘ continues to add hundreds of millions of equally ambitious people into the equation.
Who is right? Well, I believe both are.
And that brings me to express the final rule in this way:
Mid-Career Change Rule #3 – Aim at Doing More of What You Love
Books can (and are) written about this precept to “do what you love.”
It is, of course, easier to say so on a full stomach, under a dry roof, and in a clean bed.
That’s why you have to be careful about following the advice of those who advocate, “Yes, go do what you love. The money will follow.” It aint necessarily so and you would therefore be wise to AIM at doing more of what you love while also taking care of providing daily sustenance for you and yours.
It’s at this point – that of providing daily sustenance – where some people get stuck.
Of course, they dream about how wonderful it would be have a job they both love and get well paid for. But this ‘daily sustenance providing’ is a real drag. And it can be, if your circumstances demand almost all of your time and energy to get to first base. There are no simple answers here.
However, there are questions you can ask that may eventually lead to answers appropriate for you.
Here’s one example of this type of question to finish on, and one which also allows me to introduce a very deep thinker and believer in human happiness – the late (and ex) Father Anthony De Mello.
The question is : “Do you want to be unconditionally happy?”
Let that one simmer on the back burner but be aware, it might take time for you to wake up and answer it.
In the meantime, kindly give your attention to these audio recordings of Dr. De Mello doing his thing at a retreat. I don’t know exactly where or when, but it was many years ago. Whoever made the YouTube videos has added some entrancing Nature shots but those are just a backdrop for the ‘magic’ our good Doctor is working.
In fact, these two clips are almost word for word what is written in his book, “Awareness“, between pages 9 and 15. The first clip is insightful and I often ponder on the contrasts between unconditional selfishness and unconditional selflessness. The second clip is, well, hilarious! Enjoy…
Well, what did you think?
I’d be interested to read any constructive comments.
That question again: “Do you want to be unconditionally happy?”
Try applying it to your ideas on doing more of what you love and see what comes back. Keep a journal or blog about your thinking. That’s partly what I’ve been doing with this blog since Nov 2007…
[Online Goal Setting - March 2012 Update:
The goal creation maps site is being refreshed. Follow my twitter account, markmcclure2day, for news of that project.]
The quote below is from Brian Tracy’s book, Maximum Achievement (Chp 5 “The Master Skill”, page 138), one of the few self-help books I recommend to people interested in learning how to set and achieve goals.
“Success Equals Goals And All Else Is Commentary”
From my experience over the years, it seems many people avoid or even loathe the whole process of setting goals.
There are probably two main reasons for such behavior:
1- People don’t know how to set, monitor and adjust their own goals. 2- People are busy achieving, sometimes unknowingly but often reluctantly, other peoples’ goals…
Setting Goals is a Skill
Fortunately, reason number one is a skill that can be learned and improved on, at any age. It requires just time and effort.
Number two is trickier to overcome because ‘other people’ can be family, friends, colleagues, bosses, even celebrities and sports stars.
Add in a fear of failure / embarrassment plus a trained desire to conform / please and it’s no surprise that goal setting gets a bum rap.
The Value Of an Experienced Coach
And that’s when an experienced coach can be a good investment. Someone who can act as an independent sounding board and mirror for your plans, hopes and dreams.
This was my experience five years ago as I began to plan a mid-career change. I had lots of ideas, some vague and others that were detailed but wildly optimistic. My coach became a trusted confidante who didn’t belittle my clumsy or ill-conceived goals with withering criticism, sarcasm or indifference.
Instead, she patiently listened but astutely called me on the what, where, when, how and why of these invariably conflicting goals. This is what I mean by ‘sounding board and mirror’.
She didn’t tell me what I should be doing. Rather, she let me thread these stories about my possible future together in my own way and in my own time (it took about 5 sessions, if I recall correctly, over a couple of months). Some ‘future stories’ I could choose to discard while others morphed into the various freelance activities I’m pursuing today.
Discover How To Set Incredible Yet Reachable Goals
Inspired by the progress I’d made with my coach, in the Spring of 2007 I set out to create an online, home-study course that shows people how to create meaningful and practical goals. Here’s a screenshot from one of the course videos:
And while the course delivers everything it promises, I still hear from people who have problems in following through and completing the material.
A small number are unable to even get started.
What to do? What to do?
I had no plans to offer 1:1 phone coaching around goal setting at that price point. Especially as my own copywriting career was gathering momentum and requiring more time and attention.
And so the course remained as an ideal way for self-starters to discover and set their goals.
Nonetheless, my coaching persona still wants to find a way to be creative and help people create goals they can believe and achieve. I’m thinking about starting a goal setting membership site next year where people can get e-coaching support and help on a regular basis.
How that pans out is yet to be decided but as a test, I’m going to introduce the following e-coaching service.
One Month of Email Coaching Support Plus lifetime Access to the Goal Creation Maps Online Course
Here’s how this e-coaching service will work in the ‘test’ phase:
1- You purchase the online course at the standard price of US$ 67.
2- You send me your email receipt and tell me that you want the e-coaching option at no extra cost. (This is a benefit only available via this blog.)
3- I’ll reply to you within 1 business day with the e-coaching email address, and then we begin!
To keep things manageable for us both, you can email me one question/issue each day (for a full calendar month) that is connected with what you’re doing on the goal creation maps course.
I’ll reply to this email in as much detail as necessary within 2 business days, often sooner.
(Please note that ‘business day’ means Monday to Friday, excluding any Japanese National Holidays. And the time zone is Japan Standard Time.)
But you must act soon…
This Offer Expires Midnight Tuesday 30th November
As I’m busy with other projects I can only except a limited number of clients for email coaching. If you’re ready to start today, then head over to this link and click the order button at the bottom of the page.
The offer expires at Midnight on Tuesday 30th November – in any timezone!
- Mark ‘Goal Setting E-coach’ McClure
PS – Note there’s no risk to you in this offer as ClickBank, the payment processor I use to handle billing, has a 60-day money back guarantee. If you’re dissatisfied for any reason whatsoever, just email me within 60 days of purchase, and I’ll process a full 100% refund.
In the three plus years this course has been running there have been only 2 refund requests. Both of which were promptly and politely given. I stand by this guarantee 100%.
Anyway, perhaps you’re not surprised anymore by such outlandish claims – seems like a small army of personal growth gurus, self help experts and sundry life coaches start ramping up their 2011 online marketing efforts before folks get wrapped up in end of year celebrations and/or general busyness.
So, what’s different about this ‘castles in the air’ headline?
I think the key point is that the author, Bo Bennett, has (as far as I can tell) walked the talk. He certainly has with respect to visible business success, wealth and financial freedom.
(Personal happiness is a subjective judgment but I’m sure he’s got that one covered too.)
Just who is Bo Bennett?
Looking around his personal growth site, year to success, along with a little googling, soon gave me a picture of a man who is determined to succeed at whatever he attempts.
From making millions with his web business company in the ‘Internet gold rush’ of the 90s (he sold his business at the tech market peak in 2001, while still in his 20s) to becoming a martial arts expert, he’s turned a life-long interest with personal growth into direct action.
You’ve probably read that many of the self-help gurus parrot the line about finding someone who has done what you want to do, and then copying or mimicking what they did.
Well, Bo has sure left a trail of ideas and thinking for others to pick up on – in the form of his success web site. Although there are paying membership options, you can download the entire 366 daily podcast lessons to your iPad or mp3 player for free (just email registration required.)
I don’t think this is another “get rich quick” slam on the unwary because Bo’s personal and business story is one of ups and downs, and of living the logo up close and personal.
Logo?
Yes, this one (at the top of his home page)
When it comes to success, there are no shortcuts.
Hear! Hear!
2011 is no doubt going to be a challenging year for many. There’ll be successes and setbacks for individuals, companies, all the way up ‘nation states’ and perhaps even trading blocs.
That’s why you need to have some type of plan to make the best of the circumstances you find yourself in. And, where necessary, to start making significant and incremental changes.
Only you know what you can do or not do with your own life and ambitions.
But I know one thing about you for sure.
If you don’t have any plans for your life or career, others will.
- Mark ‘success equals goals and all else is commentary’ McClure
(btw – That’s a Brian Tracy quote in between my name!)
It’s very possible.
