Resiliency & Goal Setting Success

Be Resilient to Overcome Obstacles and Adversity, Reach Objectives

Jan 24, 2008
Jerry Lopper

Resiliency and Goal Setting - Steve Woods

Resiliency will help you overcome obstacles to your goals.

You've set goals and objectives to accomplish, created a detailed SMART plan, and are confident that this time you'll achieve the goals and objectives that will bring you success. Then a major obstacle appears that blocks your progress and promises to derail your success, again. This is where resiliency is necessary. To be resilient is to be able to keep going forward despite setbacks, to bounce back and continue toward your goals.

Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you. ~Satchel Paige

SMART Goal Setting

Traditional goal setting processes, such as SMART, depend upon thorough planning. A well thought-out SMART plan will anticipate obstacles and plan for overcoming them. But not everything can be anticipated. This is where resiliency is helpful, to be able to bounce back, undaunted, when the unexpected occurs.

Practice Resiliency

Resiliency can be learned. Affirmations, keeping perspective, drawing on experience, and using humor, are helpful tools in learning resiliency. Another powerful tool is visualization. Scientists know that visualizing an event is nearly the same as experiencing it. Our minds don't seem to know, or care, whether an event is actually happening or happening in our imaginations.

The benefits of practice, repetition and experience are available to us through the process of visualization. This is especially helpful in practicing something like resiliency. We need not create practice opportunities facing adversity, we can practice in our minds.

Visualize Resiliency

To prepare yourself for the obstacles and adversity that may confront you in the future, visualize your resiliency. Arrange yourself in a quiet place apart from interruptions. Turn off radio, TV, iPod, and cell phone. Imagine yourself moving smoothly along a road or path toward success. See your goals just ahead and within reach.

Now imagine a huge obstacle suddenly appears in your path, blocking your progress and jeopardizing your goal. Watch yourself approach the obstacle thoughtfully, undaunted by the temporary setback. See yourself energetically overcoming the obstacle, climbing over it, going around it, constructing a bridge over it, or blowing it up. Be creative, launch a hot air balloon that carries you over the adversity, depositing you safely at your achieved goal.

Positive Attitude and Resiliency

It's much easier to be resilient when you're in a positive mood. People with a positive attitude are more hopeful, optimistic, and resilient. As with resiliency, a positive attitude can be learned and practiced. An easy way to practice positive thinking is to consciously look for positive content in each day. Reflect on three good things that happened to you today. At the next negative experience occurring in your life, force yourself to find something positive in it and focus on that positive.

With practice, you will find yourself more positive, more resilient, and able to accomplish more of what you want to achieve.

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