Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California
BREAKING THE CYCLE
One of the reasons why people do not achieve their goals is that they never really focus on doing anything about it. It is often much easier to do nothing than to set yourself a plan to achieve your goals. If the people you are coaching are finding it hard to get started you may want to ask them to identify answers to the following questions:
What is stopping me?
What would I do differently?
What could I do today to help me take the first step towards achieving my vision?
What help will I need?
Who do I know that I trust to talk to about what I want to achieve?
What will happen to me if I don't get started?
If I decide to wait what are my reasons?
If I am going to wait when will it be the right time?
What have been the best successes in my life?
What can I learn from these successes to help me achieve my current vision and goals?
The answers to these 10 questions could help individuals to move forward to achieve their vision. Each question is designed to help them to think more deeply about the reasons why they want to achieve their vision and goals. There may be a very valid reason why now is not the time for them. This does not mean that they have failed or are not going to be successful. By understanding why they are waiting and the potential consequences, you have enabled them to take control of the situation and make a realistic assessment of their current circumstances.
One of the most fundamental questions they should ask themselves before they embark on any set of goals is: do I really want to do it? If it is a goal that has been on their action list for a while, it is even more important for them to ask the question: do I still want to do it? Sometimes realizing that they can walk away from a goal and set a new one can be a huge release.
As they firm up their ideas they may like to test their readiness to achieve their goals by answering the questions in Table 3.1. Use this checklist to assess their readiness.
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Yes |
No |
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|---|---|---|
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Can they describe their goals in one or two sentences? | ||
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Have they really researched the idea? | ||
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When they have spare time does it readily come to the forefront of their mind? | ||
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Have they refined their goals over a period of time? | ||
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Are they happy to talk about it? | ||
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Could they share the achievement of this goal with someone else? | ||
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Have they got all the information they need about this goal? | ||
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Have they got a network of support? | ||
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Could they overcome challenges in the achievement of their goals? | ||
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Do they really want to do it? |
If they have answered yes to all 10 questions then this indicates that they are ready to start to pursue the achievement of their goals. If they answered no to some of them this will indicate areas that they still need to work on.
The secret is: Don't Give Up!
In reality the achievement of their goals may require individual learners to overcome difficulties. The action plan below is designed to help you work through the issues with them and to take positive action to keep going.
Westside Toastmasters on Meetup