by Kaushik Guha

Created on: June 15, 2009

I was listening to a Tony Robbins seminar the other day about goal setting.

One of the key points Robbins always mentions is this:

For a successful goal-setting, the Why has to come before the How.

Which means that when you set a goal you must know clearly in your heart why you want to achieve it. If you don't know the 'How', i.e. How are you going to do it, that's ok, but you must know Why you want it.

Because ..as he puts it..purpose is stronger than action.

Besides this, there are many other keys to consider while setting a goal, e.g. the level of focus and passion you have, your current constraints, etc.

Each one of them is equally vital.

But there is one thing that is sometimes overlooked.

That is how easily can the goal be achieved with the current resources or the skills that you have.

It is true that with a strong enough purpose and motivation, you can pick up the skills as you go along the way.

But how easy is it if you already possess most of the skills required to reach the milestone?

It's like being 50% there already..isn't it?

This is why its so important to choose a goal where a significant part of the required skillset you already have at your disposal. That also gets you the required momentum to get started (hardest step) because now you are not looking at an insurmountable wall without any idea where to start.

I will tell you how I came up with this topic. For some days now, I have been researching how to make some money online.

There are a variety of ways to do this. You can write articles, start a blog or you can do Affiliate marketing which basically means you sell other people's products.

Now, many experts believe that the fastest way is Affiliate marketing. You sell a product , you get a commission. For writers, a lot of other variables are involved which makes this road a lot longer.

But I have no experience in Sales and Marketing. However, I know the English language and I also enjoy writing/speaking. So for me it makes much more sense to go create a useful blog and write an ebook on the topic of (computer programming or writing or public speaking) rather than learning A-Zs of affiliate marketing. That is only a secondary option.

Where are you now with your goals?

Does this make you see your goals in a new light?

Do you have a habit of setting goals in areas where you have no existing skill because that makes you feel like it's more glamorous?

My suggestion is to re-evaluate your goals and take this factor in setting new ones. You will have a big advantage and will have a better chance at accomplishing them.

So spend some thought on this and let me know how this works for you.

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