How to set and achieve goals for 2014

To be a goal setter, and more importantly a goal achiever, you not only have to have a written set of goals for your life (business and/or personal), but, you also have to have a written plan of action towards their achievement.

The goal setting process really starts with a self-evaluation of sorts. Sitting down and asking questions like, “What do I really want out of life?” “What do I want to accomplish, become, have be or do?” Open your mind and your heart.

Sit down and fill out a desire journal. Fill it with all the dreams, aspirations and desires that lie in the recesses of whom you are and who you want to become. Don’t hold back, write everything down! Dream like a child the evening before his/her birthday or the evening before New Year. Dreams like anything and everything is possible. Because unless it is legal, immoral, or unethical, I would highly encourage you to believe that it is possible.

Decide what it is you want in each area of your life: Personal, Family, Professional, Financial, Physical and Mental. Don’t be vague either, if what you want is money (financial) then define how much you want and by when. Specifics are necessary for you to have a plan.

Being clear in what it is you want will cause about 80% of your success. You cannot plan for the goal “I want more money.” You can, however, plan for the goal “I want to earn KR250,000.00 annually by the end of 2014.

The more specific your goals are the easier they are to build a plan for. If as your reading this you are thinking “I do not know what I want to be, do or have.” Then set a goal to find out.

Write down your goals. Don’t type them (not at first anyway) sit down and print them out, clearly, specifically and in measurable terms. This moves them from a desire, wish or intangible dream to an item on paper. Something you can see, touch, and relate to.

Okay now you know what you want – next you will need to identify what skills and knowledge you will require in order to accomplish your goal. Ask yourself what knowledge you need to gain in order to speed-up the successful accomplishment of you goal.

Ask yourself what skill(s) you need to make the greatest positive impact on getting to your goal. There is always at least one skill or key piece of knowledge that is holding you back – otherwise you would already have accomplished the goal.

Identify what it is and go out there and get it! If you are not able to figure it out for yourself then ask your spouse, your friends, your boss, a mentor, or any other person that you believe would know.

There are some things that you can do alone, however to achieve significant goals in your life you will need help. List all the people, groups and organizations that you will need to interact with to reach your goal. Write them all down then prioritize them. So knowing in advance what you can do to assist them will payoff in faster results on getting their assistance in your goal achievement.

Obstacles – we have all encountered them, and we will continue to encounter them during our attempt to reach any goal of worth. If there were no obstacles along the way everyone would have already accomplished all of their goals – you included. List all the obstacles, barriers and impediments to your goal. Why are you not at your goal already? Write down each and every answer to that question. This will allow you to find the bottleneck to your success.

Once you are aware of what is holding you back, apply all your resources (which you listed out already) towards the removing or overcoming of this blockage. More often than not, the removal of a single primary blockage will uproot and resolve many other smaller barriers to your goal. This can help you make quantum leaps towards reaching that goal.

Now that you have this valuable collection of information you need to map out a plan to utilize it and accomplish your goal. Successful business men do not set out on a course of action without a plan, you wouldn’t go on vacation without some planning and most do not even get married with out hours and hours (one hundred or more at times) of planning.

These days far too many spend one hundred hours, or more, planning the wedding. Yet, they spend no time at all planning their marriage or their life. You can change that in your life. Lay out the key points you have put together thus far and develop a plan of attack.

This plan can start with the steps to gain the knowledge and skills you need to gain. Steps to get you in contact with the people and organizations you need to help you along your road to success. Lay out all the steps you know you need to take to reach your goal.

Organize then by priority, and then sequence them. As you go through this process you will be motivated to take actions against the first step on your plan. Completing the first step will further motivate you to take action on the next step and so on.

Now that you have a plan you need to set a deadline. A goal is a dream with an achieve-by date. Setting a deadline develops and intensifies your desire to attain your goals. Don’t scare yourself with large goals or underestimate how long it will take to accomplish them. Instead break down large goals into small milestones with deadlines. These milestones will act like a forcing system for you unconscious mind. They will motivate and drive you towards your goal.

Having deadlines for your goals will keep them on your mind. Making you more conscious to the situations and people in your life that can aid you on your road to success. Set your deadlines as realistically as possible. Do not over or under estimate them be honest with you. You could always reset deadlines. The key point I want to drive home here is that you MUST have a deadline to shoot for.

You have the plan – now what? As I mentioned early in this article most people agree on the positive impacts that goal setting have. Most of them have even gone so far as listing out their major goals, however that is where they stopped. Here is where you are going to act differently and succeed in your goal achievement.

The key word here is ACT. Take action on your plan! Do not procrastinate! The clock is ticking and your deadline is inching closer with each passing second. Do something each and every day towards the accomplishment of your goals. Work with all your gusto on the first step of your plan until it is either completed or until you can make no further progress on it.

Then move to the next step, coming back to those incomplete previous steps as soon as you can move them forward to their completion. Keep moving, keep working and keep taking your action steps every day, do not stop. Anyone that has ever had to push a car will tell you the hardest part is getting it moving.

Once you’re moving it will still take effort, but it takes far less effort than if you stop pushing and have to start moving all over again. Taking consistent daily action will not only move you quickly towards your goal but it will reinforce in your subconscious mind that you can and will attain your goal. Giving you a positive attitude towards it.

Two additional things you can do you that will steel your resolve to accomplish your goals are to visualize your goal and resolve to never give up. Visualize your goal continually or as often as possible during every waking moment.

Your subconscious mind does not differentiate between your visualization and reality. So visualize your goal as already attained. View it in your mind’s eye with every detail possible. Feel the pride, joy and fulfillment that will come with reaching a significant goal.

Visualization will also make you aware of those situations and resources in your life that you will need to reach your goal. Finally resolve to never give up in your quest to reach your goal. Attack it with a dogged determination. Let the words of the Capcom commander in Apollo 13 ring in your ears; “Failure is not an option!”

When you encounter barriers and obstacles do not ask yourself what will happen if or when I fail. Instead think positive, and then develop a plan action. Ask yourself “How can I get over, around or though this barrier and reach my goal!”

Everyone has goals, I have them you have them even a child has goals. These goals can be keeping your job, getting a promotion, and the child has a goal of passing a test, getting that much desired toy they saw on television or showing mommy and daddy how much they are loved.

The difference between these goals and the goals of the top achievers is focus. Peak achievers go through processes similar to the one I have laid out here to focus their actions on what they want to be, have or do.

They design their goals with a mission and this mission is success. Follow this process and you too can rise to the levels of those you have watched in awe.

Apply Now: 2014 Hope XXL Triple-A Summit International Conference for Young People (hague,Netherland)

What: HOPE XXL Triple-A Summit
When: 28-31 May 2014
Where: The Hague, The Netherlands
Who: Students and young people from Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Americas
Why: Develop young people’s vision on the future

Are you ambitious, international minded and eager to make a change in the world? Do you want to meet young people from all over the world and develop a vision on the future?

WHo can participate?
TO join the HOPE XXL Triple-A Conference you need to fit the following criteria:
You are aged 18-29 years old;
You are from one of the conference regions: Asia-Pacific, Africa or North- or South America;
You are willing and able to cover your pwn visa and/or travel costs;
You are motivated to contribute to the event and to develop young people’s vision on the future.
Selection of participants takes place based on motivation, relevant experience, academic background and group composition.

Participation Costs
There is no participation fee for this conference. The program, accommodation and meals are included in the conference.

Participants are responsible for all of their own travel expenses, including travel to and from The Hague.

participants are responsible for arranging their visa in time for their participation, and for any related expenses.
The organizing team can assist you by providing recommendation letters for your visa application.

Deadline: February 16 2014 http://bit.ly/1cMskJz

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Success is not measured by your account balance but by how many people's life is improving through you

 

People rate your level of wealth based on your clothes, outfits, accessories and all the rest dumb gadgets. Yeah, if you got money, it got to tell on you, but even broke dress the best. Success is not measured by your account balance but by how many people's life is improving through you and before people's life can get better through you, and then you got to have what it takes already.

How o build confidence

Do you remember that day? Perhaps it was your first job interview. Perhaps you were speaking to a group for the first time. Maybe you were starting a challenging new career or meeting a special person for the first time. Your throat became dry and your knees wanted to shake.

You were about to leave a place of mental and emotional safety. You were putting your skills on the line and taking a risk. If you were successful, there could be great reward. However, self-doubt was trying to discourage you.

Confidence is essential in our lives; without it, we will not make the first attempt to do what we really want. Confidence allows us to move forward despite temporary discouragement. So where does confidence come from, and how can we become and remain confident? Here are seven suggestions that will help to develop unshakable confidence.

1. Expand Your Knowledge

Gaining new skills for any endeavor - personal or career - is the first step toward confidence. Identify key areas where you need more confidence to be successful. Then expand your knowledge by taking courses, reading books, and attending learning events. Tele-classes are enjoyable and convenient for learning and discussing ideas with a peer group. Continuous learning is essential for maintaining a high level of confidence.

2. Experience Small Successes

Confidence also comes from experiencing small daily successes. They are like rewards for putting knowledge into action. They may not be the final goal. Yet they are important. Even a pat on the back from a colleague or a compliment for a job well done will boost a person's level of confidence. Keep track of each small success you experience. You will begin to feel your confidence grow day by day.

3. Exercise Passionate Faith

Confident people have faith that the Creator has a special plan for their lives. They appear to know inherently that when they follow this plan, they will be successful. If you want to achieve something, you absolutely must believe that it is possible for you. You must believe firmly in your potential. A passionate faith will lead you to find and follow that purpose.

4. Enable Firm Resolve

There will be disappointments and set backs. It is natural to become discouraged at times. However, disappointments are not the end of the road if we view them as learning tools.

Faith in your abilities will lead you past discouragement into a firm resolve. Resolve overcomes obstacles because it displays patience. Instead of giving up, you will meet challenges by continuing through difficult times. Keep your mind on your intended outcome, not on the obstacles. Think of reasons why you can, not reasons why you cannot.

With time, talents develop and abilities grow. Then you will get a taste of what is possible -- a measure of success that leads you forward with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm keeps you fired up to achieve more of those small daily successes.

5. Enlist Expert Help

Enlist the help of experts in areas where you need more confidence. Experts can be found though books, articles, videos, seminars, or via a phone call. A professional coach will help you stay focused on your objectives and hold you accountable for taking the necessary actions to complete your plans.

Confidence also attracts more confidence. Experts will support your plans and offer to help you in tremendous ways if you are enthusiastic and believe in your goals. Moreover, when you show confidence in others, they will show confidence in you.

6. Envision Confidence

Envisioning confidence begins to make confidence real in your experience. Imagine how you will feel and act if you already had the confidence you need for a specific situation. See yourself in your mind's eye, acting with courage and conviction. Hold that picture in your mind, and your vision will start to become real.

7. Expect to be Confident

Expectation is faith in action. Now that you have imagined how confidence will feel, act as if you were already confident. Move assuredly and energetically as you go for your goals. You are now seeing, feeling, and acting in a confident manner. You will achieve what you expect. Expect to be confident, and you will become confident.

Give yourself time to increase your confidence by using these actions during the next several months. Get a sheet of paper now and write down how you will apply each of these actions. They can make a tremendous difference by allowing you to move more quickly and assuredly toward your objectives. Today, you can begin developing an unshakable confidence that will bring you joy and success in every area of your life.

MONICA MUSONDA is amongst the 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa 2013

This generation of young African women is the most ambitious yet. They are eager to build industries, reform societies, save lives, rewrite history, and transform the continent. Meet the 2013 class of 20 Young Power Women in Africa: the continent’s emerging power brokers, the Amazons to watch, and the custodians of tomorrow.

ISABEL DOS SANTOS, Angolan Investor

The daughter of Angola’s President, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos is Africa’s richest woman. She is also one of the continent’s most powerful businesswomen. Through her various holding companies, she controls a 25% stake in Angolan mobile telecom operator Unitel, a 25% stake in Angola’s Banco BIC, 25% of ZON Optimus, a listed Portuguese cable TV company, and just under 20% of Banco BPI, one of Portugal’s largest publicly traded banks. She is also partnering with Sonae, Portugal’s largest retailer, to launch 5 new food hypermarkets in Angola in 2014.

MIMI ALEMAYEHOU, Ethiopian. Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)

In 2010 U.S President Barack Obama nominated Ethiopia-born Mimi Alemayehou as the Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution. She helps manage OPIC’s $16 billion war chest, channeling American capital to fund investment opportunities in emerging markets. Prior to her OPIC appointment, Alemayehou served as the United States Executive Director at the African Development Bank.

VERA SONGWE, Cameroonian. Country Director, World Bank, Senegal

Vera Songwe, a Cameroonian national, serves as the World Bank’s Country Director for Senegal, Cape Verde, Gambia, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau. She is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute with the Global Economy and Development and Africa Growth Initiative.

TARA FELA-DUROTOYE Nigerian. Founder, House Of Tara

The Nigerian-born entrepreneur and lawyer is the founder of House Of Tara, Nigeria’s leading beauty and cosmetics company. House of Tara develops a wide range of African-themed beauty products and perfumes and also operates Nigeria’s foremost beauty academy. In 2013, Fela-Durotoye was nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

RAPELANG RABANA, South African. Entrepreneur

One of Africa’s most recognizable young entrepreneurs. Rabana, 29, is the CEO and founder of Cape Town-based Yeigo Communications, which develops software for telecoms-related services including Voice over IP, Instant messaging, SMS messaging and push email services. In 2008, Telfree, a Swiss mobile telecommunications firm, acquired a 51% stake in Yeigo. In December 2012 she founded Rekindle Learning, a company that provides adaptive mobile learning solutions.

CLAIRE AKAMANZI, Rwandan. Chief Operating Officer, Rwanda Development Board

Akamanzi, 34, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Rwandan Development Board (RDB), a government institution tasked with accelerating economic growth and development in Rwanda by enabling private sector growth. Akamanzi has had a successful career in public service, serving as Rwanda’s commercial diplomat in London and as a trade negotiator in Geneva for the Rwandan government at the World Trade Organization. She was also previously the Deputy Director-General of the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA).

VALENTINA DA LUZ GUEBUZA, Mozambiquan. Investor

The 33 year-old daughter of Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza heads Focus 21 Management & Development, a large family-owned investment holding company with interests in banking, telecommunications, fisheries, transport, mining and property. Focus 21 owns significant stakes in Beira Grain Terminal and Chinese Pay TV Company StarTimes’ operations in Mozambique.

HADEEL IBRAHIM, Sudanese. Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Hadeel Ibrahim is the daughter of Sudanese-born British mobile telecoms billionaire Mo Ibrahim. She is the founding Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which was established in 2006 to support leadership and good governance in Africa. She also serves on the Boards of the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice and the African Governance Institute (AGI).

ALENGOT OROMAIT, Ugandan. Member Of Parliament

Proscovia Oromait, 20, is the youngest parliamentarian in Africa. In 2012 she was elected Member of Parliament for Usuk County, Katakwi District in Uganda. Her father, Michael Oromait, served as the MP for the same Parliamentary seat before his death in July 2012. She is a member of Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement party.

MONICA MUSONDA, Zambian. Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Java Foods

Musonda is the founder of Java Foods, a Zambia-based food processing company that manufactures the eeZee brand of Instant Noodles. Musonda previously worked with Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, as the director of legal and corporate affairs at Dangote Group, where she led a project to build a cement plant in Zambia. She currently serves on the Boards of Dangote Industries Zambia Limited and the Central Bank of Zambia. Musonda is also the Chairperson of Kwacha Pension Trust Fund, Zambia’s largest single employer pension fund. She is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow and was named a 2013 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

LINDIWE MAZIBUKO, South African. Politician & Parliamentary Leader for Democratic Alliance (DA)

Mazibuko, age 33, is a Parliamentary Leader for the Democratic Alliance (MP for North Durban) and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly in South Africa. As the country’s fourth youngest parliamentarian, Mazibuko is already being touted as a  future leader of the Democratic Alliance. Mazibuko was named South Africa’s Most Influential Woman in 2012 and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013.

MINOUSH ABDEL-MEGUID, Egyptian. Private Equity Investor, Entrepreneur, Investment Banker

The Egyptian-born investment banker is the co-founder of Union Capital, an Egyptian investment firm primarily focused on small and medium-sized enterprises.  Abdel-Meguid is also founding president of the Egyptian Young Bankers Association, an organization that mentors young banking professionals.

OLA OREKUNRIN, Nigerian. Medical Doctor & Founder, The Flying Doctors

Orekunrin, 25, is founder and Managing Director of Flying Doctors Nigeria Ltd., an air ambulance service based in Lagos, Nigeria. Orekunrin’s company is the first air ambulance service in West Africa to provide urgent helicopter, airplane ambulance and evacuation services for critically injured people. She is a 2013 New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute and was named a Young Global Leader in 2013 by the World Economic Forum.

SIBONGILE SAMBO, South African. Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SRS Aviation

Sambo is the founder and Managing Director of SRS (Sibongile Rejoice Sambo) Aviation – the first black female owned aviation company in South Africa.  SRS is an integrated provider of private aviation services offering South African and international clients VIP Charter, tourist charter and helicopter services. The company also provides maintenance, sales and fleet management services to private jet owners.

LUPITA NYONG’O, Kenyan. Actress and Filmmaker

Nyong’o is a Kenyan actress and filmmaker who made her Hollywood debut in acclaimed film director Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” as Patsey. Nyong’o was born in Mexico, raised in Kenya and educated in the U.S. She is a graduate of Yale University’s School of Drama. In 2009, the breakout actress was also the lead in MTV’s award-winning drama series, Shuga. Nyong’o’s cousin, Isis Nyong’o was named one of Forbes 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa in 2011. Another cousin, Tavia Nyong’o, is a professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

AMINI KAJUNJU, Democratic Republic of Congo. President & CEO, Africa-America Institute

A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Amini Kajunju is the President & CEO of the Africa-America Institute, and the first African woman to serve at the helm of the oldest nonprofit organization of its kind in the United States. Kajunju joined the Africa-America Institute in October 2012 from the New York-based Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO) where she had served as Executive Director for 10 years. Under her leadership, Kajunju has bolstered the organization’s programming and served more entrepreneurs than any other institution of a similar size in New York City.

FOLAKE FOLARIN-COKER, Nigerian. Fashion Designer

Coker is the founder of Tiffany Amber, one of Africa’s leading fashion labels. She is the first African-based designer to showcase for two consecutive seasons at New York Fashion Week. In 2009, she won Designer of the Year at African Fashion International in Johannesburg,  South Africa followed by Fashion Brand of the Year in 2011 at the Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria.

NOVIOLET BULAWAYO, Zimbabwean. Author

Zimbabwean-born author NoViolet Bulawayo is the first Black African female and the first Zimbabwean to be shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker prize for her debut novel “We Need New Names.”  She is the author of the short story Hitting Budapest (2010), which won the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing. NoViolet Bulawayo is currently a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University in California.

WANGECHI MUTU, Kenyan. Artist and Sculptor

Considered one of the most important contemporary African artists of recent years, Mutu’s first major solo exhibition in the U.S., Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey, opened at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in March 2013.  Mutu’s work has achieved much global acclaim with exhibitions at museums and galleries worldwide including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Miami Art Museum, Tate Modern in London, the Studio Museum in Harlem in New York, Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, Germany the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and. Her first solo exhibition at a major North American museum opened at the Art Gallery of Ontario in March 2010.

ANGELLAH KARIUKI, Tanzanian. Politician

Kariuki, 37, is a Special seat Member of Tanzania’s Parliament and the country’s Deputy Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.