Counting Chickens Before They Hatch?

Have you ever heard the expression, “Do not count your chickens before they hatch?” Maybe an older, wiser individual would tell you this to keep you from getting ahead of yourself. Like buying a new car before you actually got that new job.  Well, when setting and obtaining your goals, you need to “Count your chicken before they hatch” in your mind. What I mean by this is you have to start seeing yourself completing or obtaining your goal. What you profess, you possess!

The first thing you need to do is sit down and set your goals. Diana Scharf Hunt said “Goals are dreams with deadlines.” A lot of times, people are thrown off by the idea of taking the time to set their goals. But when you take a trip, do you not come up with a plan and ultimate destination. Well, setting goals is the same process. I suggest that you first do a Must Have, Why, How analysis.

First, write down a list of must haves; bigger home, luxury trips, new cars, work from home, etc. Then decide why these must haves are important to you and prioritize them. Lastly, write down how you are going to get the must haves.

Also, ask yourself these questions:

Why do I not have what I want now?
What are the tools and resources do I need?
What past experiences are in the way?
Who can I talk to that has already succeeded?
How am I paying for this?
What are the tradeoffs?
What am I going to give up?

From this analysis, start writing down you goals. Remember, without a start, there cannot be an ending. Denis Watley stated “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they do not define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”

Once finished writing your goals, next you need to start visualizing your dreams. Henry David Thoreau once said “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” You need image yourself accomplishing your goals and obtaining your treasures. Will yourself into succeeding. Never think that you cannot reach your desired results. Talk about the desires as if you have already obtained it. A good practice is to read your goals daily. If you are having a bad day, read them over and over.

Thirdly, you need to get the tools and resources to needed to accomplish your goals. Maybe you have decided to start a home-based business as a mechanism to consummate the acquiring of your dreams. Start gathering documentation on how to run your home-based business. Join service group that might help you. Take the step to start reaching your goals. Kathy Seligman said “You cannot hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You cannot catch a fish unless you put your line in the water. You cannot reach your goals if you do not try.” Get started today!!

The fourth point is to surround yourself with like-minded people. In the Bible, Jesus told one of his disciples, “Get behind me Satan.” What he was saying was if you are not with me, you are against me. The same applies to you. Detach yourself from people who are negative towards you goals. If you are going to be rich, why not surround yourself with people who are already rich. David Joseph Schwartz once said “Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success.”

Lastly, and most importantly, do not be afraid of success. This phobia is the main reason most people fail. They make no preparation for succeeding. When they succeed, they do not know how to act. People start questioning their success. They start telling themselves that they do not deserve to be successful. And eventually, obtain what they profess. When you are setting your goals, make a plan for being successful. Tell yourself that you deserve to be successful and that you should procure your desires. Catherine Pulsifer best sums this up, “The unfortunate aspect about living life without your own goals is that you may very well reach a point in your life where you will wonder, what would have happened if I had only done…”

In closing, the first thing you need to do is start planning and setting your goals. Then you need start visualizing yourself completing your dreams. Also, you will need to get some tools and resources that will help you achieve you goals. And surround yourself with people who are positive and have the same goals as you do. And most importantly, prepare yourself for success. When the time comes, do not be afraid to be successful. Think about this, in the Bible Jesus said, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” You need to start seeing yourself as attaining your goals. Act and talk as if you already have obtained them. Now get started!