Goal Setting and Goal Getting: The BD3 Approach

Most people have no problem setting goals. At the same time, most people have a great deal of trouble getting their goals.

A specific strategy for setting and getting goals

Remember R2D2 and CP3O of Star Wars fame? Well, this strategy is called BD3, which stands for Brainstorm, Decide, Do, and Distinguish.

Brainstorm - Get yourself in a quite place where you are not likely to be disturbed. Let your mind focus on these questions:

What would you like to accomplish in the next two years?
What would you like to change?
What would you like to be?
What would you like to have?
What would you like to do?
Where do you want to go?
What would you like to contribute?

Now spend 5-10 minutes writing down whatever goals come to mind. For this exercise, there are no limits. Let the ideas come freely, without evaluation. Don't just think about them, write them down. Remember, the weakest ink is better than the strongest memory. Come up with as many goals as you can. Now you are ready to............

Decide - on two things:

1) Choose one goal from the brainstorming list that you most want to accomplish in the next two years, and

2) Decide it will happen. Decide that no matter what, you will get this goal sometime in the next two years.

This is a very powerful decision to make. Because change can occur in an instant, deciding that you will get this goal begins the process of change, and begins to build momentum.

To continue building momentum, now it's time to...........

Do - all the necessary things to make it happen. One way to do this is to work backward from your deadline to now. For example, if your goal is to save a certain amount of money by the year 2006, how much will you have to save each year, each quarter, each month, each week, each day? In this way, you are able to break a rather large goal down into daily actions. Remember, once you set and commit to a goal, you can only have two results: you get the goal or you have excuses why you didn't.

While you are taking daily action toward your goal, it's crucial to............

Distinguish - between what is working and what is not. Are your actions moving you closer to your goal or further away from your goal? If what you are doing is working, great for you, keep it up, and perhaps do even more. If what you are doing is not working, change your strategy. Remember, if you keep doing the same things you have always done, you'll get the same things you have always gotten. Keep changing your strategies until you get the results you want.

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