Creating effective goal setting strategies is an important part of achieving success in any industry. It’s also something, the founder of EmpoweringHumanityTV.com and the magazine, know how to do.
“I can and I will. Set your goals and seek what sets your soul on fire” is the heart of my goal setting strategies. To help Empowering Humanity members and followers achieve their goals, I’ve created this free guide to goal setting strategies that work.
Seeking What Sets Your Soul on Fire
When I came to America, there weren’t many people who believed I could make it. Thirteen years of living through the Lebanese Civil War robbed me of an education beyond the 4th grade. I struggled with severe dyslexia that made reading and writing a painstaking affair. I couldn’t read, write, or speak English when I arrived.
But I was determined to succeed. Only in America was there a chance for me to make something of myself and escape the oppressive poverty and lack of opportunities that was holding me back. I moved forward, driven by my desire to provide a better life for my daughter and my dream of teaching others the wisdom I had learned.
Success was not easy for me. But by learning how to set and achieve goals, I accomplished what many only dream of doing: becoming an author, a keynote speaker, coach, a TV hostess, and an educator.
The Goal Setting Strategies that Made the Impossible Possible
Going from being unable to speak, read, or write English to becoming a published author was something many people would have said was impossible. But I not only found the way to make it possible, I sold around 3,000 copies of the first edition of my book between book signings, keynote speaking and online book stores. I would never say that it was easy to reach that goal, I worked hard at it. Most authors never sell more than 250 copies in the entire lifetime of the book. Here are the lessons I learned along the way.
1. Have a Clear Vision
I never set out to become an author, it found me. I wouldn’t have considered it if not for a vision I had in 2005 in which I clearly heard the words, “It’s time to share your story.”
When the vision came to me of sharing my story with the world in 2005, I wasn’t sure how I was going to accomplish it. Having the vision, though, gave me the ability to know what direction to head.
2. Know Why It Matters
This was something my beloved brother, Robert, told me right before he was killed when a bomb dropped on our living room right in front of me. “Once you know the why, the how will appear.” Knowing why allowed me to move forward in spite of every well-intentioned person who sought to discourage me by pointing out all the obstacles I would face. When discouragement came, I could look to my why, and find the courage to keep going.
I focused on all those people who were facing dark times and were at risk of losing hope. I knew that sharing my story could help them hold onto hope and make it through.
3. Assess the Requirements and Plan for the Gaps
Writing a book required writing, something I couldn’t do at the time. Many people would have stopped and given up there, but I was motivated by my why. I knew there had to be a way forward.
Because of how I grew up, I knew how to make something from nothing. I figured things out by using the Negotiator Mind™ program that we all have. I tapped into my Negotiator Mind™ and I became a master at it.
Writing and promoting a book was a much more difficult and different, unlike your typical business, than I had ever experienced before. I like to say “books don’t have legs,” so I was putting in much more effort than other products and services I had sold before. Even though I was faced with challenges and it was hard to share my story, I continued to focus on my why, as hard as it was.
Giving up was not an option for me. I HAD to find a solution so I knew it was critical to find someone to help me write. And that’s what I did. I hired a ghostwriter to cover my gaps. To sum it up, if you know you’re not good at something, outsource your weaknesses, or think about it differently, brainstorm and write down different solutions and strengths you can leverage to make your way.
4. Break Big Goals into Small Chunks
Thinking about writing a book was overwhelming for me at first. However, I discovered that the task became easier to manage when I broke down the big goal into small chunks. Instead of focusing on writing the whole book, I focused on one component at a time.
Then, it was a matter of working with the ghostwriter chapter by chapter, to get the story written. Each time I took a step forward, I was one step closer to my goal of a finished book.
5. Start Ugly but Keep Pushing Toward Better
It took a year and a half from the time I started working with my first ghost writer to hold the first edition of my book, Tears of Hope, in my hands. The ghostwriter did a terrific job, but while I couldn’t put a finger on what it was, there was something missing from the book. However, I launched a speaking career to promote the book anyway.
Years, and several editions, of the book later, I realized what was missing. Advancements in technology allowed me to be the one to tell my own story. The change was dramatic. The seedling that got me started was maturing into a beautiful narrative that carried my heart and soul to those who read it.
The Lessons that Carried Me Forward
I took everything I learned from working on Tears of Hope into every project that came afterward: My public speaking career, founding and hosting a TV show, the development of my educational classes platform, community building, the work that’s begun on turning Tears of Hope into a major motion picture and movement, my Rise Above song revisions, and now my Empowering Humanity Magazine.
Helping Organizations and Employees Make the Impossible Possible
Discover how I have helped business owners, individuals, and employees make the impossible possible. In addition to my keynote speaking, I also offer coaching and consulting.
