Much has been written lately regarding the importance of personal goal setting both for personal and professional career development. Although I agree and support SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, with definitive Timeline), I think many are overlooking the importance of one’s attitude and mindset.
Anyone can be given a road map and instructed to drive from point A to point B. The point here is do you have the positive mental attitude and mental imagery to realize and Believe in your ultimate destination that you will get there? Having healthy mental imagery of your goals is the first step but it’s just the means to the end…you first must believe.
If you can believe it you can Achieve it! This is the major component that is really lacking in my opinion, in many of the “how to” articles of self improvement .
Understanding ICPRA In Your Goal Setting Quest
I think before I digress further I believe you first need to understand how I came up with the Acronym: ICPRA: (Idealize, Conceptualize, Prioritize, Realize, Actualize), and how you must first understand its importance before any goals can be actualized. Although, this terminology is not new in terms of definitions-their application is very effective when understanding the cognitive personal goal setting process.
I developed the ICPRA acronym from my 10 years+ of professional goal setting experience for both corporate entities as well as for personal goal setting for individuals.
IDEALIZE: This is the first phase where the light bulb in your brain goes on, and you start to think out some things, some ideas as it pertains to your personal goal setting. This is where you actually take the mental “first step” in starting down the path in your personal goal-setting process.
CONCEPTUALIZE: This is the second phase, whereby you actually start to conceptualize for yourself-specific possible goals that you would like to fulfill. You start to ask yourself probing questions such as:
What are your number one goals?
What is your goal setting action plan?
How do you set out to achieve your goals?
What are your career goals?
What are your financial goals?
What are your health and fitness goals?
What are your short term and long term goals?
PRIORITIZE:This is the critical third phase where you start to rank, evaluate and prioritize your goals based up what's most important to you. It is during this critical evaluation period that you begin to identify short term and long term goals. This may take weeks or even months. Everyone is different in this stage of this process. There is not a "cookie-cutter" approach one size fits all. As we are all different human beings, it is only logical that we all require a different road map in charting our personal goal setting and career goal paths in life.
REALIZE: This is the fourth step in that you must believe in yourself to see through fruition-your personal goals you have identified in achieving. You must believe in yourself FIRST and foremost before you can conceive your goals as reality and act upon your goal setting action plan that you have developed. This is so critically important. How are you ever to achieve you goals if you don’t believe you will ever accomplish your goals? Faith comes a long way.
For you flyers out there, are you ever scared when you set foot into an airplane for a trip? Of course you are-everyone of use at times has had our own reservations about taking the flight. But guess what-you take the trip none-the-less-correct? Why? Because you have FAITH that the pilot and crew will fly the plane safely, and you and your fellow passengers, will eventually reach your objective destination. Having faith in yourself and believing in your goal objectives is no different, but it takes a positive belief approach that you will succeed.
ACTUALIZE: Finally you're here! You've made it, you've come a long way-but this is where you actually see the fruit of your hard labor. You get to see and experience the progress that you've made in your goal setting journey. Sure they may be small baby steps-but any step in the right direction is the way you want to go. Remember-Life is not a Race-its a Marathon. You must always keep this thought in your forefront of your Brain at all times.
