Goal Setting Step 3: Rewards & Benefits

GoalTrak™ Knowledge Base

KB 013

Category: Help Title: Rewards and Benefits Summary: The chapter in "Make It Happen!" that discusses the third step in creating a goal: Rewards and Benefits
Product: GoalTrak™ EV, GoalTrak™ CV, GoalTrak™ PV	Version: All

Description:

GoalTrak EV - Rewards & Benefits

The next step in the process is to visualize all the rewards and benefits that will accrue to you, your organization, your work group, your family and other people as a result of the achievement of your goal. Both tangible and intangible terms are appropriate in this part of the process. In the Rewards & Benefits text field, enter as many rewards and benefits as possible. Be sure that these entries are EXCITING, MOTIVATING, and CHALLENGING. Fill up this box!! There is no need to be specific here unless you care to. Things like personal satisfaction, peace of mind, feel good, are as valid as 50% increase in profit, 20% reduction in errors, or promotion in six months to district manager. Immerse yourself in the positive results of accomplishing this goal.

These rewards and benefits are the real reasons you want to achieve your goal; this is what you really want but can't get directly without doing something first. That's usually what we really WANT from the goal; it's a quirk of nature (or part of the grand design?) that we cannot get it directly. This section is the most critical. It is the source of your motivation. If your juices are flowing and you can't wait to get going, (but please finish the rest of the goal sheet first!), then you have a good internal indicator that you will do what it takes to make this goal happen.

If you are lukewarm on the idea, or are yawning at the prospect of implementation and reaping the rewards, then you have a bright yellow caution signal staring you in the face. It may be indicating that this may not be a meaningful goal for you. If this is the case, go back to the Goal Statement and see if you can tweak it to make it more interesting and challenging for you. Then try to add more benefits and rewards, or different kinds of rewards that would have a more positive effect on you. These rewards and benefits need to be so high that they can bee seen over the mountain of obstacles and challenges that you must meet.

In our personal “new house” goal, some of the rewards might be, “more personal space, privacy, room to pursue my hobby, lots of space for a vegetable garden, very happy spouse, able to entertain elegantly, I did it on my own.” It is your goal, and they are your rewards.

Using our sales goal example, some rewards might be, more add-on business, need to hire fewer sales people, able to upgrade computer system, personal satisfaction, fewer problems. Sometimes the challenge of accomplishing a goal is rewarding enough. Remember, the rewards and benefits will differ for each individual and that is as it should be. They have to be exciting enough to launch you into action.

Having reached this point in the process you may ask yourself, "why don't I/we have it already?" Or, you may be saying, "No wonder we haven't achieved this yet, look how much is involved." To be sure, writing your goals down will elicit responses that may be surprising, and at other times will confirm what you thought all along. At this juncture, some people just tear up the goal sheet, throw it away and forget it. It's just too much for them to undertake.

This is as important a decision -- not to make it happen, as to make it happen. Think of it as cleaning out your dream closet! Sometimes we carry wishes and desires around in our heads that are no longer meaningful or feasible, but we forget to throw them out. What about the old catalogs, articles, advertisements and trade journals we tucked away in numerous files over the years? How much space do they take up in the cabinets? Didn't we resolve last year to clean out those files and make more room? By emptying ourselves of outdated desires and wishes we free up our energy and attention to devote to the goals which mean the most to us now, at this time and stage in our lives.

Before going to the next step, make sure that you are working on a goal that is motivating to you. It is important to start out on the right foot when you are learning to master this process. We want you to work on what is important and meaningful to you, not to waste your time going through the drone motions of each exercise. We wouldn't want to do it. Neither should you, but to make this Technology come alive YOU have to breathe your own life into it! It is your goal, not ours. Your rewards and benefits, not ours. If the goal you started working on is becoming drudgery, go back and start over. Either re-work it or pick a new one, one that is more appealing to you. When you have a Goal Statement and Rewards/Benefits that you think, feel and know are right, then you are ready to go to Step 4.

SUCCESS! Satisfaction! S E R E N I T Y A c h i e v e m e n t

Links to the chapters for each of the nine steps are listed in Related Topics below.

Related Topics:

Author: Richard Lewine

Published: January 15, 2006

Revised:

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  Phone: 630-236-5332 Steve
  Phone: 215-997-5954 Rich