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Posts Tagged ‘Goals’

Ithaka by Constantine Cavafy

January 2nd, 2012

Maria Helm

I first heard of the poem Ithaka by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy at the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I was moved when I heard it not only because it was used as an elegy, but how meaningful it is to our modern lives.

When someone reads the Odyssey he/she should pay close attention to the symbolic meaning of this poem. The Odyssey has a much deeper meaning than what it seems to someone that reads it for the first time. It is not just a story about a fantastic voyage and a guy overcoming some imaginary difficulties and going back home. In the Greek view it is an inner-self quest for rediscovering who you really are; at the same time it is a celebration of the human nature and the capability of achieving your goals, even if it means that you have to go through the most difficult and unexpected obstacles to reach those goals.

As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon – don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon – you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Posted in Goal-setting, Motivation

Tags: Attitude, Goals, Ithaka, Journey, Success

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The 5 Goals of a Project Manager

April 15th, 2010

Jason Westland

As a Project Manager, you need to manage people, money, suppliers, equipment—the list is never ending. The trick is to be focused. Set yourself 5 personal goals to achieve. If you can meet these simple goals for each project, then you will achieve total success. So read on, to learn…

The 5 Goals of a Project Manager

These goals are generic to all industries and all types of projects. Regardless of your level of experience in project management, set these 5 goals for every project you manage.

Goal 1: To finish on time

This is the oldest but trickiest goal in the book. It’s the most difficult because the requirements often change during the project and the schedule was probably optimistic in the first place.

To succeed, you need to manage your scope very carefully. Implement a change control process so that any changes to the scope are properly managed.

Always keep your plan up to date, recording actual vs. planned progress. Identify any deviations from plan and fix them quickly.

Goal 2: To finish under budget

To make sure that your project costs don’t spiral, you need to set a project budget at the start to compare against. Include in this budget, all of the types of project costs that will accrue, whether they are to do with people, equipment, suppliers or materials. Then work out how much each task in your plan is going to cost to complete and track any deviations from this plan.

Posted in Goal-setting

Tags: Goals, Project Management, Project Manager, Success

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Get Things Done Faster and Achieve Your Goals

January 8th, 2010

Maria Helm

time_management We have always asked ourselves “how can I get things done faster so I can accomplish more of my goals?” Sure. We all like that to happen. But really, the real question to ask is “how can I get more things done in a short period of time?”

There’s no magic formula. You cannot just miraculously pull a few extra hours for your day out of thin air. However, with careful planning and by using a couple of simple tools, getting things done faster may actually be possible. Let’s get started on the right foot. Here’s what you need to do first:

Know where your time is going. Chances are you already own a smartphone. Figure out how to use its calendar function and use it. If you prefer the old-fashioned way, go to the store and buy a daily planner like this. Keep track of how you spend your time. Most of your log will show you’re investing your time in people or things not really important to you or your goals. Also, it’s important to use only one time management system. Whether you choose electronic or paper system, one consistent system will eliminate much wasted time spent searching for information.

Posted in Goal-setting

Tags: Get things done faster, Goals, passwords, tasks, time management

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Pay Yourself First

December 4th, 2009

Maria Helm

One of my favorite personal finance tips is to pay yourself first. The idea is that you should take any savings money immediately from your earnings and put it into a separate bank account. I’m saying this because if I wait until the end of the month to save what’s left, I would have probably spent it all.

I think this idea applies equally to your goals. Pay yourself first because, if you pay other people first, then you won’t have enough time left for what’s truly important to you.

There are going to be a few things that must come first. If your goal is to start a business, but you still work a full-time job, not getting fired is your first priority (at least until your business can support you). Same with important family concerns.

Posted in Goal-setting

Tags: Goals, Pay yourself first

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Are You Afraid of Success?

December 2nd, 2009

Maria Helm

Afraid No one wants to fail. Fear of failure is common, even immobilizing people, hindering them from pursuing or achieving their goals. But for some, success is an even greater source of fear, also resulting in inaction.

It’s rare that a goal is all roses. Success requires change, and change has both positive and negative consequences. Often while people claim to want to succeed at something, the reality is that the negatives outweigh the positives for them. When that happens, we abandon the idea altogether.

“A fear of success is an expression of inadequacy in believing we don’t deserve to achieve, combined with emotions of guilt when we do better than expected,” says Denis Waitley, speaker, author, and productivity coach.

When you don’t really believe in the validity of your dreams and you aren’t prepared for achievement, you will fall short again and again, says Waitley. “I call this the curse of permanent potential.”

Posted in Goal-setting

Tags: Failure, Fear, Goals, Success

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