In the movie “Groundhog Day”, Bill Murray is forced to live the same day over and over again until he begins to change his choices. Today, many loan officers might be feel as doomed as Murray even after writing their 2012 production goals. Nothing has really changed and today is the same as yesterday. In fact, today is the same as it was every day last year. It might be a dwindling pipeline, low production numbers or limited referral partners.
Have the goals you set at the beginning of 2012 become a distant memory? Why not try implementing these four key elements of goal setting suggested by Brian Tracey to prevent repeating the mistakes of 2011:
1) Verbalization—It is not enough to have a goal in your head. You must write it down and it should be clear, specific and measurable. Take it one step farther and share that goal verbally with someone who will hold you accountable. The goal will seem more real to you once you have voiced it.
2) Visualization. This is where you will take the time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and write out a clear vision of your life once you have achieved your goals. Make it as detailed as possible. The best practice is to put that vision where you can read it every day. Each time you read it, it is replaying into your subconscious mind and becoming more and more imprinted into your thinking. The more clearly you visualize the impact that achieving this goal would have on your life, the faster it will appear in your reality.
3) Emotionalization—After you have written your goals and have a clear vision of what your life would be if you achieved those goals, you will find you are actually building within yourself the feelings, or emotions, that you would experience if you had already attained the goal. The deeper your desire is to achieve this goal, the more passion and energy you will pour into it, and the faster you will move toward achievement of your goals.
4) Rationalization—This is your “why” or your reason for wanting to accomplish this goal. This is actually the most important step. Why do you really want to reach this goal? The more you think about your “why”, the more motivated and determined you will become and the more you will persist in the face of any difficulty.
The more you think of your “why” the more creative you will become in overcoming adversities and removing obstacles. The more you think of your “why” the more unstoppable you will become in achieving that goal. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how.”
Whether the Groundhog sees his shadow or not, you don't have to live in the shadow of yesterday's choices, with each day being just more of the same. Change your choices and change your life.
