“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

— Pablo Picasso

P.R.I.M.E.R. method isolates the best pieces of goal setting and assembles into an actionable approach that produces results. This method is a simple system that will help you avoid becoming entangled in the unnecessary details that often accompany goal setting. This method brings about better focus on steps that will influence your forward progress and overall success. Isn’t that what you really want?

Let’s dive in.

P - PINPOINT YOUR HIGHEST-PRIORITY AMBITIONS

This step involves self-analysis. It entails considering your ambitions and zeroing in on the ones you consider vital to the life you desire to live. Think of these as your “umbrella” aspirations. They’re broad and may involve multiple goals. An example of an umbrella aspiration is to “improve your finances.” It might be supported by numerous goals such as “work harder,” “reduce expenses,” “increase your income streams,” “get financial literacy,” “learn new financial skills,” etc.

To uncover your umbrella aspirations, ask yourself the following two questions:

1. In what areas of my life would I like to see positive results?

Examples include your relationships, health, career, finances, attitude, spirituality, experiences, and education/knowledge.

2. Why do I wish to see results in these areas? Here, you’ll isolate the most prominent motivating factors. These might involve your core values, such as compassion, honesty, and personal growth. They may also include feelings of restlessness (e.g. you desire a more challenging career), fear (e.g. you want to improve your health to avoid an early death), and deeply-held longing (e.g. you desperately want to travel the world).

Next, we need to differentiate your critical umbrella aspirations from the important, but expendable aspirations. To do so, ask yourself two more questions:

1. How would I rank my aspirations in importance? Each one undoubtedly deserves your time and attention. Unfortunately, you only have so much time and attention to allocate toward them. So write them down and rank them.

2. How would I feel if I failed to fulfill these aspirations? Some ambitions appear important on the surface, but seem less so under close scrutiny. Answering this question gives you an opportunity to examine how you truly feel about each one, and determine where your time and attention are best spent.

Your answers to these questions will produce a prioritized list of ambitions. This list is your starting point. It’ll influence where you should dedicate your limited resources, and play a crucial role in helping you to create the life (and lifestyle) you enjoy down the road.

This process will reveal aspirations that are less important than they initially seem.

Are Your Ambitions Realistic?

You will note that none of the above questions address whether your umbrella aspirations are realistic. That’s not an oversight because I assume that you will not deceive yourself at this point of your life. The more important question is, how do you know whether an umbrella aspiration is realistic? Three factors play a role.

First, consider the associated cost. Will it cost time, money, energy, or attentional resources? How much of each? Are you willing to allocate these resources in sufficient volume? For example, suppose you would like to find a marriage partner, but are unwilling to spend time meeting people. This lack of willingness makes your aspiration to get married unrealistic.

Second, consider existing constraints. Some of them may be related to your resources. For example, suppose you would like to learn a new language, but your job and home life leave you with no spare time. Such a limitation makes learning a new language unrealistic - at least given your current circumstances.

Third, consider external factors over which you have no control. For example, suppose you planned to visit Zanzibar in April 2020. Due to the pandemic, borders were shut and both local and international flights across the world were grounded. This circumstance, one you could not influence, would have made visiting Zanzibar then unrealistic.

This step, pinpointing your highest-priority ambitions and determining their feasibility, is one of the simplest in P.R.I.M.E.R. goal setting method. But it can potentially require the most time and attention. Remember, this is your starting point. It’ll affect everything that comes afterward.

Tomorrow, we will consider R - Refine Your Desired Outcomes

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Ciao.

Emmanuel Dorgbaa

Your Coach