Old thinking suggests that you’ll be successful if you have goals. Apparently you’ll be even more successful if they are written down.

I now don’t believe that to be true.

Goals usually contain numbers. In my experience, numbers don’t create a feeling in me [ or you].

Try this, 50,000. That did nothing for me. 52,000. Nor that.

If I am coaching someone and want they to go away and be excited about creating a new future for themselves, having numbers in there is not going to do it.

So I need another form of intervention.

A vision is a description of how things might be better in some way in future. Skilfully constructed, it makes an image in the mind. Now an image in your mind often produces a feeling – the better the future described, the better the feeling.

I am much more interested in my client creating a vision of how good their life can be than I am about any number which is associated with a goal.

The really interesting part of this process is to understand the feeling that their vision creates. For example, if their vision creates a feeling of confidence, that can be useful.

I am impatient by nature, so I think it would be super if my client can experience their vision tomorrow. So the question becomes “What can you do tomorrow that will cause you to feel confident?”

Once they begin doing that, it brings the vision to life and they know they are on track, and heading in the right direction.

Better than numbers.

Ed Percival is a business coach with Shirlaws Business Coaching. www.shirlawscoaching.com