“I am a Bestselling Writer. I write Bestselling Books. Every day in every way, I am researching and writing my award-winning Bestselling Books and short stories. Every one of my books reaches and remains for two or more months at the top of the bestseller lists. So Be It! See To It!”
The above is a journal entry (note to self) of American science fiction author Octavia Butler. She often wrote these motivational notes to help her stay committed to her goals and have something to reach for. Octavia went on to become the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She also is the first woman of colour to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Her published works include Kindred Wild Seed, Parable of the Sower, and Parable of the Talents,
Be careful what you ask for; you might get it.
I shall be a bestselling writer. After Imago, each of my books will be on the bestseller lists of LAT, NYT, PW, WP, etc. My novels will go onto the above lists whether publishers push them hard or not, whether I’m paid a high advance or not, whether I ever win another award or not.
This is my life. I write bestselling novels. My novels go onto the bestseller lists on or shortly after publication. My novels each travel up to the top of the bestseller lists and they reach the top and they stay on top for months . Each of my novels does this.
So be it! I will find the way to do this. See to it! So be it! See to it!
My books will be read by millions of people!
I will buy a beautiful home in an excellent neighborhood
I will send poor black youngsters to Clarion or other writer’s workshops
I will help poor black youngsters broaden their horizons
I will help poor black youngsters go to college
I will get the best of health care for my mother and myself
I will hire a car whenever I want or need to.
I will travel whenever and wherever in the world that I choose
My books will be read by millions of people!
So be it! See to it!
“I am a Bestselling Writer. I write Bestselling Books . . . Every day in every way I am researching and writing my award winning Best selling Books and short stories . . . Everyone of my books reaches and remains for two or more months at the top of the bestseller lists . . . . So Be It! See To It.”
According to a study led by Professor Gail Matthews of the Dominican University of California, people who wrote their goals accomplished significantly more than those who did not write their goals down. The study involved 267 participants recruited from businesses, organizations, and business networking groups.
Participants were divided into five groups:
- Group 1- Unwritten Goal;
- Group 2- Written Goal;
- Group 3- Written Goal & Action Commitments;
- Group 4- Written Goal, Action Commitments to a Friend;
- Group 5- Written Goal, Action Commitments & Progress Reports to a Friend.
At the end study, Matthews found that writing your goals down enhanced achieving them significantly.
Leadership training and research company, Leadership IQ conducted a study that involved 4,182
workers from 397 organizations to see what kind of goal-setting processes actually help employees achieve great things. The study titled: Are smart goals dumb? found that:
- People’s goals are not particularly helpful. In fact, the survey found that only 15% of employees strongly agree that their goals will help them achieve great things. And only 13% of employees strongly agree that their goals this year will help them maximize their full potential.
- For people to achieve great things, their goals must require them to learn new skills and leave their comfort zone.
- For a goal to help people achieve great things, that goal has to leap off the paper. It has to be so vividly described that people can feel how great it will be to achieve it. It has to sing to them, to touch the deepest recesses of their brain.
If you want to set a goal that will inspire people to achieve great things, that goal has to be so vividly described that people can picture how great it will feel to achieve it; they will have to learn new skills to achieve the goal; and the goal will push them out of their comfort zone, among other factors.
In his 2009 Book, Hundred Percenters: Challenge Your Employees to Give It Their All, and They’ll Give You Even More, the chairman and CEO of Leadership IQ Mark Murphy describes a framework for goal-setting called HARD goals.
HARD goals are:
- Heartfelt — My goals will enrich the lives of somebody besides me— customers, the community, etc.
- Animated — I can vividly picture how great it will feel when I achieve my goals.
- Required — My goals are absolutely necessary to help this company.
- Difficult — I will have to learn new skills and leave my comfort zone to achieve my assigned goals for this year.
The key to achieving any goal is first to believe that it can be achieved. As American author Napoleon Hill noted in his 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich “Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve.” as Octavia Butler’s affirmation of “So Be It! See To It!”. Nothing is impossible; it all starts with a burning desire, commitment, dedication and relentless pursuit of a worthwhile. Write down goals, review them periodically, believe in your capacity to achieve the goals and work tirelessly daily to achieve them.
All the best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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