In working with thousands of people, helping them achieve their goals, I have learned that the most important first question to ask is, “Are you working towards the right goals for you, right now, with all the competing priorities in your life?” In thinking about your own goals, consider how the changes in the current geo-economic and political environment may have impacted what is important to you?

The idea for this article germinated from an experiment that our family tried recently on a saturaday. We decided to have a “technology fast” for 24 hours. Gasp! No T.V, radio, internet, email, blackberry etc. for 24 hours. We effectively shut down the stream of input we all continuously receive. The result for us was amazing. We spent time together talking, reading, playing games and just “hanging out.” In doing so we realized that EVERYTHING that is truly important to us is completely intact! Sure our checking account balance may be lower, our investments may be down 30% etc, but what we truly value has not been impacted at all.

This is not to diminish the challenges that we are collectively facing; losing income, soaring mortgages, depleted retirement accounts and the like. These are real problems and stressors, but even so, we must maintain our perspective.

One positive result I emerging from the current financial crisis is our collectively taking stock of what we truly value. In the recent years of easy credit and booming investments it was easy to “upgrade” cars, houses, wardrobes and toys, without feeling any pain. That has changed!  Just as many of us are refocusing how we use our financial resources, I hope this current crisis is a catalyst for us to do the same with our energy, our time, and our priorities.

So how do we sustain focus on your goals in these turbulent times?

The first step is to know and remember what it is that is truly important to you, and to make sure your goals are closely aligned with that. Several years ago I developed a process for goal achievement called GAIN Planning^TM .The model encapsulates the four steps required to achieve any goal, which are:

Step One: Goals- Set specific and challenging goals

Step Two: Action plans- Develop detailed and realistic action plans.

Step Three: Inspiration- Identify your compelling inspirations

Step Four: Networks of Support- Build strong networks of supports

Evaluate your Goals

The most important thing to do in our current environment is to ensure that you are focused on your most important goals. Just as we need to focus our financial resources on the necessities in turbulent times, so too do we need to focus our goal related energy expenditure. So take stock and make sure that your goals are still the right ones for you, at this time. Also, has the changing environment impacted the level of challenge your goals represent? If so you need to take that into consideration and make the necessary adjustments.

Adjust your Action Plans

Your action plans are your road maps for achieving your goals. They need to be updated regularly to reflect the “market conditions” around you. If retiring next year or buying a larger house is your goal, the needed recalibration of your action plans may be obvious. But make sure you also consider the more subtle ways that the current environment is impacting your other goals. For example, if you have set a goal to lose weight and you tend to eat when you are under stress, then this is an impact you need to recognize and adjust for in your action plans.

Sustain your Inspiration

The importance of maintaining your inspiration today cannot be overstated. We have seen the impact that the lack of consumer confidence is having on our economy. When people feel uncertain about the future they stop spending money and the result further weakens the economy. On a much smaller scale the same is true of our goals. When we are not feeling confidant and positive about our prospects we stop spending energy on our goals, which results in set-backs, which further reduce our confidence. The result is a downward spiral similar to what we are seeing in the economy. There is an important difference though, while we cannot control consumer fiscal spending, we can control how we spend our energy. So instead of watching two more hours of pundits rehashing the days political and financial news, use the time to work on your goals (e.g. take a run, spend time with your family, practice cooking, or do whatever you have set your goals to achieve)!

Relay on Your Network of Support

In turbulent times we need to rely on our networks of support even more than usual. It is easy to get side-tracked and spend our time and energy fretting about the uncertain future. Our networks of support need to be utilized for sound advice and to keep us accountable for our actions, related to our goals. Much of our current financial crisis could have been avoided if individuals would have accessed and headed better advice and if the lending institutions would have been held more accountable. The lesson here for our individual goals is to use every resource at our disposal to access and use the information, support, and assistance we can to help us achieve success.

By evaluating your goals, adjusting your action plans, sustaining your inspiration and relying on your networks of support you can maintain focus on achieving your most important goals. While timetables may need to flex and action plans may need adjustment, if you are working on the right goals for you and you have the inspiration and support you need, you will ultimately be successful!