Goal Setting & Positive Mindset Techniques

(by Andrew Ng)

When I say goal setting, I’m guessing that you probably think “let’s have a little snooze”. Guess what – that’s exactly what I normally think.

LISTEN TO ME!

I promise you that this will at the very least be entertaining for you to read!

Now I’m not very old, I actually turned 19 earlier this month, but when I was younger I went to an event and there was a wonderful motivational keynote speaker who said something that has stuck with me ever since. Right now I’m involved in quite a few companies and ventures – I would not be where I am today without this one very important mental attitude.

I’m not going to tell you to believe in yourself (although you should), I’m not going to tell you to always do your best (although you should do that as well), and I’m not going to tell you that everything is possible (I would be lying). What I am going to tell you is going to get you working hard. Very, very, very hard.

It is about 1.50am, UK time right now. The only reason that I am writing this, am positive, and generally am enjoying what I’m doing at this ridiculous hour of the morning is because of the way I think. It is because of one tiny statement I heard as a 17 year old boy in High School.

Health warning: this information may result in trouble sleeping!

So what is it then? What struck me so profoundly back when I was 17 that I still live with that mental attitude today? On a day that fully expected to sleep through the keynote speech (hey, us teenagers don’t like mornings!) was one tiny statement: “don’t put things off until tomorrow – do them now”.

Think about it. Why do we keep putting things off? We know that we have to do them eventually. Why don’t we do them now or plan a time to do them and stick to it?

That attitude has transformed my life, my work ethic, and has had a massive impact on my productivity. Try it yourself. Just sit down and work. Or just take that step out of your front door and go for a run. Take a deep breath and stand up to pitch your business at a networking event. Just do it. Do it now! Don’t put it off or you may never find out what you’ve missed out on.

I don’t know about you but I’ve got a lot that I want to do in my life. It’s not going to get done by “waiting another day” because when does the “another day” stop? How much better would life be if we just did what we have to do, what we want to do, what we think we should try; and approach it with a mindset that always looks for the positives and always looks for ways to enjoy the task.

You know what. I titled this post “Goal Setting and Mindset Techniques”. I don’t have much to say about goal setting. Basically know where you want to be and work out how to get there.

So what do I have to say on mindset techniques? Stop thinking about positive mindsets and just do what you need to, and try and enjoy it. Let’s face it. Sometimes life is rubbish, sometimes work is boring, sometimes we want to run away and become a hermit (well, I’ve never wanted that, but I’m sure some people have). The best we can do is plough on and get through it all. Because guess what. If you take that attitude, the highs are going to be amazing and the lows are going to be merely challenging (in a good way), or possibly even enjoyable.

Now stop reading this and go do everything that you’ve been putting off! And when you become a millionaire, don’t forget to book me to speak at your corporate functions and get your staff “doing it today” as well!