Copyright 2005 Coco Fossland

In a nutshell, having an Inspired, World-Changing Goal is the difference between idly walking along a path leading to nowhere and taking a purpose-filled journey to somewhere.

But before you can really consider why you need an Inspired, World-Changing Goal in your business, it's important to first understand what exactly an Inspired, World-Changing Goal is.

An Inspired, World-Changing Goal is a clear, measurable goal that you'd feel doggone excited to accomplish in the next 10-30 years. It's a real goal, and not just some pie-in-the-sky mission statement or wish for world peace. It's a specific, measurable goal that you can clearly define and you can objectively know when it is complete.

A well-constructed Inspired World-Changing Goal has six key attributes:

It lights up your heart and inspires you to your core. When you think about it, you are instantly filled with motivation, purpose, inspiration and excitement. It simply must be loaded with authentic desire within you. Without that, it's not really an inspired goal, now is it?

It is 50-70% likely that you will be able to achieve it in 10-30 years. It's indeed possible for you to accomplish this goal, but it will require a great deal of commitment on the part of everyone in your business to make it happen. It's not a sure thing, but with every ounce of focus and commitment, you can do it!

It will require you to transform and grow. In order for you and your team to accomplish it, you will be required to evolve, shedding fear and embracing empowerment. You will need courage, perseverance, commitment, and inspiration, in order to make this goal a reality. It's a goal that requires the very best of you to come forward.

It passes the Mount Everest test. In other words, your goal is as specific as climbing to the top of Mount Everest. I know, you know, your team knows, and the rest of the world knows what it means to climb to the top of Mount Everest. The same should be true for your goal. Specific, measurable, achievable, understandable, definable. It is in no way subjective. If you state your goal and people don't clearly understand what you mean by it, then it fails the Mount Everest test and is not a true Inspired, World-Changing Goal. You should be able to tell your friend what your Inspired, World-Changing Goal is, and she should be able to easily -- and in her own words -- tell others what your goal is.

It involves more than you. This is what makes it "world-changing." In some way, an Inspired, World-Changing Goal benefits another. It transcends the self in some way and paves the way for your inner fulfillment to meet the need of the world in some way. Inherent in the goal are benefits to others, who might include your clients, your employees, your family, your community, the environment, a specific group of people, or a social cause.

It's profound yet simple. You can say it in 20 words or less. It's no loaded with descriptions, prepositional phrases, adjectives, etc. It's clear and simple -- "my goal is to climb to the top of Mount Everest." No other colorful expressions are needed to describe it.

Here are some examples of what an Inspired World-Changing Goal is not:

To bring peace to the world. (It fails #2 and #4 from above.)

To sell my product to 300 million women. (Unless you are Procter & Gamble, it's likely that you'd be failing #2 from above.)

To inspire people around the world with a feeling of hope, possibility, joy, and fulfillment. (It fails #2, #4, and #6 from above.)

To generate $25 million in annual revenues. (It fails #5.)

To consistently have 5 clients and increase annual revenues by 10%. (Sorry but this is just not that inspiring! It likely fails #1, #2, and #3 from above.)

Here are some examples of what an Inspired World-Changing Goal is:

To pass a bill in Congress implementing Department of Peace in the Executive Branch of U.S. Government

To attract 1,000 new clients each month and enroll them in buying an ABC Co. product or service.

To open a Wellness University that provides at least 10 unique certification programs.

To build a retreat center that serves 10,000 guests annually.

To be named as one of Fortune Magazine's top companies to work for.

To take 1000 artists on a Spiritual Discovery Tour.

To give $1 million to charity (based on a rate of tithing 10%).

So now that you understand what an Inspired, World-Changing Goal is, here are the top ten reasons why it's

Reason One: It is the guts of your vision. Every successful business has a clear vision of where it is headed. An Inspired, World-Changing Goal sits at the heart of that vision, making it more real, clear, and powerful.

Reason Two: It becomes your north star. Most businesses are headed towards short-term goals, but who knows if those short-term initiatives are really headed in the direction of your larger vision? Until you have an Inspired, World-Changing Goal, your headed on a path to nowhere.

Reason Three: It is the foundation of your business plan. Once you have a well-constructed Inspired, World-Changing Goal, then it's easy to build milestones leading you to it. Your milestones then become the focus of your short- and long-term business planning. With an Inspired, World-Changing Goal you have something specific to begin charting your progress towards.

Reason Four: It helps you make clear choices. Every choice will either lead you one step closer or one step farther from your goal. By having an Inspired, World-Changing Goal, you have a litmus test or a system of calibration to determine the best path for your business. It helps you determine which markets to focus on, which products to develop, which channels to leverage, and which partners to attract.

Reason Five: It inspires you every step of the way. Without an Inspired, World-Changing Goal, it's easy to forget why you started your business in the first place. Getting lost in the minutia and sucked into the grind, it's easy to loose perspective, momentum, and inspiration. But with a clear, simple Inspired, World-Changing Goal, you are empowered with a glimmering reminder of what your journey is all about. And that is inspiring.

Reason Six: You are assured fulfillment. So often business owners chase goals that sound reasonable, logical, and prudent; but often these goals fail to produce the feelings of joy, fulfillment, purpose, and higher purpose that business owners long to feel. By following the path of an Inspired, World-Changing Goal, your spirit aligns with what it deeply craves, and thus the feelings of fulfillment, self-actualizations, and real satisfaction are finally available along the way.

Reason Seven: It's more attractive than you can possibly know. When you are onto big aspirations and accomplishments, everything about your business resonates, vibrates at that higher level. The high-frequency feelings combined with the clarity of a specific goal give you the exact ingredients to make your business a success-magnet.

Reason Eight: Others will be inspired to help you. When you're up to big things, others will be inspired by what your doing and automatically feel compelled to help you. Not only does an Inspired, World-Changing Goal build buy-in from your employees, it builds loyalty and confidence in your customers and partners.

Reason Nine: It keeps you aligned with your highest path. Because your Inspired, World-Changing Goal is grounded in something that lights up your heart and inspires you to the core, it is, by definition, aligned with your highest path. Gifting yourself with an Inspired, World-Changing Goal guarantees that your business be an instrument for divine good. I can't imagine anything more empowering than that. Can you?

Reason Ten: Success becomes automatic. By taking consistent, constant action in the direction of your hearts deepest desires, you are essentially choosing to work with with the flow of the universe and all its abundance. Success, by any definition, becomes effortless and automatic. Your only job is to stay focused, inspired, and committed to the goal at hand.

Indeed having an Inspired, World-Changing Goal at the foundation of your business can give you many benefits. But don't take my word for it. Experience it for yourself today.

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About Coco Fossland
The author of the forthcoming book, The Power of Trust: Trust Yourself, Transform Your World, Coco Fossland is a nationally recognized expert in personal transformation, self-empowerment and self-healing. Blending a decade of technology and strategy consulting with her expertise in self-trust transformation, Coco's business is focused on supporting people passionate about creating businesses that make a difference in the world. She helps her clients fuse their higher path with their businesses, creating institutions and organizations that profoundly impact the world one person at a time.