Open up the "DOOR" to Achieve Your Dreams - 4 Steps to Effective Goal Setting

WOOP, WOOP, we are setting goals and having fun doing it!

Actually, the WOOP you are reading above is an acronym for a cool goal setting method, well at least it sounds pretty cool to me. So what is WOOP and how can we apply it effectively to our goal-setting activities?

Watch the video below to get a quick understanding of what WOOP is all about.

So WOOP stands for

W - Wish

O - Outcome

O - Obstacle

P - Plan

But I made a few adjustments to the above and I prefer to call it DOOR

D - Desire

O - Outcome

O - Obstacle

R - Roadmap

DESIRE - What do you "desire?" Well, the truth is that wishing alone won't get us anywhere, we have to put determination and a plan to act behind our desires if we are to actualize our dreams.

OUTCOME - So what will the desired outcome look like? At what point would you say you have actualised the dream? Where will you be? How would you feel?

OBSTACLE - What is holding you back, why can't you achieve your desires, where are the barriers to success? What could derail you or get in your way? What could prevent you from actualising your dreams?

ROADMAP - Now that you have all the parameters, create a roadmap, address each obstacle identified above and set out strategies to overcome each one. Use "when - then" statements ie when (obstacle) this happens, then (roadmap) I will do this. These are called implementation intentions.

So for each goal, you will have a DOOR that you will "go through" to achieve it.

Last Line

This model is used mainly for personal goal setting and is quite effective if applied intentionally. It can also be applied to organizational goal setting. The key thing to remember though is that even if the goal is not eventually achieved in the way you planned, reflect on the outcome and review the actions or inactions during the execution process and learn, what did you do right and what did you do wrong? Make the corrections and try again!

Written by Lady Shayo Imologome FCA, MBA

Business Growth Strategist, Management Consultant, and Keynote Speaker