The Trucker Challenge: Setting Goals For Positive Changes In Life
One of the biggest benefits of being a trucker is that ability to be on your own, working independent of direct supervision and, if you are an owner/operator, being your own boss.
However, one of the biggest problems of being a trucker is the same issue.
Being your own boss, being your own supervisor, and having the responsibility of working on your own is challenging to many people and for many different reasons.
The most important thing that separates a successful trucker that is achieving his or her dreams from a trucker that is just going through the motions and doing a job to collect a paycheck is the ability to be in control.
This means being in control of what you are doing today and making those decisions based on what you want to be doing tomorrow, next week, next month and in the next years of your life.
Having goals, both short and long term, is the key to moving forward with your career in the trucking profession.
Setting goals is a typical activity if you work in corporate America.
Many small, medium and large sized companies spend millions of dollars in hiring professionals to come in and conduct workshops and professional development programs that help employees, managers and business owners to set goals and shape their future and the future of their businesses.
As a trucker you can do the same thing, starting before you even get behind the wheel.
Long Term Goals Think of long term goals as your big picture ideas.
These goals are not going to be accomplished in the next few months or even years, you can set these goals for an entire career or life if you want.
Generally it is a good idea to set at least one lifetime goal and then other big picture goals that support that one goal.
For example, your goal may be to become an owner/operator with a small trucking business that has found a niche in trucking in the oil field.
You see yourself being the manager, still trucking occasionally, but hiring 10 or more drivers and having company trucks and full contracts for each driver.
That would be your big picture goal.
If you are just starting you may give yourself 10 years or more to achieve this goal, but that will depend on many different factors including your financial situation, knowledge of the industry, business experience and other factors.
To this big goal you may have several supporting long term goals.
These could include buying the property to run your business from, completing a business degree online part time, or any other tasks that you can think of that would help you to achieve that big picture goal.
Short Term Goals Short term goals are typically going to be accomplished in weeks, months or a year.
They are discrete, measurable and reasonable and each of these short term goals helps to build a foundation to achieve your long term goals.
For example, if one of your long term goals was to complete an online business degree in 5 years, a short term goal could be to research online schools and choose the one you want to register in by the end of next month.
The next short term goal could be to complete one of the courses within three months and so on.
By setting short term goals that are components or essential pieces of your long term goals you are basically creating a map to your success.
Setting timelines to complete the goals and making yourself accountable to those timelines allows you to keep moving forward in achieving your goals.
Tips To Achieving Your Business And Personal Goals Not all goals have to be trucking related.
You may have some personal goals as well.
These could be lifestyle changes that will help you to stay healthier so you can achieve your long term goals and lead a life that you can really enjoy.
These types of goals may include increasing your exercise levels, changing a bad habit like smoking or choosing to eat healthier foods.
The keys to achieving your business or personal goals include: • Write your goals down in a timeline form.
• Make sure you put dates for completion and then hold yourself to the timeline you have created.
• Be reasonable when setting short and long term goals but also give yourself a bit of a challenge as well.
• Share your goals with the people that can help you achieve your dreams.
This may include spouses and partners, mentors, coaches or even with a successful trucker that you have a good relationship with and you trust.
• Revise your timeline and your goals as life happens and unexpected events occur.
• Celebrate success and achieving your short and long term goals.
Short and long term goals that are well developed, clear and realistic can really help you to reach the place in life you want to be.
Without goals you are more likely to seem to just drift, often missing opportunities when they happen because you don't realize how they can help you achieve the professional and personal outcomes you want.
However, one of the biggest problems of being a trucker is the same issue.
Being your own boss, being your own supervisor, and having the responsibility of working on your own is challenging to many people and for many different reasons.
The most important thing that separates a successful trucker that is achieving his or her dreams from a trucker that is just going through the motions and doing a job to collect a paycheck is the ability to be in control.
This means being in control of what you are doing today and making those decisions based on what you want to be doing tomorrow, next week, next month and in the next years of your life.
Having goals, both short and long term, is the key to moving forward with your career in the trucking profession.
Setting goals is a typical activity if you work in corporate America.
Many small, medium and large sized companies spend millions of dollars in hiring professionals to come in and conduct workshops and professional development programs that help employees, managers and business owners to set goals and shape their future and the future of their businesses.
As a trucker you can do the same thing, starting before you even get behind the wheel.
Long Term Goals Think of long term goals as your big picture ideas.
These goals are not going to be accomplished in the next few months or even years, you can set these goals for an entire career or life if you want.
Generally it is a good idea to set at least one lifetime goal and then other big picture goals that support that one goal.
For example, your goal may be to become an owner/operator with a small trucking business that has found a niche in trucking in the oil field.
You see yourself being the manager, still trucking occasionally, but hiring 10 or more drivers and having company trucks and full contracts for each driver.
That would be your big picture goal.
If you are just starting you may give yourself 10 years or more to achieve this goal, but that will depend on many different factors including your financial situation, knowledge of the industry, business experience and other factors.
To this big goal you may have several supporting long term goals.
These could include buying the property to run your business from, completing a business degree online part time, or any other tasks that you can think of that would help you to achieve that big picture goal.
Short Term Goals Short term goals are typically going to be accomplished in weeks, months or a year.
They are discrete, measurable and reasonable and each of these short term goals helps to build a foundation to achieve your long term goals.
For example, if one of your long term goals was to complete an online business degree in 5 years, a short term goal could be to research online schools and choose the one you want to register in by the end of next month.
The next short term goal could be to complete one of the courses within three months and so on.
By setting short term goals that are components or essential pieces of your long term goals you are basically creating a map to your success.
Setting timelines to complete the goals and making yourself accountable to those timelines allows you to keep moving forward in achieving your goals.
Tips To Achieving Your Business And Personal Goals Not all goals have to be trucking related.
You may have some personal goals as well.
These could be lifestyle changes that will help you to stay healthier so you can achieve your long term goals and lead a life that you can really enjoy.
These types of goals may include increasing your exercise levels, changing a bad habit like smoking or choosing to eat healthier foods.
The keys to achieving your business or personal goals include: • Write your goals down in a timeline form.
• Make sure you put dates for completion and then hold yourself to the timeline you have created.
• Be reasonable when setting short and long term goals but also give yourself a bit of a challenge as well.
• Share your goals with the people that can help you achieve your dreams.
This may include spouses and partners, mentors, coaches or even with a successful trucker that you have a good relationship with and you trust.
• Revise your timeline and your goals as life happens and unexpected events occur.
• Celebrate success and achieving your short and long term goals.
Short and long term goals that are well developed, clear and realistic can really help you to reach the place in life you want to be.
Without goals you are more likely to seem to just drift, often missing opportunities when they happen because you don't realize how they can help you achieve the professional and personal outcomes you want.
