The Inner Game of PKD

“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”

Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

Goal Setting:
5 Steps To
Developing a Well-Formed
Outcome Statement
by Richard C. Perl, CTNLP, CPC

Introduction.
“What do you want?”

You have many desires. Some may be as simple as wanting a snack, or as

complex as wanting a new lifestyle. At any level of complexity, your desires will
involve either seeking pleasure or avoiding pain.

In order to satisfy your desires, it is helpful to go through a process which

will simplify complex desires down to a concise, focused statement called an
“outcome statement.”

To help determine what desire you wish to work on, ask yourself the
following question:
“If I could change one thing in my life right now, what would it be?”

Your answer may be in the areas of

• health
• career
• relationships
• finances
• recreation
• personal organization.

Categorizing your desire in this way is a useful step in simplifying it. The
broad categories can be further broken down. For example,
• Relationships
• spouse/significant other
• children
• other family members (parents, siblings, in-laws)

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

• friends
• social acquaintances
• business acquaintances.

As you go through this exercise, you will probably find that you are
experiencing more clarity as to what you really want. This is good!

Now that you have determined what change you want to make in your life,
you can apply the process of “Developing a Well-Formed Outcome Statement”
that will enable you to focus on what needs to happen for its achievement.

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

1. State What You Want In Positive Terms.

OK. You've decided what desire you want to satisfy. Stating your desire in
the positive simply means stating what you indeed want, not what you don't
want. You may be in any number of situations that you don't want. Statements
such as, “I don't want this job,” or “I don't want to live here anymore” are clearly
negative desires.

To help you state your desires in a positive frame, think of the situation
that you don't want and ask yourself, “What do I want instead?”

Allow your mind to come up with a direct positive statement of what you do
want. For instance, “I want a job that utilizes my skills and has opportunities for
professional growth” or “I want to live in a spacious house in an area with a
pleasant climate.”

Consider the following statement: “I want to stop smoking.” This is a

negative desire. The answer to “What do I want instead of smoking?” may be “I
want clear, clean, healthy lungs.”

How about, “I want to lose weight.” This sounds positive. Yet the objective
of this desire is loss. So, what do you want instead of excess weight? “I want a
trim, healthy, attractive body.” This is now a positive desire. A true outcome
statement.

The objective here is to write a statement of your desire that, in effect, sets
up a target towards which you will aim and focus your energies to achieve. This
also helps in letting you know if the results of your action steps are indeed, on
target.

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

Think of one thing in your life that you would like to change. If it's
something you don't want, think of what you would like instead.

Write your desire in positive terms:

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

2. Determine Criteria That Will Let You You Have Achieved

Your Outcome.

In discussing achieving outcomes, “criteria” are the things that have to

occur in order for your outcome to be achieved.

There are two types of criteria to determine: 1) objective criteria and 2)

subjective criteria.

The objective criteria are those which can be measured. Pounds, dollars,
inches, hours, repetitions are examples. Other measurable quantities might be
number of sales calls you make, number of “date nights” with your spouse or
significant other.

The subjective aspect is internal experience. What are you seeing, hearing,
feeling, when you achieve your outcome? Are you feeling joy? Fulfillment?
Triumph? Take a moment and mentally put yourself in the situation where your
outcome is achieved. Experience the great feeling when you look into the mirror
and see that trim body of yours, or when you see the higher number on your
paycheck, or when you make your 20th rep in that exercise.

At this point, your outcome statement can now look something like, “I have
a lively social life, going out to at least three social gatherings a month where I
speak to at least three new people at each one, and having two social phone
conversations each week, making me feel that I am making a contribution to a
growing circle of friends.”

Or, “I am at my desired weight of W pounds, wearing size X clothes, eating

Y salads a week, exercising Z times a week, feeling light, energetic, attractive,
and fabulous!”

Again, “I'm working as a (job description) with a a progressive organization

at a salary of $W. with congenial colleagues, a dynamic manager, in an attractive
environment, with X weeks vacation, Y weeks training, and a commute of Z
minutes, and I'm feeling that I'm part of the team by being appreciated for my

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

professional contributions with commensurate responsibilities and rewards.”

Notice how an internal experience is generated as you read these outcome

statements. This is what you want to create. Every time you read your outcome
statement you will generate your desired internal experience and engage your
mental resources to achieve your outcome.

One point to keep in mind: A criterion is not an action step. Weighing W

pounds is a criterion. Earning D dollars is a criterion. Exercising Y times a week is
an action step. Working Z hours a week is an action step.

At this stage, you want the measurable and internal criteria of the achieved
outcome. The action steps needed to achieve the outcome is a subsequent step
which are determined after you have developed your Well-Formed Outcome.

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

Now it's your turn. Imagine you have achieved your outcome. What
specifically can you point to that demonstrates you have succeeded?

List some criteria that must be met for your outcome to be achieved:

Objective criteria Subjective criteria

_________________________ _______________________
_________________________ _______________________
_________________________ _______________________
_________________________ _______________________
_________________________ _______________________
_________________________ _______________________

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

3. Your Outcome Must Be In Your Control.

Your outcome must be one that can be achieved by you. It is your outcome
which you initiate, pursue, achieve, and maintain. You will probably have
assistance, but your outcome is your responsibility, in the best sense of the word.

A desired outcome such as, “I want my boss to treat me better” is not in

your control. But, “I'll perform in an excellent manner according to my job
description” is within your control, as difficult as it may be to carry out.

The pursuit of the outcome must be in your control as well. Becoming

physically fit is in your control, but if you choose to go to a gym and you say, “I'll
go to the gym when I get a ride there,” your fitness program is then not in your
control. Change your outcome statement to “I'll exercise at the gym when I can,
and exercise at home when I can't get to the gym.” Now you're in control.

Initiating the pursuit of your outcome must also be in your control for it to
be well-formed. “I'll reorganize the house as soon as my spouse/significant other
throws out his/her 'stuff'.” The “as soon as” indicates dependence on either
another person, an event, or both. In this case, you might take the risk of
throwing the “stuff” out yourself! Good luck!

As you think about your outcome, keep in mind that even after you will
have achieved it, you will still be responsible for maintaining the outcome. For
example, if you do reorganize your house, you would need to establish guidelines
and procedures to keep it neat. You would need to have control in setting up
these guidelines and procedures and to be prepared to carry them out.

In the area of relationships, it is now easy to see the difficulty in developing

outcome statements. Such statements would most likely involve another person.
If you have any requirement that the other person must satisfy in order for your
outcome to be achieved there's a good chance you will be disappointed and
frustrated

One way to start to develop an outcome statement concerning a

relationship is to discuss your intended outcome with the other person and get

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

his/her thoughts on what you want. From this discussion, you can formulate
mutually beneficial outcomes that would improve the connection with each other,
remembering our guidelines of positivity, quantification, and “internal
sensification.”

“I compliment my partner at least three times a day,” or “I'll call my friend

once a week,” or “I'll submit my weekly report promptly,” are action statements
that you can control and carry out without affecting the other person in any way.

When you make your outcome and its pursuit within your control, the
achievement will be a very sweet experience for you indeed, and your self-
esteem will soar!

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

4. Consider the Effects of Pursuing and Achieving the

Outcome

As you envision the pursuit and achievement of your desired outcome, you
want to consider what effect this has on the people in your circle of influence, and
also the impact on other aspects of your own life.

Suppose a person wants to move up the corporate and seeks a promotion

that requires travel. Or, an individual wants to take night courses for career or
personal advancement. What is the effect on the family at home?

There is a price to pay for every achievement. Working long hours on the
job may be necessary for your job, yet the potential negative health effects of the
prolonged stress may not be worth it. Other examples include quitting smoking
only to find that you overeat, changing your diet for health reasons which may be
very inconvenient for other members of your family.

The point here is that everything you do has ramifications. You will want to
discuss your desired outcomes with the people who are close to you. Your
outcome isn't written in stone. You can modify it so that the effects are optimum
for all concerned.

“I will develop my career by working no more than X hours of overtime per

week, using that time to develop new procedures for my department with the
approval of my supervisor. My family is supportive of this decision.”

Finally, after going through this entire process, ask yourself, “Am I really
better off, in all areas of my life in achieving this outcome?”

As a balance, a second question to ask is “Does not achieving this outcome

serve me in any way?”

If you are honest with yourself, and take into consideration the people with
whom you interact, there is a high probability that , not only will you know what
you want, but also that you will get it.

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

For this exercise, it is often helpful to think from the inside out. Your
immediate family, your usual co-workers, relatives, friends, and on out.

List people affected by the pursuit and achievement of your outcome:

___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________

Taking into account these people (and not neglecting yourself!). Think
about positive and negative effects.

List the positive effects of pursuing and achieving your outcome:

__________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

List the negative effects of pursuing and achieving your outcome:

__________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________

List the positive effects of not pursuing and achieving your outcome:
__________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

List the negative effects of not pursuing and achieving your outcome:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

5. Write Your Well-Formed Outcome Statement

After reflecting upon the pros and cons of pursuing and achieving your
outcome, and assuming you feel that achieving this outcome is what you really
want, use this space to write your “Well-Formed Outcome Statement:”

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

An Invitation...
WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE TO…
discuss your life dreams,desires,and...yes, fears, with someone who will LISTEN
and be focused on YOU? Someone who is your ally? Someone who is on the “PKD
Odyssey” along with you?

And as you discuss your life goals and dreams along with your frustrations
with someone who will not only listen, but will also assist you in designing
exciting action strategies to overcome the obstacles, and achieve your dreams,
you may get to notice that YOUR DREAMS ARE VERY ACHIEVABLE indeed!

As your Life Coach, I will partner with you to discover what is TRULY
important to you. Together, we will explore WHO you really are, and WHAT you
really want!

I believe that engaging in quiet, gentle, thoughtful, directed conversations

is a wonderful way for powerful ideas to develop to make your life joyful and
fulfilling.

During our talks, I will encourage you to talk about the kind of life that will
fulfill you!

I will assist you in forming your dreams into a COMPELLING FUTURE in

such a way that you will SEE it, HEAR it, and FEEL it, so that it becomes as real as
it possibly can be in your mind!

Some questions I might ask are:

• What kind of life do you want?
• How much of this life is possible for you?
• What would it be like for you when you live this life?
• What has to happen for you to actually live this life?

The answers to these and other similar questions will be the basis for
developing and implementing action steps to GET YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO

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 The Inner Game of PKD
“Easing the Journey On Your PKD Odyssey”
Richard C. Perl, CPC, CTNLP
Life Coach

IN LIFE!

We will talk about your skills, talents, past achievements, and other
resources which can be utilized to help get you there!

And as we develop a strategy for you, I will hold you accountable to

perform the tasks that will be needed to be performed to hit your target.

As you progress along the path of achieving your COMPELLING FUTURE, I

will show you ways to keep on track by showing how to REMEMBER YOUR
FUTURE!!

With your COMPELLING FUTURE in front of you, and by CELEBRATING each

accomplished step along the way, the journey may be as enjoyable as the
arriving at the destination!

WOULDN”T THAT BE TERRIFIC?

It sure would!

So let me invite you to take the first step by visiting my website at

http://www.innergameofpkd.com/

to arrange a complimentary 25-minute “Designing Your Outcome” coaching

session.

You will come away from this powerful session with:

• Clearly written outcomes.
• A “next step” action plan.
• Greater personal awareness.
• Hidden challenges revealed.
• Renewed energy to pursue a joyful and fulfilling life.
• Extreme motivation to get the results you desire!

Take your life to the next level!

http://www.InnerGameOfPKD.com

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