“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach”. Benjamin E. Maye
Goal setting is a powerful process that helps us to reflect on things that we want to change or improve. Defining our goals provides clarity and points us in the direction we want to go. Goals give us purpose, help guide our lives, and challenge us to do better. They motivate us to turn our hopes and visions into reality. Goal setting significantly increases the likelihood of achieving success in any area of life. If we don’t know where we are headed, there isn’t any chance we will get there. In completing goals we widen our knowledge, increase our skills, and enhance our feelings of well-being.
Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and have a designated time frame. Ambiguous goals or those to easy too achieve won’t get the best results. It’s difficult to make changes when the way to get to our goals is unclear. It’s important to create a road map or strategy for achieving goals. Goals need to challenge us to move outside of our comfort zone and shake-up the status quo.
Try these goal setting tips:
1. First evaluate and reflect on where you are now. Then determine where you want to go-what you want to achieve. Brainstorm ideas without limits. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind.
2. Prioritize and narrow the list to those that are most important to you. Clarify each with a step by step written plan with target dates and clearly defined outcomes. Choose the most important and put your plan into action.
3. A written plan will help you to stay connected with your goals. Review them often. Keep them somewhere you can see them.
4. Make the first something actionable and achievable in the very near-term.
5. Anticipate challenges that might be encountered. Rather than obstacles, view them as problems to be solved. Prepare yourself mentally to face these challenges and to find the means and resources to overcome them. Make a list and a contingency plan. Be committed to finding a solution and staying on course.
6. Review and track your progress.
7. Visualize what your life will look like when you achieve the goal. By keeping you the goal top of mind you are more likely to achieve it.
8. No matter how long it takes or how tough it is, keep going, no matter what.
“All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do”. Norman Vincent Peale.