The Secrets To Successful Goal Setting
The Secrets To Successful Goal Setting
Do you always find it hard to follow your dreams and reach your goals? Maybe it is time to revisit your goal-setting process. If it does make you feel better, know that you are not alone in this struggle.
That doesn’t mean you should be comfortable with failing in that area though. Not everyone who sets goals follows them through. Some forget about the goals within a few days after setting them while others go on to try and fail.
The reasons for this are often poor goal setting, lack of commitment, failure to understand goals and what they can help us achieve, and not being ready for the new way of life that comes with pursuing goals.
The value of goal setting accompanied by practical strategies must not be underestimated. Goals help us makes our dreams a reality and give you the power to transform your life.
Without goals, your life lacks direction and your dreams are just fantasies that may never see the light of day. Seth Godin states that “The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run.
It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact… those people have goals.”
From Godin’s point of view, people with goals are the ones who usually live meaningful lives and do great things, while a life without goals can be enjoyed for a limited time.
As mentioned previously, the problem for some people is not that they do not have goals. Rather, they struggle with setting successful goals. Below are some of the secrets to successful goal setting:
- Be specific – you should know the exact dream you want to pursue. If you want to have more money, how exactly do you plan to make it? Are you going to start a business or you want to look for a better paying job and adjust your budget as well?
- Goals must be measurable – you should be able to track progress. Identify pointers that will help you know how far you have gone in as far as reaching your goal is concerned. This motivates you as it allows you to know whether you are being productive in pursuing your goal.
- Purpose – what value do you think you can add to the world around you? What do you think is the purpose of your life? Apart from knowing your purpose, you should know the purpose of your goals. How do they help you live your purpose? What gap do they feel in your life? In other terms, your goal setting should be intentional. That is, the goals should answer your questions and drive you to a better position than your current one.
- Be true to yourself – set goals that will lead you through a path that works best for you. Align your goals with your interests and beliefs. Sometimes people fail because they succumb to societal pressures. They set goals based on what influential people or friends around them approve of or what seems to be the ‘in thing’. It is easier to set goals that you will be able to commit to when your dreams are aligned with who you really are.
- Start small – as you come up with strategies that will help you achieve your dreams, ensure that they include starting with every good opportunity presented to you. Waiting for a bigger start can delay or discourage you. Therefore, start with what you have and where you are, then the bigger things will catch up. The small steps always build up to something big and often lay a stronger foundation.
- Bouncing back – your strategies should include a bounce-back plan. Expect challenges and plan for them to be able to keep moving towards reaching your goals. Expecting things to run smoothly will make it almost impossible to stick to your goals when you face challenges.
- Dreaming way too big – dreaming big is okay, but dreaming way too big is as bad as not having a dream at all. Your dreams must be attainable. Don’t set dreams based on what you think can happen if you get lucky. You need to be realistic! For example, instead of counting your chances of winning the lottery as a way of raising a million dollars that you need to change your life, think of how you can make that money by you applied for a better paying job, started a side hustle, and saved a certain amount over some time.
- Research – you should know how much it takes to reach the goal to avoid getting stuck along the way. Also, ensure that everything that is required and everything the goal entails aligns with your beliefs.
- Be flexible – be willing to make some changes to your strategies along the way in case you get better ideas and come across more opportunities. Sticking to a good idea while ignoring a greater one is definitely not a smart idea. You should also be willing to listen to advice from others although you should be extra careful when choosing what to adopt.
