How to set goals that stick. Discover the secrets to setting goals that stand the test of time! This post provides practical tips and insights to help you create meaningful and achievable goals to propel you towards success.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck in the process of setting goals after goals but not really getting anywhere you might want to brush up on your goal-setting process.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
We all have dreams and aspirations for our lives. We have something we want to achieve or accomplish one day but without a clear plan of action, it might be hard reaching our goals.
Setting personal goals
People set all kinds of goals in their lives; you probably know someone who has serious fitness goals or learning goals.
Personal goals are set to grow and mature as a person, develop new skills to be successful professionally and/or in your personal life. Goal setting is a process that not only helps you get better results but also to feel motivated and take responsibility for your actions.
Setting personal goals is not some kind of magic that will immediately make all your dreams come true. Of course, personal goals require commitment and action. But they have tremendous power to give meaning to daily routine and transform your life for the better.
“When you set goals and have a clear plan of action, you are putting yourself in the driver’s seat”
When you set goals and have a clear plan of action, you are putting yourself in the driver’s seat. You are in charge: You dial in the route you want to drive and then follow all the steps that will lead you to your destination, your goal, or your achievement.
Big goals can be scary. That’s why you need to break them down into clear and manageable steps: This way, you have a clear road map that guides you on how to tackle your challenge. It also saves you from feeling overwhelmed and helps overcome the fear of failure.
Personal goals can be about:
- Self-development
- Professional success
- Family life
- Life as a whole
Why set personal goals?
Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses on your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life.
Setting goals helps trigger new behaviours, helps guide your focus, and helps you sustain that momentum in life. Personal goals also help you align your focus and promote a sense of self-mastery.
In other words, it gives YOU control of your future. You have more control over where you are going and how you get there.
How to set personal goals?
Many are discouraged by the process of setting personal goals because they don’t believe in them or they don’t believe their goals are achievable. They can be overwhelmed and don’t know how to get where they want to go. Others might have determined goals but don’t follow through for the same reasons.
The key is to set goals that align with your values and your goal has to be something you deeply desire. The process starts with finding answers to some key questions such as:
- What do you want out of life?
- What kind of family life do you imagine?
- What are your career aspirations?
Once you have your answers to these questions, you can begin to set personal growth, family, work, and life goals easily.
Write down your goals
Writing your goals on paper is the absolute key. Not only do you then have a concrete object to return to in order to remind yourself of your goals and remain focused, but you’ll also be sending a message to your unconscious mind that YOU MEAN BUSINESS.
Find your why
In order to succeed in life and achieve your goals, you need to know WHY you want what you want. And not only that, you have to have a BIG ENOUGH reason. If you’re not motivated or haven’t followed through in the past, it may be because you need to dream bigger. You want your goals to be something you really care about.
Tracking your goal
So, you’ve found your goal and you know why you want to achieve it. Next up is deciding how you are going to measure your success. Set criteria for how you want to track your goal. For example, for getting rid of debt you could create a fillable sheet where you can visibly see how much you’ve paid up.
Break down your goal
Having a BIG goal is great but the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. This is called “chunking”. Think of your goal as the “big picture” and to achieve your goal you need to break it down into smaller chunks or milestones. These are your action steps or the bite-sized achievements that make your goal approachable and keep you motivated. Write down your action steps and when you want to have them completed.
What could hold you back
Many of us have hidden belief systems that drive our life. These belief systems are hard to see because they are unconscious and influence our behaviours and our thought process without us realizing it. Identifying what could stand in your way and having a rebuttal you can use to override your limiting beliefs can help you achieve your goals.
Celebrate your wins and have fun
Every time you reach one of your milestones – celebrate! Having a reward system in place makes us much more productive because we have something to look forward to. Plus you can always look back on your wins when you need a little boost on your way.
Creating and achieving goals is just another chore if you allow it to be so. Approaching the process with an open mindset is the key to success. Try to see it as a fun challenge or competing with yourself and don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach your milestones!
FREE Goal action plan
I’ve put together a FREE goal action plan for you to use when you start setting your own goals. It’s easy to use and helps you get a clear vision for your goal setting.
This article was originally posted by Stina on www.thekindlifeclub.com
