Hey there viewers! Do you ever feel like you’re sleepwalking through life with no real idea
of what you want? Perhaps you know exactly what you want to achieve, but have no idea
how to get there. That’s where goal setting comes in.
Goals are the first step towards planning for your future. They play a fundamental role
in the development of skills in various facets of life, from work to relationships and everything
in between. They are the target at which we aim our proverbial arrow.
Understanding the importance of goals and the techniques involved in setting achievable
goals paves the way for success. And in today’s video, we will tell you the best methods by
which you can set goals which are achievable. From writing down your goals, being specific
about them, having measurable goals, setting realistic goals to making sure the goals are
time bound and more, watch till the end to learn about all of them.
Don’t overshare your goals: Try to resist the temptation to shout your goals from the
rooftops. Research shows that sharing your goals broadly can trick your brain into thinking
you’re well on your way to achieving them without having put forth any effort. This
makes you less likely to achieve them. Instead, share your goals only with your support system
until you start to make progress.
Who do you share your personal goals with? Are they people who are very close to you
or just about anyone who is willing to listen? Tell us down below in the comments section!
Perform A Gap Analysis: This is much easier than it sounds. For setting goals, there is
no better way of starting from the present and then working backwards. This would lead
to a gap analysis. You can find the gap between what you want to be and where you currently
are. For example, if you wish to become a corporate executive and today you are a graduate,
you can assess the gap by finding out what it takes to become a corporate executive.
You would probably come to know that it is an MBA degree, which can take you there. This
now makes it possible for you to plan accordingly and find out what it takes to get an MBA degree
and what you have.
Further, it would lead to finding out gaps like the group discussion skills and the interview
skills, which are very important to get through the admission process of an MBA course. This
would then facilitate fixing many short-term goals and planning to achieve them in a given
time frame.
Be Specific With Your Goals: What do you want to achieve? Get down to the nitty-gritty with
it. Just saying you want to lose weight won’t cut it. Instead try, “I’d like to drop
20 pounds and be able to do at least 20 sit-ups in a row without passing out.” Watch for
any roadblocks that could keep you from reaching your goal, and make a plan to get around them.
Some questions that You can ask yourself to have more specific goals are Who does my goal
involve? What am I trying to accomplish here? When and why do I want to make this goal happen?
Make Goals Measurable: If you know your ultimate goal is to pay off $24,000 of debt in the
next year, that means you have to pay $2,000 a month to reach that goal or about $460 a
week. Break your goal into doable chunks. Give yourself daily, weekly and monthly steps.
Focus on those, accomplish one, then head on to the next one.
Goals Need To Be Yours: Let’s be honest—trying to accomplish someone else’s goals for you
never works out. Sure, your mom may want you to take classes and switch careers. But it
won’t happen unless it’s your desire too. Why? Because striving to win isn’t for the
faint of heart. It’s tough. And you won’t have the drive to stick with it if you’re
working toward a goal you’re not even passionate about.
And just because your spouse or parent wants you to get out of debt doesn’t mean you
will either. You have to want it too. The goals you set must be your goals. When push
comes to shove, you’re the one who has to fight to make them a reality.
Write Down Your Goals: Studies and surveys have shown that you are far more likely to
achieve your goals if you write it down. We would recommend writing your goals down and
refer to them daily to keep them at the front of your mind.
Writing down your goals also helps make them real to us. If we just think about a goal,
it’s not physically real – and it’s easy for us to change our minds. When you
write it down however, the very act of writing helps you commit to the goals – and also
gives you something you can visually see and reflect on.
Measure Actions as Well As Progress: Many people get frustrated when they set a specific
goal and then fall short of it. While it’s good to have aggressive goals, in some situations
it may be better to measure your actions instead of your progress.
So for example, instead of setting fitness goals based on pounds lost, you could set
goals for the amount of cardio you do every week and whether you keep your calories below
a certain threshold.
This is also good for vague goals that may be difficult to measure, such as achieving
proficiency playing a sport or playing an instrument. Setting goals based on perhaps
1 or 2 hours of practice a day may be more helpful than simply saying “get better before
school starts.”
Schedule In Time For Your Goals: If you don’t make time for your goals, you’ll never accomplish
them – it’s as simple as that. Along those same lines, the more time you allocate per
day to your goal, the faster you’ll achieve it.
Rather than leave it to chance, schedule a specific time every day for your goal. This
is part of the reason why organized sports and personal trainers are so effective for
people looking to improve their fitness – the activity has a set block of time on their
schedule, and so people attend regularly.
Visualize What You Want: Visualization and mental workouts stimulate many of the same
neural networks that connect the brain’s intentions to the body. So, take some time
to properly train your thoughts before you begin setting your goals. This helps you purposefully
and intentionally imagine your goals coming to fruition.
Think About “Why”: Goals can't just be specific. For achieving your goals, you have
to ensure that they're meaningful. We will always do more to achieve a goal that has
a deep-rooted meaning to us than we will to achieve something that's superficial. So,
if you want to have a million dollar net worth because of the status it affords, you can
forget about your chances for success.
Reflecting on why you set a goal helps you figure out what’s really important and where
you should invest your time. The why also gives you reasons to keep going with a goal
when the going gets tough. And we all know the going usually gets tough when you’re
working towards something important. A good idea is to write your reasons next to each
goal.
Set Realistic Goals: You hear it all the time, "I want to make a million dollars." This may
or may not be an achievable goal depending on the situation. Look at goals and determine
if they are too lofty. While challenging yourself is a good idea, setting goals too high may
fail and demoralize you.
For example, if making 10 sales in one month is the best any of your colleagues has ever
done, setting a goal of 20 for yourself is probably too high. Work your way up so people
can see success and build on that. Perhaps start with 12 for the goal.
Make sure the goals are time bound: Goals must be time-bound in order to be achievable.
When do you plan on achieving this goal? Don't just say you want to get rich in the future
or make a million dollars in the next few years. You have to pick a date on the calendar
if you're serious about achieving that goal.
Select an actual date on the calendar for your specific goal own to the very day of
the week. When your goal is specific and measurable, it's trackable. When you give it a real date
on the calendar, you can break it down into monthly and weekly goals. This way, you can
chart your progress to determine how far or close you are to achieving that goal.
Choose Goals That Inspire You: Set goals that are personal to you and will inspire you to
reach new heights. Don’t follow the crowd and mimic the ambitions of friends - pursue
something you’re passionate about, something that genuinely interests you. This helps create
a sense of purpose that will motivate you to stop thinking and start doing.
Setting achievable goals is one thing and working towards them is another. Here is a
video titled “7 Easy Ways To Stay Productive and Achieve All Your Goals” that will give
you directions to help you achieve your goals better.
Now back to Tips on setting achievable goals.
Break It Down: Setting goals and achieving them is hard. There are no shortcuts or easy
routes, but that’s what makes the experience so rewarding. If you start to feel overwhelmed,
break everything down. Not just in terms of time but action points too. Specifically outlining
what you want to achieve, when and by what means will make your goals feel much more
attainable.
Set Relevant Goals: How relevant are the goals that you've selected for your life and your
future? Are they aligned with who you are? Do they resonate with your core values and
beliefs? Or, do they go contrary to everything that you believe in? When we pick goals that
go against the grain of who we are, we find it much more difficult to follow through.
Take the time to jot down the things that make you into who you are. Then, pick relevant
goals that are in harmony with what you believe in and value. You'll find your goal-setting
journey to be much more harmonious and fluid when you pick relevant goals to your life
and who you are deep down inside.
How often do you set goals? Are you able to meet your goals frequently or do you tend
to give up in the middle of it? Let us know in the comments section below!