Have you thought about what you want to be doing in five years’ time? Are you clear about what your main objective at work is at the moment? Do you know what you want to have achieved by the end of today? If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without goals you lack focus and direction.
Setting goals is like designing your future well. The future is called the promise and can be an awesome force that can pull you through difficult times. There are two ways to approach the future:
- With apprehension: this means not having the future well designed and living it to someone else to fix it.
- With anticipation: this means designing the future and making it clear to approach.
Setting goals not only allows you to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides you with a benchmark to measure if you are actually succeeding. To achieve your goals, however, you need to know how to set them. You can’t simply say, “I want” and expect it to happen. Setting goals is a process that starts with establishing what you want to achieve, and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between there are some very well-defined steps that helps you to achieve each goal. Knowing these steps will allow you to formulate goals that you can accomplish. Below are five golden rules of goal setting.
1. SET GOALS THAT MOTIVATE AND TRANSFORM YOU
Setting goals that motivate you means making sure that they are important to you, and that there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the larger picture, then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Motivation is key to achieving goals. So, set goals that relate to the high priorities in your life.
Goals that transform you means what they make of you in achieving them.
For example, to achieve a goal of becoming a millionaire, you must acquire new skills, develop new habits and become a better person in a process. The most important lesson about achieving this goal is that it’s not what you get that’s valuable but rather what you become in a process. So, set goals that will make something out of you.
2. SET GOALS THAT ARE S.M.A.R.T.
You have probably heard of SMART goals already. But do you always apply the rule? The simple fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be designed to be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART stands for, but the essence is this – goals should be:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound.
You have probably heard of SMART goals already. But do you always apply the rule? The simple fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be designed to be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART stands for, but the essence is this – goals should be:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound.
Set Specific Goals. Your goals must be clear and well defined. Vague or generalized goals are unhelpful because they don’t provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need goals to show you the way. Make it as easy as you can to get where you want to go by defining precisely where you want to end up.
Set Measurable Goals. Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success. If your goal is simply defined as “To reduce monthly expenses”, how will you know when you have been successful? In one month’s time if you have a 1 percent reduction or in two years’ time when you have a 10 percent reduction? Without a way to measure your success you miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually achieved something.
Set Achievable Goals. Make sure that it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. If you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will only demoralise yourself and erode your confidence. However, resist the urge to set goals that are too easy. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need. These are the types of goals that require you to “raise the bar” and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.
Set Relevant Goals. Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you’ll develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want. Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you’ll fritter your time – and your life – away.
Set Time-Bound Goals. Your goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.
3. WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN
The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word “will” instead of “would like to” or “might.” For example, “I will reduce my monthly expenses by 10 percent this year”, not “I would like to reduce my monthly expenses by 10 percent this year”. The first goal statement has power and you can “see” yourself reducing expenses, the second lacks passion and gives you an excuse if you get side-tracked.
4. MAKE AN ACTION PLAN
This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you’ll realise that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is big and demanding, or long-term.
This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you’ll realise that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is big and demanding, or long-term.
5. STICK TO YOUR PLAN AND YOUR GOALS
Remember, setting goals is an ongoing activity not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your goals. Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.
Setting Goals is much more than simply saying you want something to happen. Unless you clearly define exactly what you want and understand why you want it the first place, your odds of success are considerably reduced. By following the Five Golden Rules of Goal Setting you can set goals with confidence and enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with knowing you achieved what you set out to do.