Ever wonder what you want to do a few years down the road? Do you have clear objectives about what you want to do and how to achieve them? We discuss how to have goal success in this post.
To achieve success, you must know what your goals are first.
You will lack direction and focus if you don’t know your goals.
Setting goals will help you take control of your life’s direction and give you a benchmark to determine if you are succeeding.
Consider this: if your objective is to amass riches, having a million in your bank account proves your success.
However, if another goal of yours is practicing acts of charity, keeping all the money to yourself would contradict your definition of success.
If you want to achieve your goals, you must set them properly.
Merely saying “I want” and expecting them to happen like magic just won’t suffice.
The goal-setting process begins with a thorough consideration of what it is that you want to achieve.
However, it does not end there.
You need to work hard to achieve it.
In between, you need to determine well-defined steps that will transcend the specifics of each goal you want to achieve.
Knowing what to do and the steps needed to accomplish your goals success.
Goal Setting Success Tips
Below are some of the rules that can help you achieve goal-setting success:
Create goals that motivate you.
When setting goals for yourself, it is recommended that you devise plans that motivate you.
This means you need to make sure they are important to you.
It can also help if you find value in achieving them.
If you have no interest in the outcome, the chances of you putting in the work are slim.
If anything, having motivation is integral to you achieving your goals.
It is also recommended that you set goals that relate to your high priorities in life.
Additionally, without the right focus, you can come up with too many goals but won’t have the time or the motivation to achieve them.
Remember that achieving goal success will require dedication if you want to ensure the likelihood of success.
You must have an “I must and can do this” attitude and develop a sense of urgency.
Otherwise, you will keep putting off what needs to be done to make your goals and objectives a reality.
As a result, you can feel frustrated and disappointed with yourself.
You can also end up with a negative “I can’t be successful or do anything right” frame of mind.
Pro Tip: To ensure you have a motivating goal, write down why it’s valuable or important to you. If you are to share your plan with others, what can you say to convince them you have worthwhile ones? Use motivating value statements to help you if you start doubting yourself and lose the confidence needed to turn your goals into reality.
Create SMART goals.
If you are into setting and achieving goal success, you have likely heard of SMART goals.
However, do you know what it’s all about and how to apply them?
To create powerful goals, you must design them as SMART ones.
SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
Setting Specific Goals
Goals should be well defined and very clear.
Generalized or vague ones won’t lead you anywhere as they won’t be able to provide enough direction.
Ideally, your goals should show you the way.
Make attaining your goals a lot easier by defining specific ones.
Setting Measurable Goals
To measure your degree of success, you need to determine specific dates, amounts, etc.
The goal is to be specific enough that you have a way of measuring the goals you have set.
For instance, if you simply define your goal as “reducing expenses,” how will you determine that you have achieved it?
Is it when you notice a 1 percent reduction in expenses in a month or a 10 percent reduction in a year?
If you have no way of measuring your success, you won’t be able to know that you have achieved the goals and objectives you have set out to do.
Setting Attainable Goals
Make sure that the goals you have set are possible for you.
If you have goals that are too unrealistic to achieve, you can end up eroding your confidence and demoralizing yourself.
On the other hand, you should not set goals that are too easy as well.
Accomplishing goals that you don’t have to work hard for is not only anticlimactic but might also discourage you from creating future goals for fear that you can’t achieve them.
As a general rule of thumb, set challenging yet realistic goals.
By setting goals that require you to raise the bar, you will not only achieve what you have set out to do, but you will also get utter satisfaction from doing so.
Setting Relevant Goals
Your goals should be relevant to the direction you want to go.
When you align your goals with your plans, you will develop the focus needed to do what you want and get ahead.
If you set inconsistent and scattered goals, you can waste your time and efforts and not achieve anything worthwhile.
Setting Time-Bound Goals
You need to set deadlines for your goals.
This can help you know when to celebrate your successes.
Your sense of achievement and urgency can come much quicker when working on a deadline.
Set goals in writing.
This might not be common knowledge, but the physical act of writing down your goals is very powerful.
Why? Writing them down makes your goals tangible and real.
This means you also won’t have any excuse to forget about them.
When writing down your goals and objectives, it is also important that you use the right words.
Instead of using “might” or “would like,” use “will.”
For instance, write something like, “I will minimize my expenses by 20 percent this year.”
This type of goal statement has tremendous power because it enables you to see yourself ready to do what you intend.
The statement also has passion and gives you a reason to focus and not get sidetracked.
Pro Tip: It is important to frame your goal statement accordingly. Goals are stated accordingly to give you the motivation to pursue your dreams. It will also help if you post your objectives and goals in places you can easily see—your computer monitor, walls, refrigerator, and bathroom mirror.
Create an action plan.
Creating an action plan is one step that is typically missed in the goal-setting process.
If you miss this crucial part, you can become so focused on the outcome that you forget the actions you need to take to achieve your goals.
When writing down your steps, it is recommended that you cross items that you have taken.
This process allows you to see your progress towards your goals.
This is especially if your goal is huge, demanding, and would take a long time.
Stick with your goals.
Remember that goal setting is an ongoing activity rather than a means to an end.
Create reminders to ensure that you stay on track.
Also, make sure you set aside time to review your goals and your progress.
While your goals can stay the same until you can accomplish them, the action needed to make them happen can change along the way.
That said, ensure the value, focus, and relevance you give to your goal remains high.
Pro Tip: Setting goals is more than simply wanting to achieve something. Unless your goals are clearly defined, your odds of achieving them are relatively lower.
Keep perspective.
It can be easy to be lost and obsessed with achieving your goals.
There will come a time when you will do whatever it takes to achieve the goals you have identified.
However, when you become too obsessive about making your goals happen, you can also become burnt out.
Burning out might result in you abandoning your goals.
To achieve your goals, work to live a balanced life.
Give yourself ample time to rest, reset, and look at the bigger picture.
Be kind to yourself and give yourself enough time to accomplish things.
Determine potential obstacles.
Often, you will encounter a few setbacks and challenges when working towards a goal.
This is especially true if we are talking about those massive life goals.
To ensure you don’t get thrown off balance, it would help if you identify what those potential problems are and be mindful of them.
Ensure you also have a plan in mind if you encounter those problems.
Knowing the potential obstacles and setbacks, you will encounter can help make things feel less intimidating.
Be accountable.
Accomplishing a goal by yourself can be daunting and overwhelming.
However, if you take accountability, you will make steady and consistent progress as you move toward your goals.
Make yourself accountable by sharing your goals with someone you trust—a significant other, a family member, or a close friend.
Conclusion
If you have not achieved the goal success you have set at the intended time frame, reflect and see if it’s too unrealistic to complete it within the time frame you have identified. Then, don’t think twice about making the necessary adjustments. Rather than feel defeated, reflect on your goals and make the required adjustments.