Goal Setting

A goal is a specific, measurable occurrence, object, or accomplishment that you would like to achieve, or obtain in the future. A key component in this definition is that a goal points to what you want to be in the future, not where you are right now.

Why is it important to set goal?

Do you ever feel sometimes that you are not happy with your life, maybe you are not in the job you want, maybe you are not as fit as you would like to be, maybe you just thought things would be different? It is difficult to end up where we want without first knowing our destination. What job do we want, what level of fitness, what type of lifestyle? To explain it better imagine a group of people travelling through life. Some people travel the high road and by roads of life taking side roads, detours even retracing their steps from time to time and while they may have exciting experiences on their travels, meet really interesting people, learn a great deal they may be also disappointed when they reach their final destination. People, who have a clear knowledge of where they want to go, can point themselves in the right direction and end up where they want to be.

Most of us have careers to think if, futures to secure, people to provide for, and things to do. We need maps; we need direction- we need to set goals.

What are the benefits of setting goals?

There are many benefits to setting personal goals in your life. These include the following:

• You often get a sense of security and purpose from setting clear and focused goals
  
• Setting goals means you make full use of your time and energy in order to get what you want
  
• Things in life that sometime feel unachieved can be achieved by breaking your pathway to it into smaller achievable goals
  
• When you have clearly defined goals your enthusiasm is high for what you want and you are more motivated in your daily life
  
• By having goals your self esteem, confidence and belief in yourselves is enhanced as you reach your ultimate goal

How do I set personal goals?

Before you start to set your personal goals take mind out to consider the following questions. It is important that you write down everything that you can think of, do not limit or censor yourself in this exercise. The more you write the more creative you can be and the more ideas you will have.

To assist you in listing all that you want, use the following questions:

• What do you want less of?
  
• What is truly important to you?
  
• What new things do you want to do?
  
• What is it that makes you unique?
  
• What makes you happy?
  
• What are your talents, traits and skills?
  
• What would you do if you won a million euros tomorrow?
  
• What gives you your greatest feeling of self esteem and personal satisfaction?
  
• If you knew you could not fail what would you choose to do, to be and to have?

When you have completed the above questions list and prioritise your responses in the following categories:

• All the things I want to be
  
• All the things I want to do
  
• All the things I want to have

The Seven Step Goal Achieving System

There is a direct relationship between how clearly you can visualise your goals as accomplished and how rapidly you achieve them. The following seven step plan will enhance your ability to achieve your goals:

Write your goals down

This is the first step to achieving your goal. Write down your goal in full detail. For example instead of writing ‘Travel the world’ describe it in more detail. For example, ‘I want to travel to Australia, stay there 3 months visit Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, Travel home through Asia and visit Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. I want to learn how to scuba dive and taste the local foods and learn a bit of the culture. I want meet new people and have lots of adventures.’

By writing the goal down in as much details as possible you are implanting the goal into your subconscious and giving your mind a set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become.

Write your goals in the present tense and keep them positive e.g. ‘I want…’ instead of ‘I do not want…’

Desire a desire and belief

For each of your goals, list at least five reasons why you want to achieve that goal. Make a list of all the ways you will benefit from your goal. The more reasons you have the more motivated you will be.

Analyse your starting point

In order for you to achieve your goal you will need to know what steps you need to take. Know where you are starting from in order to properly define the steps to your goal.

Set a deadline

It is vital to have a deadline for the goal as this will focus the mind and create a sense of urgency for achieving the goal. If the deadline passes without achieving the goal then just set another deadline and continue working on the goal. To help you identify possible pitfalls as you work towards your goal, think about having achieved the goal and looking back over the time taken to achieve it. Imagine how you did it and what you found easy and difficult on the journey to achieving your goal. This will be helpful in seeing where you need to be careful and what may need extra attention now so that you can achieve your goal without having to make as many mistakes.

Make a list of all the obstacles

Make a list of all the possible barriers and obstacles that stand between you and your goal. Your main obstacle may be internal (perceived lack of ability, skills or attribute) or external (in the wrong job, relationship etc)
Make sure to list all possible obstacles.

Make a list of all the people who can help you and any additional information you may need
There are so many people around us with a wealth of experience and knowledge. For example if it’s information on finances Mabs can be of help, if you need more information about where to go to learn a language, night courses is a good places to start. People closer to home, like your partners, family or friends, can be a great source of encouragement and support when things seem difficult and if feels like your goal is a long way away.

Use visualization

What you see in your mind is what you get. The subconscious mind is activated by pictures. Attract what you want in life with clear mental pictures. Maintain persistence by regularly visualizing or picturing the goal. The pictures we regularly hold in your mind are what help to create our experiences in life on a daily basis. So it’s important that we choose our pictures carefully. One way of doing this is by choosing to picture ourselves in a particular way and focusing on this for a short time on a regular basis. This is called visualizing and is a very powerful tool for creating positive change in our life and for achieving the goals we set ourselves.

SMART Goals- what are they?

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound By ensuring that your goal is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound you are ensuring that your goals are concise, clear and focused.

Specific

In order to ensure that your goals are specific list the What? Why? and How? elements i.e. what you want to do? why you want to do it? And how you are going to do it?

Measurable

Every goal needs to be measurable as you need to be able to see progress and you also need to be able to see if you have achieved your goal. For example compare the goals ‘I want to be a good reader’ and ‘I want to have 100 pages read of my 1000 page book by Friday.’ The first goal is not measurable and you cannot track it. By setting smaller goals within each goal you can see progress and be motivated by that progress.

Achievable

It is important that the goals you set are achievable. If you set goals that are not achievable your sense of self worth and motivation to continue striving for that goal will be affected. A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and requires a real commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know that is not achievable or advisable. But setting a goal to loose 1-2lbs a week and when you have achieved that, aiming to lose a further 1-2lbs, will keep it achievable for you. The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.

Realistic

A realistic goal does not mean an easy goal. Realistic, in this case, means "do-able." Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you are not very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement.

Timely

Set a timeframe for the goal be that one day, seven days or three months. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there's no urgency to start taking action now. Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.

So you now have your goals- what’s next?

Now that you have your goals you need to develop an action plan to achieve the goals. An action plan will help you to measure your progress towards your goals, keep you motivated and focused and give you a sense of accomplishment on a regular basis. A detailed action plan will contain a list of tasks that needs to be completed in order to reach your goal. A detailed action plan will contain the following:

• A list of smaller tasks / daily to do lists with deadlines that you must do to accomplish your goal
  
• A list of resources available e.g. people, tools, assets, skills etc
  
• Internal and external obstacles and strategies for how to deal with them.
  
• Other information and/or support required
  
• Steps and tools for maintaining focus and staying motivated
  
• Mechanism and format for reviewing progress
  
• Journaling/ recording system to capture learning and insights as you get towards achieving the goal
  
• Persistence and commitment
  

How do you stay on track with your goals?

Once you have decided your first goal plans, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis. Some people recommend doing this at the end of each day, others recommend doing it first thing in the morning - this is up to you. Periodically review your other plans, and modify them to reflect your changing priorities.

Constantly Evaluate Your Progress

Having an action plan is not enough. Unforeseen obstacles are sure to arise. Notice what is working and what is not. If an approach is not working, don’t waste your time with it. Change your approach.

Never Lose Sight of Your Goal

Take the time to review your goals every morning when you get up and every night before you go to bed. This will keep them fresh in your mind. If you think reviewing your goals twice a day is too much to ask then set other timeframes. However ask yourself, “How important is it to me that I attain my goals?” and if reviewing them twice a day keeps you focused then put the time aside to do it.

Don’t Procrastinate

Procrastination is a major threat to the completion of your goals. Understand that the only way to achieve your goals is to take action! Knowledge means nothing if you don’t apply it. Do something right now that will help you to achieve your goals. There is no time like the present! Get the ball rolling. Each step you take brings you one step closer to the life you want.

And Finally

Finally keep your key goals in front of you on a regular basis. You should look at them at least weekly to ensure you are making progress and to see if you need to modify your plans in anyway.
There are various ways of accomplishing this periodic review and planning activity. A simple one is to have a reminder set up on your mobile or computer in which you have listed your key goals. Also as you are reviewing your goals at the end of each day or week, write out your daily tasks and set reminder for those also.

You may think, goal setting is a lot of work but if you reading this wondering why is my life going around in circles? Why am I not getting what I want? How can I take control and change this, then goal setting is for you. Take the time to try it outside, before long it will become second nature to you and you’ll soon see the success you deserve.