Setting goals are very important in life, the main purpose is to outline a set of objectives and by which means you will be able to achieve them. Goals provide direction in life, and help a person stay focused, motivated, and improves performance. Goal setting is a process.
The goals have to be realistic and attainable. Effective goal setting requires mixing goal types, such as outcome, performance based, and process goals. Short-term goal setting means setting a goal that will be accomplished in the near future, easily attainable and part of your daily routine.Long-term goal setting involves something larger that needs more time and depth to accomplish. Long-term goal setting often relies on well- defined short-term goals. Short-term goals should be assessed and revised accordingly so that you may be more likely to succeed.
Long-term goals should be challenging and slightly intimidating and maintain a balance between pushing yourself and being realistic. The goals that I’ve set for myself include getting back into school, completing a degree program, owning and operating my own business, and becoming financially stable.The strategies I will use to achieve my goals are basic, but important. First and foremost I made sure that my goals reflected my beliefs and character. I incorporated a support team of four people with whom I shared my goals with and can call on for positive reinforcement, encouragement, and feedback when things seem to be in a state of disarray. I created a complete, measurable, action plan which includes all the steps necessary to achieve my goals.
I plan on regularly evaluating my progress, and if needed making changes and/or adjustments when necessary. An effective goal can motivate the behavior that is needed to achieve it.Goals are analogous to road maps and can help identify the path toward achieving them by promoting the actions and behaviors required to reach that point. Self motivation sustains your effort to stay on that path. Motivation can dictate the direction, effort, and persistence applied toward achieving the goal. Realizing that life happens, I will remain realistic and flexible, and if for some reason I cant meet what seemed like a reasonable goal at first, I will forgive myself ,reevaluate, brainstorm again if necessary, redefine the goal so that its once again manageable, and try again.
My goals were set using the SMART system. Specific, Manageable, Attainable ,Relevant, and Time sensitive. The smart system states that goals need to be specific and measurable so that you will know when you have achieved them and be thereby encouraged. They need to be personally relevant to me and what I want out of life because if they are not, I will find them meaningless and therefore poorly motivating. Finally, the goals need to have deadlines attached so that I can connect them with my daily, weekly, and monthly schedules.Another method I will be using is keeping a journal detailing my goals and the benefits of achieving them.
When I feel tempted to procrastinate, I can read through my journal to reconnect myself with what what’s important to me in the long term. Procrastination is a problem, because when the execution of a goal becomes difficult, it feels better for the moment to simply relax or engage in a more enjoyable activity. Clarity and confidence are two of the most important foundations of motivation.The goal must be clear enough in the mind for you to understand it and immediately identify how to begin striving to reach it. A person must also believe that they are capable of achieving the goal.
It is also a good idea to speak with someone who has already achieved that particular goal to make it seem more achievable to you. I will use action steps, which are tasks that I will perform daily that contribute to the accomplishment of my goals. I will set a task of one small action step that I can complete each day that will help me reach my goals. Action steps are vital to fulfilling my goals.
Action planning is the most important process in managing my choices while making the most effective use of my time as I progress toward the desired outcome and ultimately fulfilling my dreams. I will surround myself with positive people. People who hold a negative attitude tend to inspire the same negativity in those around them. Positive self-talk will also aid in my success. Changing the mental dialogue goes a long way in building self-confidence and helping me to achieve my career goals.
The brain is inherently risk-averse, making humans naturally hardwired for survival and not happiness and success.Therefore, a person must exercise intelligent effort in order to make it happen. As a result, I have to constantly visualize myself becoming the person I want to be. Once I began to imagine the person I want to be and the life I want to live, it becomes much easier to achieve. Since my vision accurately reflects my true desires, my vision will lend an excitement to my pursuit that is highly motivating. Personal passion is crucial to build the long-term commitment necessary to keep on going even when you don’t feel like it at a particular moment.
No one can muster the internal resources necessary to reach a goal that doesn’t appeal to them, which simply means a person needs to search their heart for what they want; as opposed to what someone else wants for them or what they believe they ought to want based on society or environmental factors and influences. My goals are strongly connected to my desires. Desire is the fuel that powers motivation. When something doesn’t work out the way I’ve planned, it doesn’t mean that I’ve failed.
I simply must try again.Failure is a crucial part of a persons’ success. Failure can prepare a person for other challenges that will come their way. Learning from failure gives the tools needed to move forward, putting a person closer to reaching their goals and achieving success. I have evaluated and will continue to reevaluate those things that could potentially go wrong and have developed specific strategies on how to deal with the situation if it occurs. Neglecting to identify mistakes enhances the possibility to make some of them again.
I also enjoy practicing visualization and imagining what my future would be like if I were to accomplish the goals I’ve stipulated for myself. The common denominator of most successful people is their vision for the future. Visualizing the future initiates a more profound desire to achieve an end and the foresight to see the steps needed to be taken in order to get to where I want to be in life. Another very important factor in achieving goals is personal growth. Personal growth is something that almost everybody in the world aspires to, in one form or another.There is no magic elixir to fulfill every individual’s ambition, but by figuring out where you are in life, determining where you want to go, setting goals, and consistently pursuing those goals, a person stands a good chance of facilitating personal growth.
I took a personal inventory of my current strengths and weaknesses and where I was overall in life personally, professionally, and in everything else that mattered to me. This gave me a clear view of the thoughts and habits of mine that were helping me progress and those that were holding me back.
