Why are goals important?
"People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals - that is goals that do not inspire them" - Tony Robbins
Unless you are one of the people that know exactly what they want in life and go get it, goals are a great way for you to identify small/large changes that you want in your life and keep you focused on your path.
Goal setting:
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Gets us to focus on important things
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Saves times
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Gets us to take action
What is a goal?
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it also" - Belva Davis, Broadcast Journalist.
A goal is something that you want, something that is very important to YOU. It must be compelling for you - you must know why this goal is important to you? If it is not important to you, why do you want it? If it is someone else's dream or goal be careful as you could end up living a life that you don't want. For example, someone who wants to move up the career ladder to Director so he can have money to live the life of happiness, security, spend quality time with family. He works hard and long to achieve this goal of being director all the while working long hours (not seeing family/friends) and being stressed (not being happy). Therefore the goal was not orientated towards what he truly desired. Imagine working towards a goal only to realise at the end that you did not truly get what you wanted - but imagine putting that focus / effort into something you do want!
If you have a dream/aim that seems too big - chunk it down into smaller bits that way you are creating stepping stones towards your dream and along the way you can keep yourself motivated with the small (but important) steps.
Vital tips for setting goals?
Dreams don't work, unless you do - John C Maxwell
Goals should be straight forward and state what you want to happen. E.g. if you want to lose weight - don't say that you want to lose weight be specific. Write down if you want to lead a healthier life style, walk 20 minutes a day three times a week, eat healthier food, take up swimming or anything that YOU want to do in order to lose weight. Also think about the underlying value of your goal. If you are saying you want more money, think about what having more money means to you. How does your goal tie back into your values and beliefs? Do you think more money will let you have more security, spend more time with family or have more fun? Remember that there are plenty of people with loads of money who aren't happy as having money does not feed their underlying values.
Add in as much detail as you can - your brain does not know what you mean by 'being healthy'. If you don't know what it is you want, how will you ever know if you achieve it? Instead be as descriptive as you can - write down exactly what you want to achieve e.g. I am now swimming 2 days a week, I am now enjoying my weekly yoga class, exercising is so much fun, my clothes fit me perfectly, my body is in healthy condition, I love eating fresh fruit and vegetables, I have so much energy now that I can run around with my kids, life is full of fun. Also, the description will keep you motivated. What is more compelling to you the vague goal or the descriptive goal - one will be a statement whereas the other will make you feel as you are already there - I know which one I'd be using.
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. In relation to your goal how will you know you have achieved it, be happy with it, how will you feel etc. Choose a goal with measurable progress so you have something to measure it against. Remember also, that you shouldn't be comparing your goals to other people. Each person has their own unique perception of reality therefore the only person you can compare yourself to, is the "you" of last week, last month, last year. When you are looking at your goals and monitoring your progress ask yourself - how far you have come in past week, month(s). Remember to praise yourself for the progress you have made also by treating yourself to a massage, a nice meal, flowers or whatever you'd like. It is great to keep focused on where you are going, but you knowing how far you have come will also keep you motivated for the remainder of the journey.
All your goals should be achievable which means that they should be within the bounds of possibility for you. A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and you can truly commit to it. For example, if you aim to lose 2 stone in a week, we all know that this isn't achievable. But if you aim to lose 1lb the first week, when you've achieved that, you can aim to lose a further 1lb. The feeling of success in the first week will help you to remain motivated.
This provides the check on achievable. Going back to the above example is it achievable for someone to lose 2 stone in one week? Realistic means is it 'do-able'. You need the skills available to do the work. Set the bar high enough to find out what you are capable off but not too high that you will frustrate yourself if you don't get there quickly. This is also why you break the main goal down into smaller steps so you have the map of how to get to your end goal and can celebrate your successes along the way!
Set a clear time frame for the goal e.g. for next week, in a month, in 3 months, in 6 months, in a year etc. whatever fits in with your goal. Putting a timeframe gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don't set a timeframe, then the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen as you can feel you can start anytime (Have you ever heard yourself say - when I buy new runners I'll start, after this busy period is finished I'll start, Tomorrow I'll start..). Without a time limit there is no urgency to start now.
Developing your own personal goals
Now it's time to develop your own goals for the future using the tips from above. Ask yourself what it is you want so much that it brings a huge smile to your face just thinking about it. Make sure you focus on the inspirational rather than the sensible as you develop your goals and find out what you are truly capable of achieving.
Think about why you want this goal? Really think about the underlying values and beliefs that want you to have this goal. The more you truly understand why you want this more, the more likely you are to stick to it. Life has challenges from which we can learn and there will be obstacles along the way, but the more we are firm in our belief of why we want our goal the more we will stick to it through these tough times and are in it for the long haul.
When writing your goal use the present tense as it is important to behave as if you already have your goal as this gives your nervous system the impression that it's real. Also close your eyes and visualise yourself achieving the goal - how does it feel, how do you look, how is your life different etc. You can constantly edit, reword, remove and add goals from your list - this keeps them in line with your beliefs and values and ensures that they fit in with all areas of your life.
I've set out below a template you can use to start the goal writing process, you may find it easier to start with your long term goals and then break it down into short term steps of how to get there.
MY GOALS
10 years__________________________________
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5 years___________________________________
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2 years ___________________________________
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18 months _________________________________
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Within 1 year _____________________________
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Within 6 months ___________________________
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Within 3 months ___________________________
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Within 1 month _____________________________
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Within next week ___________________________
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