Making goals is something that nearly everyone does. There are certain times when you might think about what your goals are, such as your birthday or the beginning of a new year. Setting goals and actually meeting them, or even following a plan to try and meet them, are two different things, though. It’s so easy to make a goal, whether it’s to do with your career, your personal life, or something else. But following through on your promises isn’t anywhere near as simple. It takes motivation and dedication to achieve what you want, and those aren’t always easy to have. If you’d like to never abandon another goal again, here are some tips to help you.
Know What You’re Capable Of
If you want to be able to meet the goals you set, you first need to know yourself. One mistake that many people make is that they set goals that would be extremely difficult for them to achieve. And the reason they would be hard to complete isn’t due to external factors, but because of what the person is personally capable of. If you choose a goal that doesn’t play to your strengths, you could be setting yourself up to fail. However, you could still get there eventually. Maybe your goal is to go to the gym in the morning three times a week for six months, but you struggle to get up early. If you start with a goal to get up earlier, you could work toward your other goal after.
Set Realistic Goals
You also need to consider external factors when you set goals, not just your personal ability. Aiming high is a good thing to do, but there is such a thing as aiming too high. You need to make sure your goal is realistic and something you can reasonably create a plan to achieve. If you think about some of the steps to reach your goal and they amount to “get extremely lucky” or “stumble across the perfect opportunity,” your goal might not be very realistic. You need to be able to achieve things using your motivation, dedication, and skills.
Break Goals Down
It’s good to have big goals and to perhaps think about where you want to be in five or ten years. However, if you’re currently an accountant and your goal is “become CFO” you need to have some steps in between. If there’s a big leap between where you are now and where you want to be, breaking down your goal will give you a clearer picture of how to fulfill it. You can create a plan to get you where you want to be, based on your current situation. As things change, you might alter the overall plan and change the smaller goals within your overarching larger goal.
Make Goals SMART
When you’re researching how to achieve your goals, you’re sure to come across the acronym SMART. This is a set of guidelines to use when you set goals, which can vary slightly. They are often expressed as specific, measurable, attainable, realistic or relevant, and time-based. They’re used a lot in business but can work well in your personal life too. These guidelines help you to create realistic goals that you will be able to achieve, instead of ones that give you little direction. You need to know how you’re going to reach your goals, how to measure how close you are to achieving them, and how you’ll know when your goals are complete.
Take a Course to Motivate You
Some people need a little help to set their goals and feel motivated to achieve them. A motivational course can give you the practical and mental tools you need to finally reach your goals. Different courses can have a variety of different focuses. The Michael Hyatt 2018 course aims to help you have the best year of your life. You can learn about how to change your mindset and how to follow through on your goals. Online courses are often most convenient, but some people like to attend workshops or read books.
Make Your Goals Less Concrete
Another way to make it easier to achieve your goals is to choose to follow a process, instead of aim toward a singular goal. A set goal can sometimes be troubling because there might only be one way to achieve it. One thing to keep in mind is that you can’t control the future, and have one concrete goal might only lead to disappointment. For example, you might decide that your goal is to complete a Ph.D. You keep applying for posts but you’re always turned down, and you feel like you’ve exhausted every option. Now you might feel lost and unsure of what to do with your career and life. Instead, you can commit to following a process that’s not so set in stone. Maybe your goal is to build an academic career or to work in research, which could open up your options.
Do Daily Tasks
If you want to feel like you’re always working toward your goal, you should aim to do something for it every day. Breaking down your larger goals into monthly or weekly things to do is a start, but having something you can do every single day will help you reach even those bite-size goals. You might have a single task you make sure you repeat to keep yourself on a routine. Or you could set a different thing to do each day.
Reward Yourself
Everyone needs positive reinforcement, even if it doesn’t come from someone else. Rewarding yourself for a job well done can be a great way to keep yourself motivated when you’re trying to achieve your goals. It doesn’t have to be anything big; even giving yourself a sticker every day can help to give you a little boost. Rewards are a great way to recognize your achievements, no matter how small.
Achieving your goals take a lot of effort, but it is possible. If you always abandon yours, changing your habits will help.
Image courtesy of The Blue Diamond Gallery.
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