An outcome that one attempts to accomplish. In other words, a goal. A goal sprouts from a strong desire or want. A feeling that we all have as humans. Thus you must learn how to set good goals and reach them as they aid you to meet your desires, big or small and live a happy fulfilled life.
Why are goals important?
Life can be boring if you have nothing to work towards or look forward to. Setting goals, whether as a person or group, is vital since it promotes growth. It is a great way to boost personal development or your company's efficiency. Setting a goal and working toward it improves your skills and increases profits. It is a learning process and the more you absorb and apply, the bigger your growth. Each time you reach a goal, you move one step forward. Knowing you've done something good gives you an inner sense of accomplishment that no one can take away. It gives you the confidence to reach more goals and face challenges.
Setting goals for yourself gives you a sense of direction and helps you determine what you want out of life and the steps necessary to get there. It encourages reflective, contemplating, and planning activities. Setting goals is beneficial since it provides you with a daily edge. You'll feel more in control because you know where you're going and what you want to do.
Having said that, if you've ever set a goal and attempted to reach it, you know it's not easy.
Some Challenges to Setting goals and Reaching them
Difficulties that prevent a person from achieving their goals may be due to some flawed tendencies or the use of inept methods. And at times things happen that we can't control. These challenges may include but are not limited to:
1. Writing goals with no objectives: Goals are the outcome. You can't reach a goal unless you have detailed plans to follow. The steps you need to take to reach your goal are your objectives. Without them, you’ll be driving a car to a location you’ve never been to before; without directions. You won’t be able to get to your destination.
2. Planning but failing to carry out your plans: What good is a guide if it isn't followed? It'll be like attempting to assemble an appliance without following the instructions; you'll most likely fail. The same is true for your goal; you won't be able to achieve it unless you stick to your plans.
3. Laziness is the most difficult challenge that everyone faces: We all have the urge to put off important tasks until later. Yet, no magic will happen. No one will think about or write down your goals for you, and no one will labour to help you reach them. Sluggishness won’t help you meet any of your goals. Hard work and effort are required.
4. Unforeseen Occurrences: Sometimes things don’t go the way we plan. There are a lot of things that we have no control over. This can lead to a hiatus, making the process of reaching our goal longer.
5. Taking on too much at once: We become fixated on achieving our goals, and all we want to do is work hard every day for the rest of our life until we reach our goals. But it's not possible. If you don't give yourself enough time to rest this might become toxic. You'll often see yourself unable to complete tasks. This can quickly become a stumbling block, leading to burnout.
These are common difficulties that you may encounter regardless of the sort of goal you set. It's also crucial to think about problems unique to the goal you've set to be better prepared (more on this in the next section).
How to Set and Reach Goals
Here’s a three-step guide outlined and discussed below that can help you to do that;
STEP 1: SETTING THE GOAL
1. Brainstorm: There are no limitations here. All you have to do is think of the things you've always wanted. Have a good time and write down anything that comes to mind; let your thoughts flow. Try to jot down as many ideas as you can. To begin, at least ten.
2. Analyze: Now consider each of the goals you've written down in depth. "Why do I want this?" you might wonder. Is this a workable plan? How simple will it be to achieve? Is it worthwhile to devote time and effort to this goal? Which achievement would I be most proud of? This assessment will assist you in identifying the most crucial goals. So that you don't abandon them later because you've lost interest. The finest goals to work on are usually those that are more important to you.
3. Rank: Arrange your objectives in ascending order of importance. It's usually best to start with short-term goals since they often lead to long-term ones.
STEP 2: PLAN AND LIST OBJECTIVES
For each of the goals you’ve written, in the order you’d like to achieve them, proceed to do the following:
1. Write the goal: For instance; Get eight hours of sleep every night.
2. Follow up with Objectives: List out the steps you need to take to reach the goal.
The stages required in achieving the goal outlined before may include:
- Stay away from caffeine and alcohol late in the day.
- Finish work on time.
- Get off social media and TV one hour before bedtime.
- Go to bed by 9 pm every night.
- Wake up by 5 am every morning.
3. Anticipate potential stumbling blocks and how to overcome them: Consider any barriers that can keep you from achieving your goal's objectives and make a list of them.
e.g Potential obstacle - No willpower to stop using social media at the set time.
Then, immediately after that, consider and outline one or more practical ways to overcome the difficulty.
e.g Solution - Make use of App timers, or schedule phone shut down by bedtime in phone settings.
STEP 3: MAKE A COMMITMENT AND ACT
If you commit to doing a task, you’re more likely to finish it because you’ll feel obliged to do so. Make a vow that you'll work hard to meet your goal, write down the day you'll commit, and sign if you want to. Take responsibility for your actions. This will assist you in being consistent and making steady progress toward your goal. This may be accomplished by discussing your objectives and goals with a small group of friends or family members and asking them to keep track of your progress.
Other things in this step include:
1. Start your action plan right away: As soon as you’re done with making plans don’t procrastinate. Start the first step towards reaching your goal. Don't wait for the ideal moment because let's face it, it may never arrive. Find something simple that you can accomplish today and do it.
2. Review your Plans and Make Adjustments: If your plans aren't working out, you can always make changes to guarantee you attain your goal. It's also crucial to examine your efforts regularly to see whether you've made any progress toward your goal.
3. Reward yourself for little achievements or milestones: This will encourage you to keep going. Do this, especially on days when you feel like you can't do anything or that you're about to give up yet manage to persevere.
4. Use your Imagination: Visualize yourself accomplishing your goal in the future. Consider how great you'll feel and the sense of accomplishment you'll have. Imagine yourself as you fight to reach your objectives and succeed. Now return to reality and go for it! [1]
Tips
1. Allow time for rest: You don't want to burn out from all the hard effort you're putting in to reach your objectives, so be conscious and keep things in perspective. It's alright to feel weary and unproductive from time to time since you're human. But, do not use this as an excuse to be lazy.
2. Depending on the goal, you could have a category for activities you need to perform daily, weekly, or monthly when preparing the objectives for it.
3. Break down tasks to make them smaller and seem more achievable.
4. Consider your schedule and be flexible with it at first until you discover the best time for each activity.
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