Everyone has their own idea on how to set goals for their personal success but they are not always the most effective. Some people are holding back their progress by not ensuring all the elements of a great goal are present when planning their goals. It takes more than just grabbing some paper and writing down some ideas. That is just the beginning. In order to live the life of your dreams you need to ensure they have these six components.
Do you know the difference between a goal that feels satisfying and one that feels empty upon accomplishment? It is the motivation that made that goal happen. The goals that provide the highest level of satisfaction all come from a thing called intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the internal motivation you get when you create goals based on your own personal needs and desires, not those of external influences. Basically if a goal feels forced upon you, your chances of success diminish greatly. This motivation explains why some heart attack victims change their lives post heart attack and some don't. A doctor telling you to do something is much different than you believing you should do it.
Setting goals that are vague will not allow you to properly plan out the steps you need to take to achieve that goal. A specific goal will have answered all the questions of why you want it, how you will get it and what is needed to succeed among many others. If you can't articulate how you are going to accomplish a goal when someone asks you then you need to get more specific with your goal. People set goals like being wealthy, healthy and wise but without defining what it actually means to be those things you will never reach them.
A goal that is measurable means you have identified the end result you want to create. It could either be the exact amount of money or the number of pounds you want to lose, etc. You will also be able to gauge where you are in your progress. If you want to save $5000 in a year and you are at month six with $2500 you are right on track. If you have eight dollars saved you know you haven't been putting in the work needed or chose an unrealistic goal.
We all have dreams and desires but we tend to stand in our own way of achieving them. We do this by not being honest with ourselves on whether or not we have the skills, talents and strengths needed to attain our goals. If you believe the person you are right now will get you everything you want in life I will be honest and say it most likely won't happen. There will need to be some personal growth that takes place in order to take you from where you are to where you want to go otherwise you would already be there.
Limitless thinking or thinking big is what a lot of successful people will say they used to achieve their goals. What they fail to mention is that they were also experts at setting realistic goals. They set goals that aligned with their core values at the time and felt great while they pursued those goals. Realistically you will not succeed at your goal if you are always sacrificing that which matters the most to you to get it. Even if you do achieve the goal it will leave you feeling empty inside or as some have discovered rich and lonely.
You are setting yourself up for underachievement if you do not put the pressure on to accomplish goals in a timely fashion. The flip side though is you set yourself up to fail by setting goals within an unrealistic time frame. This is a balancing act and is crucial in the planning of your goals. Research every facet of your goal to know exactly what it will take to reach it and also how long each step of the way will take. Then commit yourself to a time frame that scares you a little and makes you know that there will need to be daily action taken to achieve it.
Discovering how to set goals that are powerful and mean something to you is not without its trial and error periods. Goal setting is that skill no one taught you when you were young and it can be more difficult to learn something new when you are an adult. I promise you that with dedication and perseverance you will find the path that leads you to all your deepest desires.
Do you know the difference between a goal that feels satisfying and one that feels empty upon accomplishment? It is the motivation that made that goal happen. The goals that provide the highest level of satisfaction all come from a thing called intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the internal motivation you get when you create goals based on your own personal needs and desires, not those of external influences. Basically if a goal feels forced upon you, your chances of success diminish greatly. This motivation explains why some heart attack victims change their lives post heart attack and some don't. A doctor telling you to do something is much different than you believing you should do it.
Setting goals that are vague will not allow you to properly plan out the steps you need to take to achieve that goal. A specific goal will have answered all the questions of why you want it, how you will get it and what is needed to succeed among many others. If you can't articulate how you are going to accomplish a goal when someone asks you then you need to get more specific with your goal. People set goals like being wealthy, healthy and wise but without defining what it actually means to be those things you will never reach them.
A goal that is measurable means you have identified the end result you want to create. It could either be the exact amount of money or the number of pounds you want to lose, etc. You will also be able to gauge where you are in your progress. If you want to save $5000 in a year and you are at month six with $2500 you are right on track. If you have eight dollars saved you know you haven't been putting in the work needed or chose an unrealistic goal.
We all have dreams and desires but we tend to stand in our own way of achieving them. We do this by not being honest with ourselves on whether or not we have the skills, talents and strengths needed to attain our goals. If you believe the person you are right now will get you everything you want in life I will be honest and say it most likely won't happen. There will need to be some personal growth that takes place in order to take you from where you are to where you want to go otherwise you would already be there.
Limitless thinking or thinking big is what a lot of successful people will say they used to achieve their goals. What they fail to mention is that they were also experts at setting realistic goals. They set goals that aligned with their core values at the time and felt great while they pursued those goals. Realistically you will not succeed at your goal if you are always sacrificing that which matters the most to you to get it. Even if you do achieve the goal it will leave you feeling empty inside or as some have discovered rich and lonely.
You are setting yourself up for underachievement if you do not put the pressure on to accomplish goals in a timely fashion. The flip side though is you set yourself up to fail by setting goals within an unrealistic time frame. This is a balancing act and is crucial in the planning of your goals. Research every facet of your goal to know exactly what it will take to reach it and also how long each step of the way will take. Then commit yourself to a time frame that scares you a little and makes you know that there will need to be daily action taken to achieve it.
Discovering how to set goals that are powerful and mean something to you is not without its trial and error periods. Goal setting is that skill no one taught you when you were young and it can be more difficult to learn something new when you are an adult. I promise you that with dedication and perseverance you will find the path that leads you to all your deepest desires.
About the Author:
As a personal development coach, Darrin Wiggins understands how an intense focus on goal setting can create the success you desire. In the ten years he spent goal coaching at lululemon athletica he saw hundreds of people transform their lives and believes anyone can live a life they love. make your dreams a reality by finding a goal coach today!
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