Setting new goals can feel like a daunting task. Especially if you have no idea where to start. I’ll share the number one strategy to set and achieve incredible goals successfully.
Why set goals?
Without setting goals, we would have no personal growth in life. We would wander aimlessly from one thing to the next while letting autopilot run our lives.
Goals provide many benefits:
- They provide direction and focus
- They provide personal satisfaction
- They help you understand what’s important in life
- They provide a starting point to achieving something
Any time we set a new goal, it gives us something to strive towards. Growth happens in the journey to achieving the goal. We enter into new and unfamiliar places that expand our personal development.
We seek and receive new opportunities we otherwise wouldn’t have if we hadn’t set goals.
How to set incredible goals
If you’re not sure where to start, it can feel overwhelming. I always felt so much pressure in past jobs when I had to set yearly goals.
I would spend forever thinking about 3 – 5 goals I was required to come up with. I remember wondering how much detail to include and where they should be focused.
In the end, my manager always tweaked them to include more detail. I had a hard time creating goals because my heart wasn’t into the work.
When you start, there are crucial pieces of information to have if you want to ensure success.
1. Create a goal that will motivate you
This might sound silly, but don’t create goals for the sake of setting goals. You’ll never get anywhere. You’ll also easily forget your goals.
A goal is something you WANT to achieve because the end result took you to a place of desired outcome.
2. Be as specific as you can
When setting goals, you want to be as specific as you can. Identify the task, timeline, place and outcome.
Here is an example if you want a promotion at work:
DON’T: I want to get promoted in my job.
DO: I want to get promoted to (insert title here) by (insert date here) so that I can (insert outcome here.) You may even want to add an extra line or two about how your life will look WHEN you achieve X goal.
3. Set achievable deadlines
This might seem like a no brainer to you but you wouldn’t believe how many people set pie in the sky goals with no deadline. Don’t get me wrong, I love BIG GOALS, but we have to stay realistic with deadlines here.
Example: Let’s say you want to write a book and have it published by large book publisher. You want to do this within three months.
I’ll be the first person to tell you it’s not possible. You must understand the mechanics behind the book writing and publishing process. I’m sure there are ways to self publish quickly but if you’re looking for a publisher you have to build in time for writing, writing the pitch, pitching to agents and/or publishers and working through the publishing process.
The entire process can take 8 months to a few years depending on how fast you write and how long it takes to get through the publishing process.
You have to build in a realistic timeline based on your goal. Don’t set yourself up to fail from the start, some things are out of our control and that’s ok.
4. Get to WORK
Ready to achieve? It’s time to get to work! Setting goals is the first thing but creating a strategy to complete them is the second necessary part.
Back up from your deadline and lay out a timeline of tasks you can achieve.
Remember, goals are not set to achieve overnight. They are something to work towards achieving. Make sure you have the time, energy and effort to achieve your goals.
Summary
If you need help with setting and achieving your goals, it’s what I do! Contact me and let’s set and crush your goals together!
