Effective Goal Setting

Who doesn't want to achieve more in less time, yet many  of us abandon our goals before we accomplish them?

Why is that?

Some of the reasons include: lack of confidence, not having a workable plan for achieving them, being unrealistic by expecting too much too soon, fear of failure and lastly by putting too much pressure on ourselves to accomplish them. 

Luckily there are strategies and behaviors that can help us overcome the obstacles that get in the way of our setting goals and achieving them. 

Know that you deserve success and achievement.
Before you can start setting goals, you must know that you deserve success and that it is achievable (through goal setting) for anyone who puts their mind to it. You must believe that you can do what you set out to do, as well as in your talents and abilities. If you do not start with this crucial premise, your efforts will be thwarted and you will fall short of accomplishing what you want. 

Determine what you want.
One of the biggest problems people have in trying to effectively set goals is not knowing what they really want. If you are not clear about what you want in life, it's very difficult to get started. The one thing all successful people have in common is that they are intensely goal oriented and extremely focused. They know what they want and they understand that it takes setting goals to achieve it. To get yourself going, a good idea would be to take the time to write down which goals are meaningful to you and what you would need to do accomplish them. To help you figure this out, you can start by looking at the 'big picture' of your life. Start a journal or workbook and write down the answers to some important questions by asking yourself things like:

• Do I want to be in the best of health and what will it take to get there?
• What do I want to achieve in my career?
• What kind of family life do I want?
• What kind of lifestyle do I want today and in the future?
• How do I see myself in 5, 10 or 20 years from now?

For example, under a goal of maintaining good health, you might make a list that includes: exercising 3-4 times a week, eating a balanced diet of protein, fruits and vegetables, getting 7-8 hours of sleep etc. 

Under where you want to be in 5 years, you might include: finish college degree; be earning an income of x amount of dollars; have a serious personal relationship (or avoid having a serious relationship until career is established). 

Plan, organize and prioritize your goals in smaller, manageable chunks.
If you look at everything you want to achieve all at once, you might find it daunting and overwhelming, so it's best to organize and prioritize your goals. To do so, you must devise a workable plan for each thing you want to accomplish. For instance, you know that your health goals need to be ongoing ones, so you could establish a daily routine or agenda that you would want to keep up on a regular basis. For a career goal, you could categorize it in monthly, quarterly or yearly chunks. You could lists points, or plan the actions you must take in order to get to a particular point in your career. This may include taking the odd supplemental course, doing extra reading, or volunteering in the community to get exposure and experience in a certain field. Since careers take time and effort to build, planning and organizing your moves makes good sense.  

Review, update and revise.
Review and update your goals on a regular basis to make sure they are still relevant to you. It's also important to make sure you are still on track and taking  the appropriate steps and actions to get to where you need to be. If some of your actions aren't working, fine tune them, or devise new ones. Likewise, figure out which obstacles and distractions are getting in your way and determine what you need to do to overcome them. We all know there are setbacks and bumps in the road along the way to achieving goals, but we need not let them stop us, or take us off course. Revise and adjust the game plan where, and when, you need to. 

Stay focused and motivated.
Probably one of the hardest things to do in the process of effectively attaining your goals is to stay focused and motivated. It's common to fall off the wagon every now then, however, it is essential to get back on as soon as possible. 
One of the tools that can keep you focused is the journal or workbook you've been keeping. Go over it regularly as a reference point and to remind yourself what you want to accomplish. Set up routines or habits that will ensure you stay on track, for example, do your exercises at the same time each day; drink your protein shake first thing in the morning. 

Other helpful techniques to help you stay motivated include the use of relevant affirmations and visualization. Many successful people, especially athletes, swear by both techniques. You have to be able to see yourself as having achieved a goal before you actually do so. Likewise, positive affirmations help implant positive thoughts into your subconscious, which prompt you to take the right actions to achieve your goals. 

• Gives you the 'big picture' direction you want your life to take 
• Helps keep you organized and focused
• Builds self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment
• Helps you achieve success more efficiently and in less time
• Makes the small day to day tasks more meaningful and purposeful

Goal setting, and certainly effective goal setting, has been a tried and true method for achieving success and accomplishing what we want in life. Without it we would drift aimlessly and waste valuable time and effort in pursuits that lead us nowhere.  So start now, and decide which goals are most meaningful to you and devise a plan to achieving them!