Why you haven’t achieved your goals (and how you could achieve them)
We are now in the second half of 2018, and I’m sure most of us here have set our sights on our new goals for this year. However, for some people, setting goals can be a daunting task. Many others set goals and then forget about them until the next year. And then there are some who don’t even bother to set any for themselves. I believe that goals are important to our lives; Therefore, I will first highlight the importance of setting goals. Then I’ll share with you some tips you could use to set effective goals.
The importance of setting goals
Why is it important to set goals? Setting goals is critical to long-term success because it’s like our own life road map. Goals take us where we want to be in the future just like a roadmap takes us from point A to point B.
Think about it, if we don’t have goals, we probably don’t know what we want in life. It’s like getting lost in the woods, with no direction to follow.
SMART goal system
As mentioned above, many people set goals for themselves, but how many of these goals are actually met? Many people still have goals that they set 10 years ago! I will share with you how to set goals effectively through the SMART goal system. Why SMART goal? By setting SMART goals, you are actually shortening and simplifying your roadmap to your destinations.
Setting SMART goals simply means that the goals you set must meet the following SMART criteria:
Specific – Your goal should be as specific as possible. It should not be vague. Here are some questions to guide you in setting a specific goal:
What do I want to achieve?
Why are you achieving this important goal for me?Who do I want to become?
When do I want to achieve it?
Where is the location?
Measurable – You must be able to measure the progress of your goal. It has to be quantifiable. For example, if my goal is to be a millionaire, I will know that I am halfway there when I have $500,000 and that I have achieved my goal when I have $1,000,000.
Reachable – The keyword for this component is ‘means‘. An achievable goal simply means that you can achieve it using the resources (time, money, energy) you have that allow you to stay committed to achieving this goal.
Realistic – Try to set a goal that is neither too challenging nor too easy. It has to make you feel excited and challenged at the same time. It’s good to set challenging goals for yourself, but if it’s too challenging a goal, you may get discouraged and give up after a while. Likewise, a goal that is too easy can cause you to lose interest and not feel very accomplished in achieving that goal. A simple tip for doing this is to break your main goal down into smaller milestones. Reaching these milestones isn’t as daunting as having to accomplish the big goal all at once. Once you achieve a milestone, you will feel more motivated and motivated to reach the next milestones.
Prompt – Many people set wonderful goals, but this is often overlooked: the time component. It is important to set a time frame or deadline for your goal. I can’t stress enough the importance of setting a time frame for each of your goals. Without a time frame, there is no sense of urgency and it could set back your efforts to achieve that goal. “Oh, I’ll do it later. Next week. Next month.” Some people even forget it! That is why many people still dream of the same thing for the past 10 years!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step
take massive action
That’s the SMART system for you. Now is the time to take some action. Start by identifying your goals, and then write them down on a large piece of paper and put them somewhere near you so you can read them all the time. Remember, nothing gets done unless you take action, because the bridge between dreams and reality is VALUES!!
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