Strategies for Successful Goal SettingHome » Personal Goals » Successful Goal Setting Strategies
By Jason Blacker We all have things we want to achieve in life, and setting out goals is the first step in any action plan. Whether it's in your personal life, your professional life, or helping someone else accomplishes something that’s important to them, setting goals is vital. These steps for successful goal setting will ensure that anything you set out to achieve can be done effectively and efficiently. ‘Know Thyself.’You need to understand what it is exactly that motivates you. Setting a goal someone else gives you, or that you think you should achieve, will never be as effective as setting one that is truly important to you.Set goals that speak to you, so that the huge drive and determination that it will take to achieve them will already be in place. Set “SMART” goals“SMART” stands for specific measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound. Every goal we set needs to have these characteristics assigned to it. Any goal that doesn't have each one of those aspects to it is just a dream.The difference between a dream and goal is that a dream is a nebulous, general idea, about something we like or want. A goal on the other hand, is akin to a map. A map will tell you the exact distance between where you are and where you want to go, and give you practical options for getting there. We may want to go to Hawaii, but just aimlessly heading out our front door, wandering down random streets, and taking transportation that hasn't been inspected for safety, will get us somewhere, but likely not where we wanted to go, not in the time we were hoping to get there! Write Them DownWrite them down on a piece of paper, on a whiteboard, on post-it notes, and on your computer. This is the way to make the goals real in our minds. It makes them tangible, easy to recall, and keeps us accountable.Keep your goals where you can see them often, preferably everyday. That way you can look back to them anytime you start to feel overwhelmed or uncertain. It's a clear reminder of what's important to you -- something that was important enough for you to record. Develop a Detailed Plan of ActionThe four step in successful goal setting is to develop a detailed plan of action for all the things you will have to do a long way.You can use this as a list of mini-goals that you can check off as you go. That will help keep you motivated and gives little psychological rewards for inching ever closer to your larger goals. Stay CommittedThe last step in successful goal setting is to maintain your commitment to it. Remind yourself of the importance of your goals to your life and continuously envision where you want to be.It's easy to get discouraged, and to wonder why we’re doing something, but if you maintain an unwavering commitment to what it is you want to achieve, you will get there. These five steps for successful goal setting will help you accomplish whatever you want to in life. We don't achieve our goals by accident, but rather through well thought out, methodical action plans, that we stick to like glue. Success can be yours by setting clear goals and staying the course. « Return to Goal Setting Main Page from Strategies for Successful Goal Setting
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