Goal Setting
by Steve Richards on November 10, 2008
It’s important to have goals. I wanted to include this section on goals because many people don’t realize just how much having goals helps. The reason having goals helps is because there are many things in life to distract us. By having clear achievable goals we can keep focused and continue to work toward being where we want to be. Whether it is losing weight, saving money for something we want, or something else, goals give us a better shot at being successful. The reason is because goals allow us to remained focused over time.
Did you know that 80% of people don’t set goals? Often people will think of something they want to achieve, and even begin to work their way toward it. However, they fail to clearly outline the goal with specifics, including milestones along the way. This allows them to become easily distracted when something else in life takes their attention away, which is bound to happen.
It’s not only important to set goals, but you should also write them down. The best thing you can do is write and post your goal in a place where you will often see it. This makes it much harder to be distracted from your goal. Having a written goal is just a reminder to yourself that you are supposed to be working on the goal. If are able to see it then you will feel guilty if you are not doing the things that should be done for reaching the goal. Another thing you should do is find a picture that reminds you of your goal and put that with the written goal. For example, if your goal is to buy a new car then find a picture of the car you want and put that with your written goal where you can see it. If you are trying to lose weight, you might want to find pictures of great looking clothing you could wear at your target weight. By taking the time to set up these simple visual aids you give yourself a much better chance at staying focused for the time it takes to reach your goal.
Milestones & Motivation
There is a great saying that goes, "Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss you will be among the stars." I think this is a great way to look at things. It’s a very positive and encouraging thought. For goals that are hard to reach, often people will give up without giving it their best shot. What they don’t realize is that even if they don’t achieve the success they had in mind they will probably still be better off. For weight loss this is especially important because there is a domino effect involved. The smaller you are the more easily you can move around. The more you move around the more calories you burn. This means that once you start to lose weight you have a great chance at continuing to lose, even if you don’t do it as fast as you would like. That’s why having milestones is a great idea for setting goals. Things won’t happen overnight. Just start off with simple milestones which are easy to achieve. For example, you might set a 5 pound weight loss milestone. When you are able to hit your milestones you will be encouraged, and more likely to continue toward your ultimate goal.
Another thing that is helpful is to break your goal into smaller goals, or things you need to get done to achieve your goal. For example, if you never to outside to walk around the block, you could set a smaller goal to be a consistent daily or weekly walker. By setting up smaller goals and milestones which you can focus on you will be able to see your success quicker, and that’s important because it will motivate you. People are capable of doing a lot, it’s just that they are often unmotivated. If you can keep yourself motivated you have a much greater chance at reaching your goal.
Finding other people to work toward success with you is also a great motivator. You will be able to keep each other on task, and sense an obligation to do what is expected. To change your situation you should associate with people who have similar goals to what you want. The support you get is extremely valuable, not to mention that it makes things more fun and interesting when you have company.
Successful Examples
You can also gain motivation by seeking out stories of success. Try and find someone who has been successful against the odds. Their success doesn’t have to be the exact same kind of success you are trying to achieve, but you will be able to relate to challenges and hardships, and how they were overcome. By having an example of someone who has actually been successful, you can strengthen your own belief that you too can be successful. A lot of the challenge to accomplish any goal is simply staying motivated to try.
