Everyone has at a point or the other set goals or for themselves. Yet, we do not meet a higher percentage of these goals or even see them through. We give up during the tough times and refuse to push through the pain and obtain our career or personal goals.
If you have wondered why you never put a big tick beside so many of your listed goals and want a way to curb this problem, we have mapped out things that you need during goal setting to accomplish your goals that you can start using right now. They include the following that you have to do.
- A write-down of the goals.
There is power in play when you make a write-down of the goals you set. It sets a foundation of determination and clear goal definition in your mind. This process of having a written down goal forces your subconsciousness to commit and enforces you to work towards the defined goals. A 2017 study even posits that written down goals are more achievable, while statistics show that people who write down their goals are 20% more successful in accomplishing them than those that do not.
- A SMART goal.
What are SMART goals? You may be confused by what we mean by SMART, but SMART here is an acronym for:
Specific – the goals you write down should be specific, clearly defined with where, when, how, what, and who. It should be well defined.
Measurable – the written goals should establish how you will know exactly when you have accomplished your goals and how you could quantify how much you have accomplished; you could use parameters and numbers.
Attainable -your written goals should be challenging, yet they should be within the boundaries of being realistic. Simply put, you need a written-down realistic goal.
Relevant -you should ensure that the goal is in line with your career, ambition, or personal life. Is it in line with your career or personal values? Is it in line with your ultimate aspiration? These and other parameters could have you help the parameters to check the relevance of the set goal.
Time-bound deadline.
Your written goals should have a well-defined timeline and deadlines for the main goal and even the mini-milestones or sub-goals within the main goal.
- Mini milestones
You need mini-milestones or sub-goals in your main goals to check scalability and your progress. Divide the main goal into steps or branches that make up a whole, and watch yourself as you go. Simply put, you should set smaller goals within the main goal.
The success of accomplishing the main goal starts with the first step of completing and achieving sub-goals. This makes the goal process more challenging and encouraging.
- A clear head
When you let what people think affect your goal, you will set and write down unrealistic goals. You will make goals that are impossible to attain, and eventually, there will be no sense of commitment to the goals you make this way.
Conclusion.
Goal setting is a wonderful growth activity; the entirety of the process defines and delineates the movement from where you are to where you are going in your career and personal life. The criteria listed above show the effectiveness of the written goals to make this change and the possibility of achievement. It takes goal thinking and an actionable plan to know that the set goals are achievable and worthy of your time. Hence, when next you set your goals, review them across these criteria and watch as you begin to make big ticks beside your set goals.