To achieve something we need to set goals and work on it. A lot of people feel like they’re drifting around the world. They’re working hard, but they don’t seem to get worth it anywhere. If you want to succeed in life, you need to set goals. But the question is how to set goals. You lack focus and direction without goals. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of the direction of your life; it also provides you with a benchmark to determine whether you are going to succeed.
To achieve any goal, you should know how to set them. You can’t just say, “I want” and you’re expecting this to happen. The act of setting goals and the thought we put into creating them directs our attention to why, how, and what our aspirations are. As such, they give us something to focus on and make a positive impact on our motivation.
Goal setting is a lot more than just saying that you want something to happen. Unless you clearly define exactly what you want and understand why you want it first, your chances of success are considerably reduced. By following the Five Golden Rules of Goal Setting, you can set goals confidently and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with knowing that you have achieved what you have set out to do.
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Golden Rules for How To Set Goals and Achieve them
Understanding the Rules of Goal setting are important to set an attainable goal for yourself. Here are few points which can help you to set goals in a better way.
1. Set Goals That Motivate You
When you set goals for yourself, they must motivate you, that means making sure they’re important to you, and that there’s value in achieving them. Motivation is the key to achieving the objectives. Set goals that are linked to the high priorities of your life. Write down why your goal is valuable and important to you to make sure your goal is motivating. Accurate goal setting is important to go in the correct direction. Staying positive in achieving goals is necessary to face the hurdles on the way of achieving them.
2. Set SMART Goal
The fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART stands for, but the essence remains:
- Specific.
- Measurable.
- Attainable.
- Relevant.
- Time-Bound.
Set Specific Goals
Your goal must be clear and well-defined. Vague or general goals are unhelpful because they don’t provide sufficient direction. Be specific in what you want.
Set Measurable Goals
Goals should have precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success.
Set Attainable Goals
Set goals that are possible to achieve. If you set a goal that has no hope of achieving, you will only get demoralized and diminish your confidence. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need to achieve your goals. Realistic goals gives you confidence and courage to achieve them.
Set Relevant Goals
Goals should be relevant to the direction you want to take in your life and career. By keeping your goals aligned with this, you’re going to develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want. Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you’re going to fritter away your time – and your life.
Set Time-Bound Goals
Your goals must have a deadline. You should always celebrate when you know you achieved your goal or some part of the goal. When you’re working on a deadline, your sense of urgency is increasing, and you’re going to get that much faster.
3. Set Goals in Writing
The physical act of writing down a goal makes it both real and tangible. You’ve got no excuse to forget about it.
- Positively frame your goal statement.
- Make yourself a To-Do List template with your goals at the top of it.
- Put your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day of what you intend to do. Stick it on your walls, desk, computer monitor or anywhere which can give you a constant reminder. Make an Action Plan
This step is often missed during the goal-setting process. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all the necessary steps along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then going through each other as you complete it, you will realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is important if your goal is big or long-term.
4. Stick With Goal Setting!
Remember, setting goals is a continuous activity, not just a means to an end. Your final destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you have set for yourself along the way may change significantly. Make sure that relevance, value, and necessity remain high. Give time to yourself to achieve something as it is said “invest in yourself it pays the best interest“.
Why set Goals in Life
Setting Goals give you a focus and will to move ahead in life to achieve them. Goal setting is important to find out whether you have succeeded in a particular task or not. Without goals, we don’t have any comparison to measure actual success. Along with that having fixed goals in life makes your mind strategical and focused. Setting goals gives you an intent of what to do, why to do, and how to do.
A person with goals remain confident and assured even in the worst circumstances but a person with lack of goals get distracted easily by what others say.
A simple guide for How to Set Goals For Yourself
1. Find out what you want to achieve whether it’s becoming a topper in class, learning painting, cracking UPSC exams or any other thing.
2. Then Create steps and divide your goal into those steps. You have to work every day to achieve the ultimate goal of your choice. Therefore it’s better to divide work on a daily basis. For example, if you want to crack UPSC exams then you should make a study timetable according to the syllabus and just focus on achieving the daily targets.
3. Finally when the goal has been set and daily targets have been decided then you can start working on them.
This is the simplest way to set goals.
List of Goals to Set for Yourself
Although everyone set different goals according to their needs, some common and most popular goals are-
- Know Yourself Better
- Never give up
- Accept the challenges
- Make better decisions
- Be positive
- Practice Yoga and Meditation
- Believe in Yourself
- Be in a good company
- Develop a good hobby
- Focus on the present
- Worry less about Future
- Cut the bad habits and develop good habits
- Lower your expectations
- Go beyond your comfort zone
- Conquer your fears and phobias
Conclusion
Goal setting gives your life a direction and secures your future. When you know your goals you can start working for them much earlier. You won’t have to get stressed thinking about your future. As soon as you set goals, start working for them, and day by day just increase your hard work and dedication to achieve them. But make sure to set smart and realistic goals which can give you inner satisfaction.
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