Goals and Goal Setting

A whole book could be written on this very important subject! 

Your goals will be very difficult to achieve and you are more likely to fail in achieving them if they are not written with your vision, mission and values in mind first! 

Your Goals in isolation that do not take into account your burning “What”, (your vision statement) and your burning “Why”, (your mission statement) which are interwoven with your true core values are not worth the paper they are written on!

Just think for a moment. How may times have you set those all important goals in your life particularly at New Year and failed or given up after a few days, weeks or a month or two? There might be a number of reasons for this but if you set your goals which take into account your vision, mission and values you are much more likely to achieve them. Now isn’t that a sobering thought? With this little simple knowledge that even some of the experts themselves miss, will put you well onto the road to achieving everything you want to achieve in your life and more.

Why you need to set goals?

Goal setting is a fundamental part of creating and writing your vision and mission statements and comes after you have written your values. If you don’t set yourself a course how will you know where you are going?

Setting goals helps you to bridge the gap between a current situation (where you are now) and a future one – (where do I want to be). For example a gambler might state his/her goal as being: “I want to get lucky tonight”. However, this is not specific enough. A much better goal for him/her would be to state their goal as being: I want to make $1000 playing blackjack by 10 o’clock tonight. This is not encouragement for you to go out and gamble but you get my point:-)

Here the goal is much more specific. Some experts call this an objective rather than a goal but for the purpose of this article I will use these terms to mean the same thing. I

How To Develop Your Goal Setting Plans!

In order for your goals to work for you, you start with your lifetime goals first and then work through and develop a series of lower level plans and goals which will result in a daily to-do list.

When you set up this type of goal formula or structure you break down your biggest life goals into a number of smaller tasks or activities that you need to complete each day to reach your bigger lifetime goals.

By using this method what you are actually doing is using your smaller goals as a stepping stone to achieve your bigger goals sometimes referred to as “BHAGS”, - Big Hairy Audacious Goals!

You need to set goals in all different aspects of your life including, health, relationships, family, work/career, finances, pleasure/leisure, service/contribution, personal development, attitude and spirituality/meaning. This will ensure you set balanced goals in all areas of your life and you will not be sacrificing one area for another. This is where your vision and mission statements and the identifying of your values will be invaluable in carrying out of this task.

Next you want to assign a priority to each of your goals as will help you greatly in achieving them. Then you should review your goals and re-prioritise if you need to so that they reflect the life you want to lead.

Winning at the Goal Setting Game!

After you have set your lifetime goals, you need to set a 25 year plan of smaller goals that you will achieve if you really want to reach your lifetime plan. Please do not be put off by this. It seems like a long time but when you are living the life you love 25 years can seem like 25 months because you are living your life to your fullest potential and having fun! Japanese corporations plan 150 years plus in advance- so don’t worry!

It’s not all bad for you though. From here, you can reduce your overall goal timescales. For example, you can set for yourself a 5 year plan, 3 year plan, 1 year plan, a 6 month plan and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you can reach to achieve your bigger lifetime goals. It is important that you start out slowly and do not do too much too soon. You need to give yourself a winning chance of achieving everything you set out to do and for the realization of your dreams. Remember you want to live a life without regret and failed wishes - so start as you mean to go on!

Another helpful tip for you is to set a daily to do list of all the things that you should do that day which will help you to achieve your lifetime goals. Now, I know there are many different time management systems out there for you to consider but just pick one that works for you! I know people who don’t have a daily to do list but work on a weekly list.

Again, do what works for you! To help keep you motivated and enthused you may want to review and update your to-do lists at a time that works for you. This could be daily or weekly - it doesn’t matter.

As with your vision and mission statements I recommend that you periodically review your longer term goals and plans, and change them to reflect your changing priorities and experiences as you grow and develop.

How To Set Goals Effectively.

Below is a list of things you can do to ensure that the goals you set for yourself become a reality.

a) Each goal should be written as a positive statement.

Your goals should excite you and you must feel happy and comfortable in achieving them. When you think of your goal it should put a big smile on your face when you complete it. If you share your goals with others they will see the positivity in your actions and may even help and support you in your journey.

b) Be Precise.

When you set your goals include starting dates, timescales, amounts or anything else that allows you to measure your achievements. Try to make them S.M.A.R.T. – that is, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time oriented. Using this formula you cannot go far wrong. For example, you are more likely to achieve your goals this way. It is far better for you to say “I will earn an extra $7000 by December 31^st”, than saying, “I want to earn more money”. Hope this makes sense. It is very important that you understand this crucial point.

c) Write each and every one of your goals down.

This reinforces your goals. You can also monitor your progress this way and keep score! Read the part in this e-book  again about the study completed on the former Harvard University Graduates. Writing your goals down means you have a much more likelihood of achieving them!

d) Establish & Set Priorities.

With every goal you want to achieve, give each one a specific priority. After all you are only human and you cannot do everything at the same time! This will also focus your attention more and you are less likely to feel overwhelmed. It will also allow you to work systematically through your goals. By completing your most important goals first and then moving onto the least important ones in order, you will find that it is a lot easier to achieve your lesser goals as you take your courage and confidence from achieving your more higher goals.

e) Keep your lesser important goals small.

Try to keep your lesser important goals small and easy to achieve. If your goal is too big too soon, it can seem like that you are not making any progress towards it.  Keeping these goals small also allows you greater opportunity for reward and recognition.

f) Do not set goals that are not stretching enough!

It is important for you to recognize that you should not set too low goals for yourself. You need to expand your comfort zones as it is only this way that you will grow and develop. Again make your goals S.M.A.R.T..

g) Performance Goals NOT Outcome Goals.

Set goals over which you have as much control as possible. Reasons beyond your control could include: bad health/injury, poor judgment, bad weather or poor business/economic environments. This way you can maintain control of the achievement of your goals and experience greater satisfaction from achieving them too!

Recognition & Reward.

When you have set a goal and achieved it you must recognize the fact in doing so and take the time to enjoy the satisfaction in doing so. Celebrate your successes and move on.

Remember that your goals will change and grow as you do. Reflect on them and amend them accordingly. If the goals that you have set for yourself do not hold any attraction for you let them go and move on. Setting and achieving your goals should bring you real happiness, pleasure, satisfaction and a great sense of achievement.

Goals and goal setting are key in any vision and mission statement writing exercise or in achieving any other significant lifetime achievements. Ask any successful sportsperson!

You need to decide what is important for you to achieve in your life (your future vision and direction) and make your choices which stem from this. As you determine what is irrelevant and what is important you will focus all your efforts in the right places. You will have greater self confidence as you accomplish all that you set out to do.  And most importantly you will be working on your goals and life plan and nobody else’s. You achieve success, happiness and your dreams on your terms. You will have no problem staying motivated as your goals are interwoven into your life vision and mission statements – this way you are much more likely to succeed.