6 Golden Rules Of Setting Goals
Setting goals is a powerful tool in personal progress whether in your professional or general life. Setting goals will help you clarify what you want to achieve and give you steps on how to get there. If you want to succeed, then you must set goals that are achievable. Without this, you may easily lack direction and focus.
Goal setting allows you to take control full of your life and also provides a benchmark for determining if you are succeeding or not. However, to achieve your goals, you need to know how to set them. It is a process that starts with a consideration of what you want to accomplish, and it ends up with plenty hard work.In between, there must be very well defined steps that will help you accomplish what you have set. In this article, we are going to give you six rules of goal setting.
1. Think about the bigger picture.
When setting goals, you need to ask yourself some important questions about what you want to achieve. You also need to ask yourself if the goals that you are setting are achievable or not. Many people usually set goals that are nor realistic and attainable and at the end, they end up blaming themselves thinking that they have failed. Reflect on the bigger picture by property accessing your strengths and weaknesses and then come up with realistic goals that are achievable.
2. Determine the type of goal that you are setting.
Goals can be long-term and short-term. If you want a long term goal, when you must come up with measures that will ensure that you don’t get disrupted in the way from achieving it. On the other hand, if you goals are short term, then you must come up with a plan that will help you make them in time. Short terms goals must have very realistic and concrete plans otherwise you won’t be able to achieve them.
3. Set goals that will motivate you.
When you are setting goals, it is vital to establish those that motivate and inspire you. This means that you set goals that are important to you. If you set goals that you have little or no interest in then chances of you achieving them are very slim. . Set goals that relate to high priorities, this will help you focus.
4. Be SMART.
Setting goals that are SMART Means setting goals that are: Specific, attainable, relevant, measurable, and time-bound.
- Specific: To achieve your goals, they must be very clear and well defined. Generalized and vague goals do not provide sufficient direction and can waste your time and energy.
- Measurable: This includes setting goals that you can easily monitor and measure the rate of success. For example, if you have set a goal of reducing your expenses, you need to come up with plans that can enable you to know how exactly you have performed.
- Attainable: Make sure that you set goals that are realistic and achievable. If you set goals that are not attainable, you will erode your confidence and demoralize yourself.
- Relevant: The goals that you set must flow in the direction that you want your life and career to follow. By doing this, you will develop the focus that you need to help you achieve when you want.
- Time-bound: Your goals must have deadlines. When your goals have a time limit, the sense of urgency will increase thus helping you to achieve them much quicker.
5. Come up with an action plan.
To increase your chances of being successful, you must come up with an action plan that will help you plan all steps needed to help achieve your already set goals. By writing out all necessary steps and then crossing each when you meet, you will come to realize that you are making real progress toward achieving the ultimate goal. This is crucial especially if you have set a long term goal.
6. Stick with them.
Goal setting is an ongoing activity that requires commitment, focus, and hard work. It is vital to have reminders that can help keep you on track. You also need to review your goals periodically and make some changes if need but make sure that the result remains the same.