How to Set Goals

“More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t.” –Anonymous

People talk about their goals to lose weight, get a new job, increase happiness, and start a new business. However, they don’t have specific plans to accomplish those goals, so they never achieve them. If you have goals that you want to obtain, follow the goal setting tips below.

1. Choose a goal that you truly want to accomplish. Don’t set a goal to quit smoking, because it’s bad for your health even though you don’t really want to quit. If you aren’t willing to give your goal one-hundred percent, then your chances of accomplishing it decrease dramatically. You have to want to succeed.

2. Set specific goals. The goal to learn a new language is not specific and measurable. Setting a goal to learn conversational Spanish within one year is a reasonable, measurable goal. You have to set detailed goals to be able to know when you fail or accomplish them.

3. Set goals that correspond with your other goals. If you set one goal to save fifty thousand dollars for your retirement in five years, you shouldn’t also set goals that involve spending a lot of money. Make sure each goal supports the others.

4. Make goals challenging. Set goals that will challenge you and drive you to succeed. 

5. List your priorities. Make a list of all of your goals and decide which ones are your top priorities. Focus on the goals that you wish to accomplish first then move on to the other goals.

6. Write down each goal. You should write down your goals in places that will encourage you to read them on a daily basis. Write down each specific goal on an index card and place it by your bed. Read it each morning when you first wake up and each night before you go to bed.

 

7. Make long-term and short-term goals. If you have a goal that takes more than six months to complete, you should also set specific short-term goals. Keep track of each short-term goal and the progresses you make toward the long-term goal each time you achieve a short-term goal.

8. Establish realistic goals. Don’t make goals that you know are too difficult. It’ll discourage you from trying to reach the goal, because you will be expecting failure.

9. Adjust each goal to become a positive statement. Instead of saying, “Don’t yell at my children” state, “Speak to my children in a calm voice five days a week for one month.” 

10. Visualize your goals. You should be able to see yourself accomplishing your goals and being successful. If your goal is to start your own business, you should picture what your business would look like and how it would feel.