10 Goal Setting Tips
The New Year is a time to reflect on what happened the previous year, and make resolutions about what you need to change in your life to have a more successful year. Resolutions are often goals about your life. You may want to lose weight, advance your career, make your relationship better. You visualise where you want to be and then consider what actions you need to advance you towards achieving your goals.
In many cases, you fail to keep your New Year resolutions. Perhaps your goals were not realistic enough, perhaps you did not have the necessary skills.
Here are ten tips to help you achieve your goals:
Tip 1: Enthusiasm
It is essential that you are motivated to achieve your goals. You need passion and commitment. For example: if your goal is to give up smoking, then visualise how much more healthier you will feel when you are cigarette free. Think of a great pampering treat for yourself that you can pay for with the money that you save.
Tip 2: Steady Progress
Some goals are better achieved through gradual steps rather than a few gigantic and difficult steps. If you want to lose weight then try to lose a pound or two every week rather than aim to lose 1 stone in 2 weeks. You will find that the gradual weight loss is much easier and more enjoyable.
Tip 3: Confidence
Try to develop confidence in yourself. There is nothing worse than thinking that you cannot achieve a goal. You need the belief in your ability to reach your goal.
Find ways to boost your self esteem. Talk to your friends and family. If your goals are realistic then they will tell you that you can achieve the goal. We all need help and support from others from time to time.
Tip 4: Make Your Goals SMART
If you use the SMART formula, then you will have no problem with your goals. SMART is an acronym for:
Specific - What are you going to do, why and how.
Measurable - Find a way to easily measure the progress of your goal.
Attainable - You must be able to figure out how to attain your goal and have the necessary skills and ability to do so.
Realistic - Your goals must be realistic. You cannot win X-Factor, or American Idol if you have a lousy voice, so don’t even try to put that down as a goal!
Timely - Set a time frame for your goal. Can it be achieved by next week, next month or next year?
Tip 5: Vision
It helps to have a vision about your goal. In this vision you imagine how you will feel when you have achieved you goal. How much better will your life be when your goal has been reached?
Sometimes it helps to create a picture that represents the achievement of your goal. For example: if you want to earn more money this year, then find a picture on the internet or in a magazine of something that you would like to buy, a new outfit, a new watch, even a new car. Use this image to focus your mind and imagination on your goal.
Tip 6: Take Action
Once you have established a goal, write down at least 3 action steps that will advance you towards your goal. Do at least one of these actions today. Don’t procrastinate.
Tip 7: Never Lose Sight of Your Goals
Write down your goals and look at them every day to remind you of where you are heading.
Tip 8: Set a Big Goal
To make goals achievable using the SMART formula above, may mean that the majority of your goals are not that big. Losing weight, giving up smoking, getting a new job are admirable goals, but why not have a least one gigantic goal? Examples are:
Climb the highest mountains in Wales, England and Scotland in one weekend.
Go on a round the world trip
Spend a year working in the third world doing voluntary overseas service
Win the X-Factor (only if you have a great voice!)
Tip 9: Identify the Obstacles
Not all goals are achieved without something going wrong. You may want to cut down on drinking alcohol but a friend buys you a bottle of brandy for your birthday which calls you to drink it. In the middle of your eight loss program your favourite Aunt arrives with home made cream cakes.
If you can identify what obstacles are likely to arise, then you can also work out strategies for overcoming these obstacles.
Tip 10: Make More Goals
Once you achieved some goals, then this gives you a much needed boost of self esteem that will make it easier to achieve more goals.
Goals making is a life long process that gets easier as you gain more success.
Happy goal making!
