How to set goals and what to do to achieve them
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If you struggle to achieve the goals you set at the beginning of the year, I have a solution for you. Here’s how to set goals and achieve them.
Goal setting is an aspect of our lives that a lot of us take for granted. Most of the goals we have and ideas that cross our minds are stored in memory (we assume we would remember) which we forget most of or lose track of, to say the least.
There are so many positive outcomes that can come from the simple act of documenting your goals. The moment you write them down, they go from ideas floating around in your head to something you can visualize.
Someone whose teachings have impacted my life a great deal is Jim Rohn. Long after his passing, Jim Rohn’s videos are still valid in teaching life principles.
In this post, I will be writing about how to organize and keep track of your goals based on Jim Rohn’s teachings on goal setting and a few things I have learned from my own experience.
Use a journal
As I just briefly stated, writing your goals and ideas down is a significant step towards achieving them. The moment you write them down, you can make detailed plans for them.
Two main reasons you should write your goals down are:
One, they show that you are serious about achieving them.
The second reason is that you want to study yourself. Writing these goals down enables you to track your progress and your habits.
What motivates you, what slows you down, what discourages you?
Answering these questions gives you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses so you can set better strategies to achieve more results.
This is also the reason I recommend using an actual journal and not just saving them on your devices (you can save a copy on there if you wish).
It’s easy to just delete a goal or task with no remorse because it’s just erased like it was never there.
Crossing or striking a goal that you didn’t accomplish on paper will be a reminder that you were unable to get it done.
And, if that becomes a pattern in your journal where you’re constantly crossing out things that you did not accomplish, it becomes obvious there is a problem that has to be addressed.
Get a visual board
Yes, a lot of people make them, and you are probably wondering what the hype is about. As its name implies, it’s a visual representation of your goals and dreams posted boldly on a board.
It is hard to forget something you stare at so often for a long time. Every time you look at your vision board, you can imagine what it will feel like when those goals are actualized.
Visual boards could be decorative, too, so have fun collecting different items that are symbolic of your goals.
Be specific and realistic
You have to be very specific about each goal, define them, what it takes and how long to achieve them. It’s hard to plan what you are unsure about.
Break down your goals into long-term and short-term goals
Your long-term goals are your dreams, and they serve as your drive. They give you the why when you are working on your short-term goals, and they give you the motivation to keep going.
This could be financial freedom, becoming an expert in a field, personal development, your goals could be anything.
Short-term goals, on the other hand, are confidence builders. Every short-term goal you achieve re-affirms that you are capable of achieving your overall goal.
Also, each short-term goal achieved is one step closer to achieving the long-term goal.
Jim Rohn
Break each small goal into actionable steps
This is the stage of your goal planning where you break the smaller goals into little tasks. Make those to-do lists and cross them off as each task is completed.
The gratification that comes from crossing tasks off your list will motivate you to keep going.
Celebrate big accomplishments or significant ones.
If goals are set, and they are accomplished, they should be celebrated. This is a reward for your hard work and effort.
Your brain also associates a reward which is something pleasant, with achieving your goals, this on its own will serve as an additional source of motivation.
Here’s a post I wrote on how to master your productivity so you can get more done more efficiently and in a shorter time.
Things to do to increase your chances of achieving your goals
1. Never give up
Sometimes we set goals, and life happens, and you believe you are unable to achieve that goal in the frame of time you set for the goal, or you don’t think you can achieve the goal at all.
I want to encourage you not to give up.
Anything is possible, even at the last minute.
So, if you are looking at the list of goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year, be it financial, fitness, etc., whatever goal it is at all, and are disappointed in yourself for not achieving it yet, console yourself with the fact that there is hope.
Even if you don’t achieve it before the year runs out, you can try again next year.
I hold this quote really dear to my heart:
What you get by reaching your goals is not nearly so important as what you become by reaching them.
Zig Ziglar
Simply starting your goals and making some progress already makes you better than you were before you started.
That in itself is an achievement.
2. Focus on starting and showing up as often as you can
When you are walking up a very long flight of stairs. The smartest thing to do would be to focus on the next step because constantly looking at how much further you have to climb would be discouraging.
You can apply the same principle to achieving your goals.
Rather than looking at how much there is to do, how much, and how long it will take, focus on each step at a time.
Figure out what it takes and what you need, and focus on each step only. This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and discouraged.
3. Let go of perfection
Perfectionism can be crippling.
It can leave us stuck, second-guessing ourselves, going over things again and again, even if it is already good enough.
It holds us back from taking the next step.
If you struggle with perfectionism, it’s helpful to remind yourself that not much in life is perfect and almost everything can be improved.
So, even if you get to the point where you think it is finally perfect, even that can still be improved.
So, instead of focusing on something being perfect, focus on it being good enough instead and then continue to the next step. With time and experience, you can get better at anything.
4. Let go of regrets
Regret is one of the deepest emotions we feel as individuals, and the pain may be a lot to bear.
The knowledge that your predicament is a result of your own doing or lack thereof is hard to get over.
Regret can be an important life tool. one of life’s best teachers, and they can teach us to take a different part or approach to things the next time.
Hanging on to regret can do, however, the opposite, which is that, rather than teach us what not to do, hanging on to it can drown our self-esteem and trust in ourselves.
If you regret some of the actions you believe have hindered you from achieving your goals, remind yourself that when you look behind, it should be to learn from your past mistakes.
You should learn to move on and look forward. There’s not much you can do about the past, it’s already gone.
Life goes on, and the future is filled with opportunities and possibilities beyond your expectations.
Are you ready to crush your goals?
There you have it, these are the tips I have to help you organize and achieve your goals.
To summarise what we talked about in this post on how to set goals, these are the points listed in the post:
- Use a journal
- Geta visual board
- Be specific and realistic
- Break each small goal into actionable steps
- Never give up
- Focus on starting and showing up as often as you can
- Let go of perfection
- Let go of regrets
Goal planning is an art that you can master with time and practice. It’s ok if you are not there yet or fall off the bandwagon, you can always get back at it. Just remember you get better with patience and consistency.
It’s time to go achieve those goals!
