A Simple Guide To Setting Achievable Goals: Take Control of your life
On Average, 8% realize their goals, 30% achieve at least 50% of their goals, and the rest do not. The secret to becoming a high achiever is setting achievable goals. Below is a simple guide oh how to set goals to propel you to the next level.
1. Choose A Few Goals At A Time
The fewer the goals you have on your list, the more chances you have to accomplish them. It gives you focus and time to work through your goals without burnout.
To start setting your goals, you have to understand the wheel of life.
- Financial and career goals
- Mental and Educational goals
- Physical and health goals
- Social and Cultural goals
- Spiritual and cultural goals
- Family and home goals
The above goals make the wheel of life. To have a balanced life, you have to set goals in each of the above sections. Choose a few from each so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
Humans naturally avoid difficult situations. To overcome this, make your goals smaller, easy to handle, but challenging enough to make you grow.
2. Make Your Goals S.M.A.R.T
Goals have to be specific and not vague.
Specific setting goals give you a guideline of what to do and when to do it. It also gives you a target, what you want to achieve at the end of the day. For example, reading two pages of “Think Big” every day at 6 a.m for an hour.
Set goals that are measurable
Measurable goals help you to measure your progress. For example, you are reading two pages of ” Thinking Big” every day. If you are not reading the two pages daily, you know for sure, you are not meeting your target. It is better than a vague goal of reading a book every day.
Set attainable goals
If you are not able to read two pages of your book in an hour, you are setting yourself up for failure. Give yourself a reasonable timeframe. However, be careful not to set the bar too low lest it leads to complacency.
Set Relevant goals.
Your goals have to be relevant to your big picture, what you want to be. They show your personality, your values, and what you want to become. If reading books is one of your goals, it has to build to the big picture. Select books that are relevant to your purpose, not just any book.
Set goals that are time bound.
You are reading two pages o a book within an hour. Time-bound goals enable you to engage the right amount of time to each task to avoid negligence on others. The bigger picture is how many books you want to read in a year, for example, gives you an idea of how to read your book daily.
3. Note Your Goals Down
Commit yourself by writing down your goals. You have a reference point where you can always re-visit and see if you are on track.
A written goal gives you the power of visualization. It creates a powerful connection with your mind and desire, motivating you to achieve.
4. Revisit And Revise Your Goals Frequently
You accomplish two things when you revisit and revise your goals.
- You get to know if you are on track
- You can revise your goals to fit the changing trends of the new environment.
You may need to change some of your goals if they are no longer relevant to your purpose. The time allocated to your goals or the strategy you have in place may not be working. Revisiting your goals now and then gives you a chance to make the necessary adjustments.
5. Have An Accountability Partner
An accountability partner will keep you on your toes and frequently check on you. Everyone, even the higher achievers of this world, needs an accountability partner to keep them in check.
An accountability partner can be an individual or a group. Share your milestones and have your partner check against than at specified intervals.
How to choose an accountability partner
Be careful when choosing an accountability partner. An accountability partner should be someone firm, straight forward, and able to tell you the truth even when it hurts. They are consistent in following up with your progress.
If possible, choose an accountability partner who is on a higher level of achievement. Someone on a higher level challenges you to do more. Follow up with your promises and your milestones to keep your goals going.
6. Commit Your Plans unto The Lord
Finally, commit your plans unto the Lord.
As always, I love hearing from you, leave a comment or two below and let us learn from one another. If you like what you see and have read, please share it with a friend. You may change a brother or a sister’s life, and I will be eternally grateful.
I love you all, and let’s keep growing with Motivelead- Motivation with a purpose.
Proverbs 16:3 New International Version (NIV)
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.