The 5 Best Goal-Setting Tips That Will Change Your Life
“Your goals are the road maps that will guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” - Les Brown
Goals are important because they give you hope and inspiration to work harder so you can give yourself, your family, and the people you love a better future.
If you want an extraordinary life, you need to make extraordinary efforts so you can gain extraordinary results. And people who get things done, lead, and grow are those who are led by goals.
How do they do it? Through proper programming of the subconscious mind and goal-setting. Here are 5 tips to do it:
1. The Golden Rule of Goal-Setting: SMART
The SMART method in goal setting will give you direction and help you organize your goals so you can reach them realistically and efficiently.
S - SPECIFIC
Your goals must be specific, clear, and well-defined. Because if not, your goals will become harder or impossible to reach. Keep in mind that your goals will lead you the way, and you won’t see the way without a clear direction.
For example, you’re aiming for a house and lot - where exactly is it located, how many rooms do you want it to have? What does the interior look like?
Visualize and imagine. This process will give you the motivation to have it one day.
M - MEASURABLE
When aiming for a goal, specifically for material things, identify the amount and the timeframe you’re planning to achieve your goals. This is so you can have clear targets to measure your level of success.
If you want to purchase your dream car, how much is it and when are you planning to buy it?
A - ATTAINABLE
Dreams are free, so aim high. That’s correct. But the other truth is, you have to be realistic with your dreams.
For example, you just got hired from a new job or started your own business. Don’t expect to reach your long-term goals in just a few months. Unrealistic goal setting will only delay your results until your goals become impossible to reach.
Make sure that it’s possible to reach the goals you’re setting. And they should match with your actions and current situation.
R- RELEVANT
Goals should be aligned and relevant to the direction you’re taking. If your goals are aligned, you’ll have more focus and won’t easily get distracted.
Everything should be balanced. Create personal and professional highlights in your life. You just can’t keep on grinding, you need to unwind sometimes.
Balance will keep things from getting disoriented and unorganized.
T - TIME BOUND
If work, school, and business have deadlines, so should your goals.
Deadlines give people a sense of urgency. And for successful people, the sense of urgency is getting a lot of things done in a short period of time, in a calm, confident manner.
Without a sense of urgency, goals will lose a part of their value. The moment you put a deadline to your dream, it becomes a goal. So practice having one.
2. How motivated are you?
If you want change, you must be motivated and driven to change.
It takes a strong willpower to stay motivated because of distractions and struggles you might face along the way.
And each time you go through that phase - whether the results are good or bad, observe your behavior and the outcomes.
Learn from your mistakes and get stronger from your achievements.
3. How committed are you?
Know your deepest why. Have some time to reflect and ask yourself these three questions:
- “Is this really what I want?”
- “Why does achieving these goals matter to me?”
- “Why do I need to make sacrifices to gain them?”
Because sometimes, the goals you think you want to achieve are just temporary. Once you struggle and become uncomfortable, your goals might change. And goals that are unstable are also unreachable.
If you already found your deepest goals, you’ll work hard to get them with no excuses, delays, or limitations.
4. How consistent are you?
Consistency is more important than perfection. It doesn’t matter how quick you get things done, if you’re not consistent, the results won’t last long.
Keep in mind that if you’re persistent you will get the things you want. But it takes consistency to keep them.
Once again, have some time to reflect and ask this next set of questions:
- Are you the type of person who procrastinates?
- Do you only do things when comfortable?
- How much effort and sacrifices are you willing to make in order to stay consistent?
In this process, you need to be honest with yourself. You don’t need to lie, because no one will know. Being honest will help you determine whether you’re far or close to reaching your goals.
5. Keep things private; let people wonder
Privacy is power. What people don’t know, they can’t ruin.
If you want to share your achievements because you’re proud of them, that’s fine. But at least, keep your plans and process a secret.
Planning to buy a car or house? Keep it a secret until you buy them.
Planning to start a new business? Keep it a secret until you establish it.
This will prevent envious people from ruining your plans and extending negative energy towards you.
Always remember, hustle in silence and let success make the noise.
A motivational reminder:
Success is never a coincidence or pure luck. It is a combination of hard work, perseverance, learning, sacrifices, inspiration, and, most of all, the love for what you do.
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