How To Set Goals And ACHIEVE Them

Nothing compares to the feeling that success brings. More often than not, success requires hard-work, blood, sweat, and tears. Therefore, it is perfectly understandable to celebrate after one’s goals are reached no matter how big or how mundane it may seem to other people. Naturally, success starts in goal-setting. Hitting one’s aim is never possible when no goal is set at all. Most people who experience success move on to work even harder on their other goals. Success should serve as fuel to the fire, not a reason to kick back and get lazy.

Aim High: Setting GoalsIn setting goals, one should ask himself or ask herself what it is that he or she really wants. When setting goals, especially in the preliminary phase, one should not think about what other people want, what other people expect, and what other people prefer. Goals should start as personal. Only in the latter part of the planning or brainstorming should other factors be taken into consideration. This ensures the person’s personal interest and stake in the goals. This will help keep motivated until the goals are reached.

Name it: Choosing Specific GoalsA lot of people make the mistake of setting general or extremely vague goals. Example: “I aim for happiness in my career”. This is too general and its fulfillment would be impossible to measure. As a solution to this example, one should think of specific things that would make you feel accomplished about your career. Possible answers would be to get a record deal, to sell a specific amount of albums, or to become the greatest rapper or singer in the game. Just as goals should be specific, these should also be realistic. A lot of people may say that it does not cost anything to dream so make the most of it. This is true, but dreaming alone without action is futile.  Impossible goals that are pursued for the wrong reasons could be impossible to reach and will most likely lead to disappointment.

Realistic goals are possible to achieve and each success will leave a person more motivated. That is the perfect time to set a higher goal until what seems impossible at first becomes reachable. So it’s a cycle, start with realistic goals like getting out of debt, having money in savings, finishing school, or getting your business in order before trying to pursue things that are far more difficult.  Take care of the realistic things first, then take over the world.

Beat it: Setting DeadlinesIt would help a lot if you set a deadline for each goal. As my mentor Napoleon hill said: “A goal is a dream with a deadline!” This would keep a person motivated and would add healthy amount of pressure. Notice I said a “healthy amount of pressure.” This deadline is set by the person himself or herself. It should be realistic. Therefore, in setting it, the capability and resources of the person are considered. Just like in the process of goal-setting, setting an impossible deadline would only lead to disappointment and discouragement.

Lights, Camera, Action!After the goals and deadlines are set, it is time to put the wheels in motion. Of course, brainstorming and creating an action plan are prerequisites of a successful process. Put it in writing! Writing down your goals is a must. Therefore, it is very important that you keep a clear and open mind during the planning period. Once an action plan is established, act on it. It is very important to keep track of your progress and stay focused on the set goals. Measure your success as you move forward.