Q. Do you know the #1 method for reaching your goals?
A. Set them!
Of course, that seems totally obvious, but it is very common for people to just sort of assume that they know what their goals are. Study after study shows that the most successful people share something in common: They set goals for themselves. Let’s do Something Good for ourselves and our futures by taking a closer look at how to set goals.
First of all, it’s helpful to take a moment to think about what it is that you really want from life. What kinds of goals should you set? They can be work-related, family-inspired, personal growth or any other type of goals. Choose one of these areas, or set goals for several. It is probably most effective to choose one area on which to focus your attention before branching out, though.
It turns out that not all goals are created equal. There are very specific things you can do to improve the quality of your goal and hopefully make it that much more attainable.
1. Quantify your goal with numbers and deadlines. (“I exercise three times a week. “I will finish two quilts by Christmas.”)
2. Be definite about the goal. (“I will be a successful entrepreneur,” rather than “I will try to be a successful entrepreneur.”)
3. Avoid using negative words like “don’t” or “won’t.” ( “I eat fruits and vegetables at snack time” instead of “I don’t eat junk food.”)
Nearly as important as setting goals is writing them down. There is some sort of psychological commitment made when we go through the act of actually putting pen to paper and setting those goals in ink. We become emotionally invested in seeing them through to the end. It’s also nice to have something tangible to hold onto. It reminds us of where we’re headed and helps keep us on track.
Speaking of ways to stay on track, it can be useful to break our overall big goals down into smaller objectives. Objectives are the steps we need to take to reach the larger goal. Let’s say that your dream is to become a hairdresser. This is a huge goal, and there are a lot of steps involved in reaching it. For this reason, it is a good idea to break it down into more manageable pieces.
Goal: I will be a professional hairdresser by the end of next year.
• Objective: I will enroll in beauty school this fall.
• Objective: I will receive certification by next September.
• I will be working in a salon by next November.
Of course, each of these objectives could be broken down even further. Enrolling in school might include identifying the schools in your area, applying for admissions, securing financial aid, and being accepted. I like the idea of creating these smaller objectives, because each time you get to check one off, you feel a sense of accomplishment that helps keep you motivated for the next challenge. (I am, after all, the girl who writes “Make a List” at the top of my to-do lists so that I can cross it off as soon as I get my list on the paper.)
It turns out that one of the best things we can do to help make sure we get where we want to be in life is to actually define for ourselves what that means. The majority of successful people say that setting and writing down their goals helped them to do just that. Let’s do Something Good today by choosing at least one area in our lives in which to set some goals. This doesn’t have to be a huge process. In fact, I’d suggest that just spending 20-30 minutes can be a great start and get the process rolling. Of course, the next step is to make a point to review these goals occasionally to freshen our memories and to keep ourselves on track.