Wondering how to set goals is an extremely common question. Setting goals is a powerful tool for personal success. Without goals, it’s easy to wander through life achieving the bare minimum. Sure, you may find success through chance by simply existing and going about your day-to-day life without direction. The truth is, however, that almost everyone needs an objective to strive for. In this article, we’ll talk about why goals are important, when you should set them, and how to get started.
How to Set Goals – Why?
We touched on this in the introduction, but it’s worth repeating – goals are practically essential for success. As humans, we need a target to push ourselves toward every day. This target (our goals) gives us the motivation to endure boring meetings, long drives, studying, and more. Goals push us – they take us out of our comfort zone. They provide a measurable, quantifiable gauge of how we’re doing and what we’ve completed.
When Should I Set Goals?
When most people consider goal setting, they often think of the new year. New Year’s resolutions are common but often have a negative connotation. How many times have you set goals, only to fail or forget them by the middle of January? The truth is, goals can be created, assessed, and re-done at any time of year. While the new year is a great time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, you can start today. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading this in July – you can set goals today and start having success in the middle, end, or beginning of the year.
How to Get Started
The easiest way to get started setting goals is with a pen and paper. Jotting down a few things you want to accomplish is simple, but unfortunately, it’s also ineffective. Hastily-made goals are often vague, non-specific, and easily forgotten.
The best way to make goals is with a methodical approach. Many people use the SMART goal-setting framework. Think about goals in different areas of your life (financial, physical, spiritual, etc.) and create goals within those categories. Think about a time frame you’d like to accomplish your goals in. You can set goals to finish in a month, a year, or even 5 or 10 years. Goals should be measurable as well. “Losing weight” is a good idea, but hard to keep track of. “Lose 10 pounds by July” is a much better goal, as it has both a measurable number and a defined completion date.
These tips are only the start of effective goal setting. To help people more fully understand and harness the power of goal setting, I created the Next Level Goal Setting system. This system takes the principles above and adds many more easy-to-follow goal-setting suggestions. It’s a simple PDF guide for the average person on creating and keeping powerful goals. It costs less than a fast-food meal but will completely change the way you set goals. The best part? You can get the PDF download instantly by clicking the link below.
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