Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you likely created a bunch of goals that you’d like to accomplish this year. But, are you setting goals in a way that you can actually achieve them? Or are you setting yourself up for failure? Read on to learn how to set powerful goals you can achieve!
In order to set powerful goals that are achievable, take some time to research the dreams you have to find out if they’re even doable. You do want to challenge yourself some, but you don’t want to make the goals so hard that you experience only defeat. To ensure maximum success, make sure that your goals meet the following criteria:
Your Goals Should Match Your Core Values
The more any goal fits into one of the four main areas of life – Family, Financial, Physical or Personal – the more likely you are to be able to set a realistic goal that you can achieve. If a goal for some reason doesn’t fit into one of your core values, it’s not likely you’ll experience much success.
You Must Be 100 Percent in Control
While goals that rely on others aren’t wrong, they are harder to achieve. Any goal that you control 100 percent is a goal that you can reach. Do ensure that you’re not letting fear get in your way or blaming fate for your failures, though. Self-limiting beliefs can get in your way on this one. Be realistic about whether you do have control or not and give yourself more credit. For example if you think you do not have control over your financial future because “that’s just how it is,” you are mistaken and need to eliminate this line of thinking.
Related: How You Can Turn a Dream Into a Workable Plan
You Must Be Able to Envision the Goal
If you can’t see the end result, it will be very difficult to move forward toward achieving the goal. If you need to draw a picture, make a vision board, or take a day out to fantasize about your big dreams and see how they all fit together in the big picture of your life, do so. You need to see the end to be able to truly achieve it.
Your Goals Should Be Spelled Out Specifically
Every goal you make needs to be very specific in nature. If you really want to be sure to reach the goal, you have to know when you reached it. Instead of saying “I want to start a business,” state exactly what type of business you want to start, who you want to be your clients, and other information that makes the goal more concrete.
Your Goals Need To Be Measurable
At which point have you achieved the goal? If you can’t give a number or something that is measureable, then you won’t have a real goal. If you want to use the business example, you might include that you want to earn x amount of dollars each week by a certain date and then how and why you are going to do it.
Each Goal Should Be Actionable
To achieve any goal there has to be steps that you can take to get there. Like using a map to reach a destination that you want to go to on vacation, you need to draw a map to your vision of success with the steps and paths you’ll take along the way. Put not only what but when, and how you’ll accomplish the step.
Related: 4 Productivity Tips Savvy Entrepreneur Swear By For Making the Most of Your Time
Sorry Not Sorry – Your Goals MUST Be Realistic
You don’t want to write a goal that is too hard to achieve or worse, impossible. Be sure that it’s scientifically possible to do it by researching everything realistically. For example, you’re not likely going to start a business today and earn six figures by tomorrow or even the first year in business. Look at the research and determine what is doable and how you’ll do it.
Your Goals Need To Be Timely
Every goal has to have a time limit otherwise you may never achieve it. Start with the end and work your way back to today, creating the list of things to do each day to finally reach the end result. But, do set a time limit. You can adjust as you get into the project if it works to be more realistic, but resist the urge to change the time because you’re not sticking to your task lists.
If you use this method to create powerful goals that you can achieve, you will not experience a lot of failure because you can always adjust your time line and your goals as you learn more. The important thing is to give each goal a lot of thought, consideration and study before setting it.
