Did you ever look back and think what you have achieved since the beginning of this year or what goals you have that you need to complete by the end of this year? Did you revisit your list to revise your goals or more importantly do you have a list of goals written down?
Goal setting is a trigger of success. The more you achieve your goals, the more successful you feel. You will also feel more motivated to set new goals and grow yourself. If you are not sure how to set and achieve goals for yourself, you can find some helpful tips below.
1. Decide What You Want to Achieve: It is important to decide what you want to accomplish during the year. For example; if you are not happy with your current job, finding a new job can be your goal. If you want to continue your education, enrolling a graduate degree or a certificate program should be your goal for this year. All of your goals do not need to be career related. Traveling to a new country can be your goal or a prize that you give to yourself when you achieve a career related goal.
2. Be Specific About Your Goals: Reachable goals are specific. For example; ‘I want to lose 10 pounds in two months’ is a much better goal compared to ‘I want to lose weight this year’. If you know exactly what you want, you can work easier towards that goal.
3. Write Down Your Goals: If you don’t write down your goals, they stay as wishes. You want them to happen but you barely find the motivation to make them real. If you write down your goals plus figure out an action plan to work towards them, you will notice that it will be easier for you to achieve them. If your goal is to buy a four bedroom house in your favorite neighborhood, write it down and figure out an action plan to save money for payments. This can be to cut back from shopping or to sell your luxury car and start using public transportation, etc.
4. Don’t Postpone Your Goals: Always set yourself a deadline to achieve your goals. If you want to change your job within six months, do so! Don’t delay it for another six months or else, it will never happen. However, your deadlines must be realistic enough so you can accomplish them. For example; if you just started your career as an actor and acted in your first movie, expecting to win an academy award with this movie is not a realistic goal. It can happen but still, it is not a realistic goal to achieve.
5. Revise Your Goals over Time: Things may not always go according to the plan. Maybe your goal was to get promoted but a financial crisis occurred and as a result, your employer started to lay off its employees. In this case, it is wise to revisit your goal and revise it as ‘keep your job’. Under these circumstances, it is more important to keep your job rather than to get promoted.
