Setting goals is important because if you don’t know where you are going, you are likely to get lost.
Effective goal setting takes practice. Set the bar too low, and you won’t achieve as much as you might. Set it too high and you set yourself up for failure. Make your goals too ambiguous and you’ll be unable to track your progress or know when you have achieved them. And, perhaps most importantly, setting goals that are not deeply, truly and profoundly important to you is a waste of time because you will never be inspired to do the hard work it will take to get there.
So as you look towards the fresh, new year which provides a perfect moment in time to consider your path, your goals and your dreams, consider these three essential elements of any goal you set:
A goal must be measurable. You must be able to know for sure if you are on the right path and making progress. And you must be able to experience the sweet moment of success when you crush it. So instead of setting a goal to “be more grateful” set a goal to make 100 entries in your gratitude journal this year.
A goal must be aggressive but achievable. Sure, I’d love to run a four-minute mile or back squat three-hundred pounds but neither are realistic. But a 205 pound deadlift? On my list for 2019.
A goal must be something you really, really want. What do you want? Really, really want? If you are like most of us, your days are already full. Packed even. So achieving a goal is going to take effort that goes beyond your daily whirlwind and that is going to require real work. Sacrifice. Stretching beyond your comfort zone. Saying no to some things that might give you short-term pleasure. Playing the long game. And you will only do those things to accomplish a goal that you really, really want. So instead of creating a long list of goals that you kinda want, or think you should want, set just a few goals that you really, really want.
If You Don't Know Where You Are Going, You Are Likely To Get Lost: Tips for Goal Setting