All successful people know how to set goals and achieve results. Read about the basic rules for setting goals and achieving results that will help you make your dream come true.
Making dreams come true consists of 2 stages: correct goal setting and an effective process for achieving results. First of all, let’s look at how to set a goal correctly.
Why you need to be able to set goals correctly
- make your dreams come true;
- correctly distribute energy and time;
- motivate yourself on the way to results;
When you have set a clear goal for yourself, your actions become as effective as possible, because... subordinated to a completely specific idea. A correctly set goal will not only show you the simplest and most effective path to achieving results, but will also give you the necessary motivation when the desire to work leaves you.
The ability to set goals correctly is a habit
Some successful people have dedicated their lives to the study of achieving goals effectively. Brian Tracy, the author of more than 70 books on self-development, paid a lot of attention to the study of this art. Of the Russian writers, Gleb Arkhangelsky, the author of the book “Time Drive,” especially stands out. Each of them came to the conclusion that the ability to correctly set goals and achieve them is a habit that can and should be developed. We will touch on some of the thoughts of these authors in this article, but to a greater extent the article will be based on mine personal experience to achieve goals. Writing this article is also a small goal, a step towards achieving a more global goal - creating useful internet self-development site. And the fact that you are now reading this article suggests that the result has been achieved quite well. Well, let's go?
How to set a goal: 5 rules
In total, I have identified 5 basic rules that affect the quality of the goal. If you follow each of them, you will be able to formulate a correct and motivating goal with which you will undoubtedly be able to achieve results. Let's begin.
The goal must be in writing
A verbally stated goal is just a thought. Only a specific formulation written down on paper is a real commitment to oneself. A written statement of a goal presupposes the presence of some convenient tool to record it. There are 2 convenient tools for formulating goals:
- Diary
The most effective and handy tool. People who use a diary do business much more effectively than those who neglect it. A diary is convenient because goals can be formulated for the year, month, week and day and you can always have it at hand. At the same time, short-term goals (for example, a plan for the day) should always be based on long-term ones (goals for the year).
- Vision board
This small size a board with the ability to draw and erase, which is hung in a visible place at home or at work. It is not suitable for daily task planning, but for formulating global goals, for example, for the coming year, it is an ideal option.
For myself, I chose a diary.
The right goal should be as specific as possible
One of the reasons many people don't achieve their goals is that they aren't specific enough. Because of this, it is not clear whether you are getting closer to your goal or how far you have come. Let's look at the example of losing weight.
Bad wording: lose weight
Good formulation: lose 10 kg in 10 months, losing 1 kg monthly, by November 1, 2018;
The more specific the goal is, the more clearly you can imagine the end result in your head, which means you can effectively motivate yourself.
The goal must be measurable
A measurable goal should be as detailed as possible. It must indicate the period during which you plan to achieve this goal. If the deadline for achieving the goal is not set, then you give the brain an instruction: there is nowhere to rush, and therefore it is not necessary to make every effort to achieve the goal.
The deadline does not have to be set exactly the first time. It may be subject to adjustment, becoming shorter or longer. Simply assessing your strengths right away is not an easy task, but as you work, you will understand it better.
The goal should be divided into as many subtasks as possible
This is especially true for global goals, which may take more than one year to achieve. Gleb Arkhangelsky voiced a very good association on this issue. He compared a big goal to an elephant, and the process of achieving a result to eating an elephant. Eating a whole elephant seems like an impossible task, but if you divide the elephant into small pieces - “steaks”, and eat them gradually, you will soon see that your impossible task has been completed in many small steps.
The goal must be achievable
You should not set yourself impossible tasks - they greatly weaken the motivation on the way to the result. You must constantly see progress and realize that you are getting closer to your goal. Therefore, first of all, you need to assess your strengths and decide what result is truly achievable for you.
The goal should inspire
Even just the wording itself that you compose should make you want to make efforts to achieve results. Closing your eyes and seeing yourself having achieved your goal, you should literally be filled with strength and inspiration. And remembering about her early in the morning, when you don’t want to get up, you fly out of bed.
To make your goal inspire you as much as possible, do a simple exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down the 10 most desired changes that achieving your goal can bring to your life.
An example of a well-set goal
Let’s take for example a goal: buying a car.
If this is yours cherished dream, then you should choose which car model can inspire you to heroic deeds. For example, Chevrolet Lanos.
I am buying a black Chevrolet Lanos on June 30, 2020 at a price of 180,000 rubles.
To do this, I need to save 5 thousand rubles every month for the next 3 years, which I will put into a special bank account, with interest accruing.
When I buy a car, I will realize my dream of car travel, I will be able to travel to work in comfort, I will get rid of the need to travel by public transport, I will listen to my favorite music loudly, I will be able to drive around an empty city at night late at night, go out onto an endless highway and drive , drive, drive...
Let's move on to the next stage.
How to achieve results: 5 rules
Even the most correct and inspiring goal will not be achieved if it is not supported by action. Once the goal is correctly formulated, it is necessary to move on to the most critical stage - the process of achieving the result.
The first thing you will encounter is a lot of fears in your head, most often fictitious. Let's look at the 3 most popular fears and how to deal with them:
Work with fears
- I won't succeed
A very common thought, and extremely harmful. Take a look around. Look at the incredible results those around you achieve: they create a million-dollar business, become screen stars, popular performers. Imagine that one day one of them would say to themselves - I won’t succeed. It would have stopped him and he wouldn't have even tried. Who would he be now? You don’t want to deprive yourself of future victories, success and achievements, simply because you are afraid of defeat?
In fact, It's not defeat you need to be afraid of. In any case, it will be experience, practice, effort. But what you really need to be afraid of is not even trying. Drive this fear out of your head, and constantly repeat to yourself - “I can do it!” Soon you will believe it yourself and achieve results that you only dreamed of before.
2. The goal is unattainable
You need to figure out why you think this way. If no one has achieved such a goal before you, then be the first. Many people were once the first in something, and this did not stop them.
And if someone has already achieved a similar result (especially if many), then you have every chance. You are no worse. Most likely even better. Now you are working on yourself, reading useful material. And this speaks of your determination. You simply cannot fail. I believe in you!
3. It's too late
A dangerous and very destructive thought. I liked to tell myself that too. When I was a student, this exact thought stopped me from achieving an important goal. And after many years, I finally returned to my goal and began to work towards achieving it. And I have already achieved good results. It turned out that even after many, many years it was not too late, and after many more years it would not have been too late. But then, when I was at university, it was the perfect time. It's a pity that I didn't understand this then.
If you now give up on achieving your goal, because... It seems to you that it’s “too late,” but many years later you will be very sorry and realize that it was “the right time.” Believe me.
To achieve results - take action
The key to successfully achieving results is constant movement forward. Have you broken your goal into many subtasks? You need to take a step towards your goal every day, no matter how small. But be sure to do it. If you don’t have the strength, or you want to put it off until tomorrow, remember that the same thing will happen again tomorrow.
Think about this.
If you write only 1 page a day, then in a year you will write a book.
If you save 100 rubles every day, by the end of the year you will have 36,500 rubles.
If you do 100 push-ups every day, you will do 36,500 push-ups in a year.
Thinking about this, you realize what enormous power constants have, even if small steps to achieve your goal, and what great results can be achieved through small but regular actions.
Control the achieved result
Your constant companion in achieving results is tracking progress. If you decide to use a diary, then it would be correct to report to yourself every day about what results you have achieved.
Such reports help you not only see progress, but also feel responsible to yourself if you have been slacking. Are you really ready to accept what you have today and give up your dreams? I'm sure not. Report to yourself every night, analyze your mistakes and think about what you can do better.
Get inspired by success stories
That's very important point– there will probably be people who have already achieved the result you are striving for. Find their success stories - these could be books, personal blogs, forum posts. Stories of people who have conquered the peak you are striving for will not only inspire you, give you the opportunity to gain experience and valuable knowledge; learn about the mistakes they made and avoid making them yourself.
That's all, friends! Believe in yourself and you will succeed!
Goals make us develop and move forward in life. Setting is the first step to successfully achieving a goal. You switch from a passive observer to an active participant in your life. It is important that you understand the importance of goal setting and apply this knowledge on a daily basis. Then the goals will gradually begin to be realized. We will talk about how to set goals and achieve them correctly in this article.
I propose to first consider the main reasons for the need to have your own goals. This will make the goal setting process more conscious and dispel all doubts. The main reasons include:
- You will be in control of your own life.
Today, a large number of busy and working people do not feel that they are enjoying life. The reason for this is the fact that they do not know what they want. Children finish school and are not sure what they will do next, adults work for many years and reach the age of 40 and feel that they have not used their potential.
In reality, you are simply carrying out the goals of others. For example, fast food corporations convincing you that you “love it.” Or the consumer products industry telling you you need this shampoo at 70% off. When you think about your own goals and understand what you really want, you will seem to come out of autopilot. Instead of letting people tell you what to do, you will take responsibility for your choices. - You will get maximum results.
Top performers, world-class athletes and successful people have set goals. Michael Phelps (23-time Olympic swimmer), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook co-founder), Richard Branson (business tycoon) and Elon Musk (CEO of Space X and Telsa Motors) had clear goals and achieved success.
What goals do you want to achieve in a year? By setting goals, you think ahead, after which you can work on an action plan. Remember that all objects are created twice: initially they are invented in the mind, then they “come to life” in real world. Setting goals is a mental creation. Physical creation is accomplished only when you begin to make efforts and bring your plans to life. - You will have clear focus.
While life gives you general direction, your goals allow you to focus on what's most important, spending your time efficiently and channeling your energy in the right direction. Let's imagine that you dream of opening an online store and have set yourself such a goal. You have no idea how to achieve it, but setting a goal gives you focus. You start brainstorming and get ideas. You realize that you can start by analyzing the demand in the market in your city, understand what products are popular and what people buy the most. Then choose a niche that is in demand and interesting to you. Next, all that remains is to find a supplier, post photos of the goods on the website or in social networks, organize delivery and reception of calls. This way, focusing on your goal guides you in the right direction. - You will take responsibility.
Setting goals helps you become more responsible. Instead of just talking or blaming others, you now have a responsibility to take action. This accountability is for yourself, not for anyone else. No one knows the goal you have set and no one will bully you. Only you will win if you achieve it. - You will increase your motivation.
Setting goals is like connecting you to your inner desires. They help motivate you and strive for your ideals. This is especially effective if you are going through a difficult life stage; goals help remind you of what is important, focus on your desires, and overcome obstacles. - You will become a better person.
Goals will help you reach your highest potential. Without them, you habitually do the routine work that makes you feel safe every day. But it doesn't allow you to grow. This robs you of your infinite potential. Motivation will force you to take risks, experience new situations and go beyond the usual, thereby giving you the opportunity to reach new heights. - You will live better.
Last but not least, goals guarantee you better life. As time goes on, it is by setting goals with specific actions that will ensure that you use your potential and achieve greatest number useful experience within the allotted time.
Setting a goal
To achieve a specific result, you can contact different methods. One of the most effective methods is the “SMART” technology. The word is an acronym and includes five main criteria. Any task you set must correspond to them.
- Specificity. It is not enough to set yourself the goal “I want a house by the sea.” It is necessary to describe all the nuances and preferences in your mind as accurately as possible. Otherwise, you may have a house, but it will belong to a relative and you will not be able to dispose of it as you would like. The goal seems to have been achieved, but you don’t get what you wanted. Example:
Wrong: I want a house by the sea.
Right: Two-story house in personal ownership with good repair and a swimming pool in Phuket next to the sea. - Measurability. You have talent and good ideas, because you want to open your own business. This is interesting and, if successful, will allow you to make good money. In this case, you need to set a goal of how much income you want to receive per month from your business and gradually achieve it. Example:
Wrong: I want to become a successful and rich entrepreneur.
Right: Income 500,000 rubles per month from your business. - Reachability. Try to jump above your head and set ambitious plans for yourself, while relying on objective reality. Example:
Wrong: I want all people to be healthy.
Right: Learn to become a doctor and develop effective ways healing the body. - Significance. When setting a specific goal, ask yourself the question “why do I need this?” in order to come to a specific answer “I will become happier”, “I will be able to help people”, etc. Money cannot be a goal - it only provides an opportunity to acquire something what do you desire. Example:
Wrong: Want more money to travel.
Right: Traveling through European cities. - Deadlines. Without a time frame, a goal can stretch out over many years. An approaching deadline encourages action and increases productivity. Example:
Wrong: I want to learn English.
Right: Next year I will pass the TOEFL exam with excellent marks.
How to achieve your goals
Achieving what you want can sometimes be very difficult. We blame our colleagues, friends and even fate for our failures and failures, but, of course, we don’t think about ourselves. To achieve your goals, you need to consider several points.
- Write down your goals. It’s even better to supplement your written wish with pictures (for example, magazine clippings). The collage visualizes your desires.
- Form your desires as precisely as possible. Avoid expressions that can be interpreted in two ways so that additional questions do not arise.
- Set realistic goals that you can achieve in this life. Agree that you are unlikely to be able to ride a unicorn on your birthday.
- Dream big. Don't limit yourself to mundane goals like buying a new bag. Dream about traveling around the world, a house with a garden, or a successful business. Don't force yourself into rigid boundaries, let your potential unfold.
- Move from desires to actions. Study, read and try - this is the only way to achieve what you dream of.
List of 100 goals for the year
I usually make a list of 100 goals before the New Year. This is a very useful practice. I tell you how to write such lists correctly in this video.
Analyze your actions, draw conclusions and expand your knowledge. Correct positioning goals, your efforts and efforts will allow you to achieve the desired results and achieve success. I wish you good luck and start conquering the peaks today!
They say that dreaming is not harmful, but many dreams should remain just dreams. I lived with this statement since childhood, my parents always pulled me back when they found out about my fantasies - come down to earth!
Well, okay, let’s say the idea of having a unicorn and flying it to other planets really needs some work, but such simple human desires as nice house, stable marriage, interesting work and travel can be realized. How many very simple and small desires do people have?
Get your figure in order for summer, open your own store, learn to dance flamenco... And every day I hear from someone - well, this is impossible. Absolutely anything is possible if you know how to achieve it! I will talk about my approach to goals and their implementation, and you will learn how to set goals.
Setting goals
How to set a goal so that you can achieve it? Some believe that their desire is already a goal. For example, I talked with a young guy who wanted to buy an apartment and was saving money to buy it. This lasted a year, then several years (although his income was very decent), and all this time he worked a lot and hard, and seemed to be moving towards his goal... No. This is a desire, a dream and an extremely stupid way to realize it. If you don’t organize the process from the very beginning, then your life won’t be enough for your dreams.A correctly set goal has the following characteristics:
- she is very specific. If we take the example of purchasing a home, then you need to sit down and write down in detail what options may suit you: square footage, location, layout.
- it is measured in specific terms. For example, buying a home in three years. Lose ten kilograms by summer.
- it has an implementation plan. If you know how to implement it, you will always achieve results.
Formulating goals
You need to write down any of your desires - for this you can create a separate notebook or text file, I write down all my ideas in Evernote. Not all desires really need to be realized, some are simply meaningless, others are imposed, and others are not thought out at all. But it’s better to still have them on hand. Next, you need to make a goal out of desire.Not long ago I pursued exactly this dream, and I can tell you what and how I did. It's not too difficult, but it can't be done in a jiffy, so you'll need to understand how to set a goal correctly and achieve it.
The next step is to formulate the goal, express it as specifically and in detail as possible. To do this, you need to confirm the reason. Answer yourself to the following questions(I indicated possible options answer for study purpose foreign language):
- Why do I want to achieve this?
Possible answers:- I want to feel the culture of a new country.
- I need this language in my work; knowing it will make me a more specialized and valuable specialist.
- I want to travel and knowing a foreign language will expand my capabilities.
- I want to read, write, listen to music and watch videos in this language.
- What will achieving this result give me?
- I will be more free when traveling.
- I will be able to watch the films of my favorite director in the original.
- I will get a promotion.
- How will I feel when I achieve my goal and how will I know that I have achieved the result?
- I will feel satisfaction from the first book I read without a dictionary.
- I will experience new sensations when watching the film in the original.
- I'll feel a little less "foreign" when I travel when I can talk freely with the locals.
- How will achieving results improve me?
- A foreign language develops thinking, I will remember information faster.
- I will study diligently, become more disciplined and learn to work with information.
- What can I do next?
- It will be easier for me to learn new languages.
- I will be able to teach or tutor.
- I will be able to get a certificate of knowledge of a new language.
- I will be able to go to another country to work (having an accredited diploma and confirming the spoken language with a certificate).
I determined the deadline as follows. I chose IELTS testing to test my knowledge. Then I called my English teacher and asked her how long it would take to realistically prepare for IELTS with my level of preparation. Having thrown in a couple of months for unforeseen circumstances, I started drawing up an implementation plan.
How to make your plans come true
Every goal seems too difficult unless you break it down into small subgoals. My grandmother said " If you don't know what to do, take small steps ". Therefore, our large and important goal needs to be divided into many small ones, which will be much easier to cope with. To do this, we will again need several sheets of paper and a pencil, and again we will answer questions.
How to achieve what you want?
It was easy for me - I needed to study, devote more time to the language, read in it, watch movies and attend group classes. If the goal is to buy a home, then everything is a little more complicated. To buy an apartment you need money, the apartment itself, lawyers, a real estate agency and time. To achieve an ideal figure, you will need time, consultation with several doctors, a new diet, a gym membership and a good trainer. I hope the basic principle is clear? You need to outline your goal into main stages.By the way, did you notice that in each example I mention time? It is needed to learn English, to lose weight and buy real estate... This is not an abstract meaning. You can’t listen to a song in English once a week and pass IELTS in a year, just as you can’t do squats twice and get great muscles. Every good thing takes time, so decide right away how much time you will devote to your goal.
This requirement will need to be strictly observed - otherwise the goal will not be achieved.
The period is determined either by the capabilities of the person or external circumstances(in a language situation, for example, when a certificate is needed by a certain deadline, they act based on the available time).
I had nowhere to rush, so I allocated 8 hours a week to learning English. Six days, one hour each for independent study, reading books, watching videos, and studying on the Internet, and two hours for classes in courses. Your deadlines may be different, it all depends on the goal and discipline.
Making a list of tasks
So, for my language “young fighter course” I needed to make a list. I recommend everyone make a list like this in relation to their goal.- Find out your assets
You need to understand what you have to achieve your goal right now. I had this:- school level of English. Not God knows what, but still not from scratch.
- good educational materials, classics and modern literature in the original.
- good teacher (no need to look for a group).
- enough money for training (if I didn’t have it, I would take out a small loan).
- several English friends who agreed to talk with me on Skype and correct my mistakes.
The next question on the list to answer is
- What needs to be done to get results?
I had these answers:- take the test and find out the state of my English.
- talk with the teacher, soberly assess your capabilities and listen to the recommendations of a professional.
- make a lesson schedule.
- Separately, engage in training for IELTS testing - find examples of tasks, complete them, learn to do it as correctly as possible.
- arrange independent tasks so that they are effective.
In the situation with large purchases, for example, everything is a little different. First of all, there will be a completely different list. In order to purchase a home faster, you will need to not only save money, but also protect it from inflation, increase capital, monitor the situation on the housing market, if the need for a mortgage arises, then write new list on how to pay it off quickly.
We must not forget about why all this is being done. Two months after the start of classes, I started reading - so that it wouldn’t be so scary, I first took up the old ones good fairy tales in English, then read something more difficult, and then I found myself wanting to listen to audiobooks. No sooner said than done.
I recommend doing the same thing to everyone who has set a goal and is achieving it - start enjoying the process. The path to a goal is not an easy one, and those who know how to set goals correctly will always achieve their goals. But there is a significant difference between “to achieve” and “to achieve with pleasure.” The second, as you understand, is much more pleasant.
I would also like to give one very important advice which I received from my teacher. It so happened that in our group there were several guys who had already tried to take IELTS and did not receive the necessary scores to confirm their level. They gave a lot of advice, talked about their experiences and shared opinions.
But our teacher gave one of the most valuable advice for my entire life - You only need to learn from those who have already achieved the result you want! Simple, right? Ask for advice from those who know what to do. This was a revelation for me.
Some people think that a year is a long time to achieve a goal. I have a different point of view on this matter. A year is a long time if you want to buy a coat or change your phone. And even then, it all depends on the situation. I lived twenty-five years without English (really good English), and another year meant nothing to me.
If there was a need to prepare for testing in three months, I would do it too, there are no unfulfilled desires if you organize your life correctly for at least a year or two.
Any achievement of a goal is not only work, but also some overcoming of oneself. You will have to overcome yourself every day, or even several times a day. I convinced myself every day that languages were easy for me (this is true, because I know four languages), I also praised myself ( positive emotions help me cope with the matter), and all the time I organized myself.
Organizing yourself is a difficult task, and if at some point it doesn’t work out, then it’s better to turn to a coaching trainer. These are special psychologists who not only develop the theory, but also help you achieve the desired result and implement in your life what makes it even more interesting.
I am sure that if a person knows how to set goals correctly and achieve them, he will be able to achieve the desired results, and at the same time he will be able to learn to live differently - more meaningfully. Ultimately, goals help you mobilize yourself, make yourself better, smarter and more interesting. I’m talking about this because I’ve gone through this stage many times in my life - I achieved results, re-read the list of goals set for the year over and over again, and looked for ways to make my desires come true.
Now I’m ready to organize the process of achieving not only personal goals, but also work ones - this helps me a lot in life. Remember, nothing is impossible. And write down your list of goals - for a year, five years, or even for your whole life today, so that you know each of your dreams and start making them come true.
The ideal model for goal setting is SMART. This is an abbreviation for English words Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. They mean that our goal should be:
Specific. It is clearly stated what result needs to be achieved;
Measurable. There are criteria showing the completeness of the goal;
Achievable. When you really assess your capabilities, you conclude that you can achieve it;
Realistic. Someone else besides you can achieve it;
Determined by time. There must be time limits for achieving the goal;
To achieve the goal, it is necessary, first of all, to perform decomposition, that is, breaking it down into smaller subgoals. Even if your task is not very large, it can still be broken down into smaller components that will make it easier to achieve results.
It is necessary to consider which of the small goals can be delegated and write down a number of people who will be responsible for this task.
Sort tasks by priority. Try to start fulfilling the most important goals, and then move on to more minor ones, this will allow you not to miss the main thing.
Constantly monitor the process, keep records and measure efficiency, then getting results will not take long.
Your goals will come true faster and more accurately if you learn to set them correctly for yourself. Knowing what you want is not enough. It is necessary to detail your request to the universe.
Instructions
Decide which area of your life needs improvement the most. Of course, you can set several goals at the same time and achieve them in parallel, but it will be easier to start with one thing, the main one. Think about what least satisfies you at the moment, for example, your level of well-being, professional growth, relationships with the opposite sex, health, appearance or something else. Now you should understand what task to set for yourself in order to improve the state of your affairs.
Remember that your goal should be quite bold, but realistic. Don’t be afraid to aim for something bigger, don’t be modest, but don’t wish for the impossible. Life goals are meant to be achieved, not so that you have a dream throughout your entire existence. If you find it difficult to determine the threshold where your real possibilities end and fantasy begins, refer to your past experience. Nobody knows you better than yourself. You can also read the relevant statistics on the Internet or study specialized literature.
Keep in mind that your goal must be very specific. Vague definitions only push you further away from the day when your plans will come true. If your success in a future endeavor can be measured in some way, set specific numbers as the bar. In addition, you need to decide on a date when you can expect the task to be completed. The absence of a deadline set for yourself will not allow you to know whether the desired result has been achieved. If there are any nuances that need to be clarified, do so. Your goal should be clear and precise.
Break your big goal down into smaller tasks. Taking things step by step will make it easier for you to track your progress. Success during each period should be as easily defined in numbers, dates or some other parameters as the overall result. As a last resort, you can adjust your goal, because the possibility of unforeseen situations has not been canceled. Be sure to reward yourself after completing each stage. Even if it did not go entirely smoothly and was not one hundred percent successful, you need self-support for further achievements.
Believe that everything will work out for you. Confidence in own strength will help you direct all your internal resources to achieve your goal. If you are pre-set for failure, there is no point in starting anything at all. Remember how your life will change after the end of this difficult journey. You yourself will also become better, stronger, wiser. A person who has achieved his plans increases his self-esteem and self-confidence. Do not forget that you will acquire additional skills, experience, and abilities.
Video on the topic
A person’s life is a movement towards set goals, as a result of which it becomes rich and meaningful. It is necessary to cultivate a new habit - to act until the result is achieved.
Instructions
Create desire. A truly genuine, powerful desire. Motivation will arise that will help overcome inertia and fear, and will encourage action, helping to overcome any obstacles.
Develop a belief. It is very important to believe that your goal is realistic and achievable. In order not to lose confidence and not be disappointed, you need to set only realistic goals for yourself. Decide where you are now and where you want to go as a result of your plan. Don't doubt your capabilities.
Write down your goal, thereby giving your desire a clear form. Otherwise, they will remain only your fantasies.
Make a list of all the reasons for achieving your goal. They should encourage and inspire you. And the longer this list is, the greater the motivation will be created to overcome all the obstacles along the way.
In order to feel that life is filled with meaning, you need to have clear goals. Until they are set and then achieved, there is no point in talking about luck. Plans for the future make up everyday existence, which makes a person’s destiny happy. Until he learns to set achievable goals and then achieve them, he cannot be called successful. Vague life guidelines prevent you from achieving important aspirations. In this regard, people lose self-confidence, cannot decide on their priorities and rush from side to side. They feel that they are unable to achieve anything and become depressed.
Resources to achieve the goal
The following requirements must be presented for setting goals:
- definition;
- absence of insurmountable difficulties;
- at least minimal accessibility;
- availability of opportunities for implementation;
- clear time frames;
- specificity, etc.
For example, if the goal is to become healthy and in good physical shape, it is worth clearly defining which diseases you want to get rid of.
It is very important to bring out the realism. If plump woman wants to become thin despite the fact that in her family all the representatives of the fair sex were obese, then the desire has no prerequisites for fulfillment while maintaining good health and beautiful appearance.
If a brunette intends to be a blonde, then she needs to think about why she needs such changes and whether she is ready to accept the fact that her hair will be hopelessly damaged in order to attract the attention of a person who in six months will become indifferent to her.
If the goal is to improve the functioning of the body, then you need to meet a specific time frame, for example, three months. If after a period of time no improvements are detected, you should consult a doctor or change specific tasks.
It is also necessary to consider the availability of funds, the availability of certain procedures, or the actual need to achieve the goal.
Personal components
On the list personal qualities The following behavioral models should be highlighted.
- Honestly and frankly answer the question of why you need to achieve such a goal. If the result is an improvement in the quality of life or the acquisition of health, then it is necessary to begin its implementation immediately. If a person seeks to prove something to others or gain a higher status, then there is hardly any need to waste time on these things.
- Assess the resources that a person has. Ideal option will be if nothing is initially required to achieve the goal, it is already available. It’s more difficult if you want to buy something or save money. Another obstacle will be the complete or temporary impossibility of acquiring initial funds. In this case, it is necessary to reorient the final goal, focusing on obtaining the required minimum.
- Ability to focus on achieving goals. First, it is advisable to clearly imagine the results of implementing plans, and then weigh whether they are really needed.
How to set goals to achieve them
You should daily and continuously try to move towards your goal, at least in small steps. Every free minute must be devoted to fulfilling your plans.
There is no need to try to achieve everything at once and without special effort. It is necessary to distribute forces and allocate a time period. Then it’s time to set the motivation correctly. Necessary:
- Write down your goal.
- Break it down into stages.
- Indicate the required steps.
- Evaluate what is available.
- Sketch rough plan progress towards the goal.
- Indicate the amount required for this.
- Estimate the time frame.
- Find out what is missing to achieve.
- Think about ways to get what you need.
For example, the desire is to visit Italy. Then it is worth clearly defining in what capacity the trip is planned: a vacation at sea, a city cruise or a visit to friends.
Then you need to understand exactly what steps need to be taken and how feasible they are. Available financial resources and the possibility of obtaining leave should be assessed. You need to realize what is missing and whether such things can be compensated for. If the issue is resolved positively, then it is advisable to set intermediate goals and again think through ways to implement them. If everything is considered real, then it is necessary to set an approximate date for visiting the country.
If all the points are completed, it turns out that the goal is too cumbersome and difficult to achieve, then you need to postpone your plan or focus on achieving intermediate results. It is also possible to change it. For example, instead of visiting Italy, plan a trip to Turkey or Georgia.
Sequential steps
After the intermediate task is completed, each item should be filled out and thought through carefully.
If there are a lot of them, you need to sort through the list and bring some tasks together. Then it is advisable to arrange them in accordance with. Sometimes they are broken down by ease of achievement. What cannot be done under any circumstances must be removed from the list or replaced with more realistic plans.
Then you need to mark those that can be done right now and immediately do what you have planned, without delaying for a minute.
If a person has no idea how to get started, he needs to look on the Internet for ways to achieve his goal or consult with knowledgeable people. Only those items that have been highlighted as the most important or accessible should be acted upon without delay. You can’t immediately take on the most complex tasks. Most likely, it will not be possible to fulfill them, and the person will lose.
If something doesn’t work out, you need to re-read the list again, note the difficulties that have arisen and add to the list of desired resources. It is also necessary to imagine alternative plans or how to fill in what is missing. Goals must be achievable.
Motivational components
In the future, you should determine those moments that will allow you to achieve the required.
You must have:
- wish;
- the ability to find the right sources;
- the ability to not give up in the face of difficulties;
- flexibility;
- openness;
- the desire to achieve a lot;
- realism;
- hard work, etc.
In order not to deprive yourself of motivation, you should highlight those components that can be completed in the next hundred days.
It is necessary to determine the importance of the task, think through what awaits a person if the plan fails, identify all the risks and reflect on why the goal is so important to achieve. It is worth having a clear idea of how realistic it is to achieve results. If they are very doubtful, then you need to weigh whether you need to take them on.
If it is decided that they are required, then it is worth considering ways to retreat in case of failure and developing alternative ways implementation of the plan. They should be extremely specific, not far-reaching plans, but a task that must be completed today or in the coming days.
Evaluation of results
You don't need to demand too much from yourself or from life. In this case, every failure will be perceived very painfully.
You should prepare in advance for the fact that a number of factors will be difficult or unforeseen circumstances will arise. On the other hand, you shouldn’t be discouraged by every difficulty. The fact that they appear only means that it is advisable to revisit the compiled list and correct it.
Review of first completed items
There is no need to set yourself a maximum goal. Fulfillment of plans is a matter of chance or luck. It is better to set small goals for yourself, but clearly achieve their implementation.
- You need to allocate enough mental and physical strength to achieve results. If they have to risk their well-being, finances or health, then it is advisable to think about the correctness of the chosen path. It is necessary to pay attention to unexpected obstacles that arise along the way. If any parallel tasks appear, they need to be taken into account.
- It should always be remembered that there are only one hundred days left and the countdown has already begun. At the same time, do not panic if you cannot meet the allotted deadline. It is advisable to understand what exactly has been achieved and again adjust the goals taking into account the lengthening time frame. If nothing definite was achieved during the specified period, it is necessary to consider the option of canceling or reorienting the goal.
- You need to improve your skills and constantly be on your toes. It shouldn’t be that a lucky break comes along and the person has no desire to move forward.
- All tasks must be completed strictly. Nothing should be left for later or considered unimportant. You should prepare for the fact that you will have to do a lot, sacrificing your free time.
- If, in the process of striving for a goal, a person discovers that he has become bored or uninterested, then he should again take his list of priorities and reflect on the desirability of achieving his plans and ultimate success. If they have lost importance, then you need to consider a potential abandonment of it.
List adjustment
Even if there are no obstacles to achieving your plan, you should take the list compiled in connection with the intended goal, re-read it and mark what has been accomplished. Sometimes it turns out that a person is already halfway to fulfilling it or, conversely, unnecessarily overestimates his successes.
You should not fall into extreme optimism or pessimism. Everything must be thought out very clearly and specifically.
It is necessary to honestly admit to yourself what feelings a person is experiencing. If passion or stubbornness, you need to understand whether they are required in this case. If the mood is defeatist or doubt arises, then it is also worth recognizing where it came from. It is advisable to constantly listen to your intuition.
Realism of the goal
After summing up the first results, it is necessary to think about whether the task set was a goal, a difficult aspiration, or remained just a pipe dream. It is necessary to analyze each of the concepts and think about how they fit the plan.
A large amount of energy is subconsciously allocated to the goal, much less to the desire, and the dream is sometimes completely divorced from life. Therefore, it will most likely remain unfeasible.
Only if the aspiration is conscious and has a clear goal, it has a chance to come true.
Moreover, if a person has no idea what he wants to achieve with his plans and what the benefits of achieving them will be, he will not put in too much effort. He will mark time until he is convinced that nothing is changing, and then he will retreat from the goal. Therefore, it is better to weigh its realism in advance before wasting physical and mental strength.
Achieving Your Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide
In order for your plan to have every chance of being realized, it is necessary to limit it to clear boundaries. Records should be re-read and corrected daily.
Fixing Intention
You need to keep a diary where you will record the steps and the usefulness of your progress along the intended path. You should also check how much they bring a person closer to the final result.
It is required to indicate the degree of movement towards the goal in percentage. All failures, unforeseen circumstances and difficulties encountered must be recorded.
When achieving an intermediate result, it is also worth noting what exactly contributed to it.
It is advisable to praise yourself, reward yourself when you spend a lot of effort, and consolidate the resulting effect.
You should also communicate your success to others in order to increase your self-esteem. It is precisely this circumstance that most often forces people to stop moving along the intended path.
You should understand in advance that there will be a very large number of individuals who will try to pull the rug out from under your feet. You shouldn’t ignore them completely, but it’s also unacceptable to tune in to the negative. It is advisable to note their opinion and try to get rid of your real, not imaginary, shortcomings.
Under no circumstances should one think that a person is unworthy of his desires. If he wants it, it means they are important to him. You just need to find a realistic approach. There is nothing that is unworthy if it is legal and achievable. Even the greatest people started small and also heard doubts about achieving their goals at the beginning of their journey. Of course, there is no point in persisting in a project that is obviously hopeless. But there is no point in giving up what you have planned either. You just need to correlate it with reality and find common ground.
Clarifying the direction of movement
You should define your goal as accurately as possible.
Therefore, it is necessary to write it down in the form in which you would like to see it come true.
For example:
- I'm healthy.
- I work in Moscow.
- My earnings are one hundred thousand rubles a month.
- I live in big apartment.
- I have a car.
- My children go to the best school.
You are allowed to have multiple goals at once. They can flow from one another or be parallel.
Fixing the time frame
Then a clear deadline for achieving them is determined. It should not be limited to too long a time. If clear results are obtained, it can be extended. In their absence, the goal should be removed from the priorities.
For example, the task: “I work in Moscow” should be given six months. A person must understand that he does not have many years to procrastinate with his intentions.
In addition, the desire may turn out to be extremely difficult to implement due to the presence of difficulties that he was not aware of from the very beginning. Therefore, if after six months he has not come a step closer to what he had planned or even lost something of what he had already achieved, plans must be abandoned or made more realistic, for example, “I am looking for a job in Moscow.” For a new goal, you again need to allocate a deadline, and a fairly short one.
Specification of goals
It is very important not to get distracted by vague ideas. They cannot be formulated like this: “I am a respected person.” The task should look like: “I work in a bank” or “My children go to a prestigious school.”
Again, you should think about what exactly you would like to achieve and what benefits the realized goal will bring. If there is nothing other than stroked pride, then it is not worth making efforts in such a direction.
“I work in a bank” also needs to be divided into several stages. For example, you can set conditions in parallel: “I serve as a bank manager”, “I receive seventy thousand rubles a month” and “I have mastered the necessary computer programs».
Be sure to include deadlines for each task. If it was not possible to meet them, then you need to understand what prevented this and whether it will become an insurmountable obstacle in the future. If such a circumstance arises, then the goal should be reconsidered. For example, not “I work as a manager,” but “I serve as a cashier at a bank.” Not “I get seventy thousand rubles,” but “I get fifty thousand rubles.” “I have mastered computer programs” change to “I am fluent in English».
Drawing up a detailed plan
In order not to get stuck halfway, it is advisable to think through a set of steps to achieve the goal. They should be small and quite achievable.
When planning “I work in Moscow”, they need to be divided into stages:
- I visit the city to study the situation.
- I allocate the required amount for travel to interviews.
- I'm looking for free time to travel to Moscow.
- I'm researching vacancies in the region.
- I determine what I need to get a job offer.
- I am looking for contacts with friends who have moved to the capital.
For each task, deadlines and completion criteria are determined. If you haven’t been able to find friends in three months, then you should expand the task (look for mutual friends or try to communicate with city residents) or abandon it in favor of studying the issue yourself.
Usually, in cases where the goal is feasible, achieving the result is not too difficult. The occurrence of an increased number of difficulties indicates that the chosen path is unrealistic.
Adjusting goals
Constantly, even at intermediate stages, it is necessary to weigh the desirability and benefits of achieving the goal.
If a person seeks to join a family or get a job that simply does not exist in his region, then the goal is well worth the effort and can be achieved.
The goal of becoming successful or finding balance should be immediately discarded as not leading to a certain result. You only need to set yourself specific tasks.
If the end result is an increase in well-being, then you should think twice. Most often, a person simply does not take into account increased expenses when increasing income.
As already mentioned, the desire to stand out or prove something must be eliminated immediately. If moving to Moscow is aimed at increasing self-esteem or the goal of becoming no worse than a friend, then there is no need to spend your life achieving this intention. Even if it is successfully implemented, it often turns out that the situation has become even worse than it was before.
Checking yourself
In order to assess the degree of progress towards the goal, the final result should also be broken down into minimal components. For example, “I work in Moscow” must be divided into:
- I have a place to live in the capital.
- My job is no worse than what I did at home.
- I am officially registered at my workplace, etc.
Naturally, the goal cannot be considered achieved if a person finds temporary employment or lives in inhumane conditions. If in order to get a vacancy in Moscow you had to change from a department head to a courier position, this result does not become a step up.
On the other hand, if the goal was to unite with the family, then such achievements would be justified as a temporary measure and if there were clear benefits from one's new position.
If the plan was to stand out among their classmates, then those who have successfully settled in their city find themselves in an advantageous position compared to those who work in Moscow as a cleaner or janitor. In this case, you need to adjust the goal again, changing it from the desire to be better to very specific things.
At the same time, you should ask yourself why such an intention is needed and how long it will be important. If moving is desirable in order to fulfill the dream of the parents, then there is no need to persist too much on this path. In the end, it turns out that this is not what they dreamed of at all, and the person himself will spend completely meaningless efforts to achieve a goal that was not set for him.
Interference Analysis
When making plans worthy of attention, it is also worth considering what prevents progress on the path. Impatience, criticism and doubts must be discarded immediately.
You need to think about your every action and what makes it difficult to move towards your goal. Such things include understatement, painful experiences in the past, uncertainty about the future, or temporary setbacks.
If you refuse bad habits and cravings for helplessness, you should every time think about the advantages of achieving the goal and concentrate on them.
It is imperative to understand that there have always been and will be unforeseen circumstances, mistakes and illusions. It is worth very clearly separating them from failure or, conversely, success.
When successfully moving towards a goal, it is advisable to keep in mind changing economic conditions, one’s own health or basic luck.
There is no need to strive too hard for an unshakable result. It must be weighed and refined or changed.
In order to reduce the effect of unforeseen factors to a minimum, you should constantly study the issue, check the stability of the situation and communicate with people. Everything that enriches knowledge must be mastered thoroughly.
If there is no one to expect help from, then you need to explore ways to achieve the goal on your own, and if you are unable to, abandon it or postpone it until you obtain the desired resources. In this case, the goal also changes in accordance with new circumstances.
If you do not learn to set goals correctly, identify ways to achieve them and consistently move in this direction, then it will hardly be possible to achieve anything at all. There is no need to confuse your dreams and goals. Even a very strong desire to become a millionaire has no chance of being realized in the absence of the necessary data. Nevertheless, the goal of ensuring a decent existence for yourself and your family deserves some effort.
Assessing your capabilities
It is also very important to count on yourself first. If the fulfillment of a plan depends entirely on other people, then the slightest change in intentions on their part immediately nullifies all the efforts made.
On the other hand, the intentions of others cannot be controlled, so building your life around them is very dangerous.
A goal will only become meaningful when a person acts in accordance with his own needs, aspirations and abilities. You should count on the support of other people only within very limited and adjustable limits.
The effort expended should also bring satisfaction to the individual himself, and not to anyone else. A clear understanding that he is acting in his own interests, and not in order to prove something, help someone else, or please his parents, will allow him to clearly achieve what he wants.
There is no need to think that the final goal is something unshakable. It can change, expand or, conversely, contract. It may well follow a parallel path or degenerate into a completely different desire. Such changes do not mean a retreat from one’s intentions, but merely reveal a clear understanding of the path along which to move.