It seems that when reading a periodical or listening to a podcast you will inevitably hear successful people discuss the importance of goals. Depending on the source, you will hear about Life Goals, Health Goals (weight-loss, fineness), Financial Goals, Family and Relationship Goals, Social Goals, Retirement Goals. Get the picture?
Look up the word “goal” in a dictionary or on the internet, and you’ll probably see it defined as the “noun – the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.”
Maybe a better way to understand the importance of Goals is by reading quotes on why and how goals will enhance your overall quality of life.
Here are some quotes on goals that are interesting ….
- “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” –Henry Ford
- “If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals.” –Lou Holtz
- “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” –Lawrence J. Peter
- “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” –Les Brown
- “Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit.” –Bear Bryant
- “The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” –Michelangelo
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden - “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ― Albert Einstein
- “If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.” ― Yogi Berra
Now that we established the importance of Goals what would be the steps on creating or identifying your Goals?
Step 1: Decide your goals
Long term or Short term?
- Focus on what is important to you.
- Use positive language like, “I will…”, “I choose to…”, “I want to…”
Step 2: Make it SMART
How will you make your goal smarter? Focus on including the letters below in creating your goals?
Specific: What will you be accomplishing?
Measurable: What data will measure the goal?
Attainable: Is the goal doable?
Relevant: How does this goal align with your vision?
Timely: When will you complete this goal?
Step 3: Create an Action Plan
What are some questions you will need to ask yourself as a guide when you plan?
- How will you get started?
- What challenges might you face and how will you overcome them?
- Set Milestones.
- Visualize your goal.
- How will you hold yourself accountable to your goal?
Step 4: Reflect and share
Discuss your goals with your partner, friend, coworker as it will help keep you be accountable as sharing your goal help make it real.
- What did you accomplish?
- How do you feel about this accomplishment?
- What did you learn from this goal?
- Will you continue or modify your goal moving forward?
“Remember, not achieving a goal is not a failure but not setting a goal will often lead to failure and unhappiness.” – John J Baiamonte
