You can do anything if you set goals. You just have to push yourself ~RJ Mitte disabled US actor
If you’re driving to a new destination the easiest and surest way to successfully get to where you want to go is to program your car’s GPS. The same applies when you want to reach your optimum destination in life by programing your inner GPS with desired goals and working towards achieving them.
Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success ~Pablo Picasso 20th century Spanish painter and sculptor
Put simply, a goal is something you want to achieve. Goal setting is vital for personal development and to help improve your performance in all aspects of your life and in these unprecedented pandemic times it feels even more important, as we start this New Year, to clearly set out the preferred paths you want and hope to reach.
Business isn’t the only area of our lives where setting goals is important, personal goals, like losing weight or getting fitter or paying off your credit card or saving money can also be high on your agenda.
The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score ~Bill Copeland US poet, writer and historian
You may not have had much success achieving some of your past goals so before you set out to try and achieve new ones, it would be wise to reflect on your previous resolutions first to work out why you never saw some of them through to their end.
To avoid repeating those same pitfalls, try and figure out what factors contributed to your shift in paradigm; from you originally being unhappy with certain aspects of your life but motivated enough to want to make better lifestyle choices, to what then caused you to give up and fall back into your same old bad habits.
The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run. It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact… those people have goals. ~Seth Godin US Author and Entrepreneur
Likewise, it’s good to look at the goals you’ve succeeded in and your motivation for sticking with them and implement those strategies as part of your new approach.
It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach ~Benjamin E. Mays, Baptist minister and American rights leader
TOP GOAL SETTING TIPS
SMART is an acronym for a goal setting method widely recommended by trainers and goal-setting aficionados. It stands for – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely – the simple key components to achieving your goals.
This one step – choosing a goal and sticking to it – changes everything ~ Scott Reed author and philanthropist
- Choose Meaningful Goals that are Worthwhile Achieving
You’ll have more chance of succeeding and feeling it’s worth putting in the effort if each goal has a significant impact on you once it’s achieved.
As you progress towards your goal you may encounter obstacles that are hard to overcome so unless you have an inspiring or gripping goal, you could easily be tempted to give up.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits – Tiny Changes Remarkable Results, suggests we should ruthlessly eliminate the non-important goals and only pursue the important ones.
To understand why you want to achieve your goal will help you work out how to achieve your goal.
A goal properly set is halfway reached ~Zig Ziglar US author, salesman, and motivational speaker.
- Write Down Your Specific Goals and Create a Blueprint for Every Goal
By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands—your own ~Mark Victor Hansen, US inspirational and motivational speaker, trainer and author
Listing all your goals allows you to see the ‘big picture’ and identify your main aims, which you can then start breaking down into smaller more achievable components.
There are a plethora of Goal Setting Apps you can download to your tablet for free to help you with the process.
Studies have shown that those who wrote down their goals had a much higher success rate than those who didn’t. Those who know how to set goals are ten times more likely to succeed. When you put your goals on paper it has a psychological impact and gets imprinted in your brain. It can make goal-setting feel less overwhelming and more achievable.
If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes ~Andrew Carnegie 19th century Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist
- Don’t Just Set a Deadline, Make a Timetable too
Setting a time line for each goal is imperative to maximise your productivity and efficiency. It will keep you on track and help ensure you finish each task.
A goal without a timeline is just a dream -~Robert Herjavec, Canadian businessman, investor and TV Presenter
The parts of goal setting that are often overlooked are making sure each goal can be measured and it has a time-frame that’s within your reach, even if it’s a stretch.
The more time you spend planning, the higher the likelihood you’ll succeed. It is much better to spend extra time creating a plan that will help you reach your goal than to find you have to abandon it part-way because it has become unfeasible. Procrastination is the thief of time and can easily upset your timeline and disrupt your schedule.
Life is short, fragile and does not wait for anyone. There will NEVER be a perfect time to pursue your dreams and goals ~ Unknown
- Choose Goals that are Achievable but Not Too Easy.
You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential ~Steve Garvey, US major league baseball player
Stretching and pushing ourselves beyond our own limits certainly helps us grow but over-committing ourselves could mean the difference between achieving our goals and not. Sometimes it’s easy to get swept up in the euphoria and enthusiastically aim for goals that are way beyond what’s achievable for us, which could, in turn, lead to disappointment and possible failure.
One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals ~Michael Korda, UK writer, novelist and US editor-in-chief Simon & Schuster Publishers
While we shouldn’t pursue goals that are not realistic, it’s good to set goals that are slightly more difficult than what we think we can achieve, which helps to make us work harder.
I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time ~Michael Phelps US swimmer and most decorated Olympian of all time
- Visualise Your Goals and You Achieving Them
When you consciously visualise your goals you create a mental picture of the end result and at the same time it starts the processes needed to take on the purpose for each goal and the benefits of succeeding.
It’s good to be reminded daily of your goals and I currently have a picture on my fridge that is keeping me motivated and focussed.
A good friend of mine has made her mobile phone’s screen background her goal reminder so she sees it every time she looks at her phone.
Another way to increase your chances of success is to share your goals with someone who matters to you.
Never underestimate the power of accountability. I tend to be even more inclined to stick it out and achieve my goal if I know I also have to prove to someone else I can do it.
- Revaluate Your Goals Regularly
The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it ~ Michelangelo
It’s important to review your progress regularly and re-evaluate your situation accordingly. At times you may need to tweak your plans to keep moving forward or sometimes you might have to abandon your quest altogether but don’t give up – start a new achievable goal instead.
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much! ~ Jim Rohn US Entrepreneur, Author and Motivational speaker.
Happy goal setting and I hope 2021 is your best year yet! Cheers susie
Susie Elelman AM
Author, TV & Radio Broadcaster
About The Author - Susie Elelman
Susie Elelman is an Australian television presenter, radio broadcaster, and author, most famous for her appearances on daytime television in Australia. She has been an ambassador of the Australian Menopause Centre since 2016 and it is a pleasure to have such an influential figure support our work.