Do you have a clear objective of where you see yourself in 6 months? Or perhaps in 5 years? Goals come in all different timescales and sizes. The best part is that they are all individualistic to our own lives, which means we have to take an individualistic approach to setting and reaching them. However, there are a few golden rules when it comes to goal setting that everyone can benefit from following to ensure their goal is realistic and achievable.
Goal setting is a great way to motivate yourself and increase your drive to succeed. Without goals, many people can lack focus and direction. Setting yourself a goal allows you to have a benchmark for determining whether or not you are succeeding in your chosen area of improvement; such as in your career, fitness or financial situation. It's great to dream big, but you have to take appropriate steps to get there. I've put together a list of rules to follow when setting and achieving goals to ensure you can be successful. These have all been tried and tested by myself (e.g. when I decided to make my move to London!) and I found this system to work really well for me.
1. Overcome the thoughts that are holding you back
You have a big goal you want to reach. It's also scary. You are majorly doubting yourself. You begin to question everything. Perhaps you've tried before and it failed. My best advice? Write down all of the thoughts that are holding you back from pursuing this goal. Now, evaluate each and consider whether there is actually any truth behind them. Guess what? There isn't - thoughts are just thoughts after all! Reframe each of these thoughts and turn them into positive affirmations. Read these out to yourself every single day and notice your ability to change your negative thought processes into positives.
2. Ensure your goal is motivating for you
Your goals need to be important to you personally and you need to see value in achieving them. If you don't have any personal interest or investment in the outcome, then the chances of you putting in the hard work to achieve your goals are slim. Goal achievement requires commitment, so motivation is key. Relate your goals to things that have high priorities in your life and you feel a sense of urgency towards. Many people are motivated by the sense of reward and studies have shown that people are more likely to reach their goal if rewarded for habit change along the way. To find out more about habit change and how best to reward yourself for a positive outcome, head to this link here.
3. Set SMART goals
When setting a goal, it should be:
Specific: Clear and well defined
Measurable: Include a precise measure (e.g. amount, date, percentage) so you can track your progress
Achievable: Make sure it is an attainable goal and not impossible to achieve
Realistic: Within reach, realistic and relevant to your life purpose and the direction you want to take
Time bound: Having a deadline for your goal increases your sense of urgency and achievement.
4. Make a plan of action
Break down your goal into a small set of steps you need to take. If you have set yourself a big goal then this will help you to reframe your mindset around what you need to achieve in order to get there - it will then seem more realistic and less overwhelming. Write down each of the individual steps and cross them out once completed to track your progress. Remember that achieving a goal is a process and to take it one step at a time.
5. Make it visual
The physical act of writing down a goal and the steps to achieve it makes the process real and tangible. Your goal statements should have power and meaning behind them - e.g. write down "I will" instead of "I would like to". Another way of visualising your goals is to make a 'vision board'. This has become very popular over the last few years and is a scientifically proven method of increasing motivation and inspiration. A vision board is best described as a collage of images and words representing one's goals and aspirations. Get creative and make it aesthetically pleasing, have it in a place that you will look at every single day, and make sure you a consistently visualising the achievement of your goal in order to make it your reality.
6. Stick with it & don't beat yourself up if life gets in the way
Reaching a new goal can be difficult and it is likely that unexpected obstacles will get in the way during the process. There will be times when you will need to take a step back or put things on hold. Be kind to yourself, give recognition where it's due, and keep moving forward. Remember that goal setting is an ongoing activity and be accepting of changes that happen along the way. Make sure to stick with it because you will get there - and celebrate when you do!
Until next time;
peace and love,
Tina
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