Have you ever had something that you really want to achieve, starting out focused and determined to make it a reality no matter what obstacles come your way? You stay on track for the first few weeks, everything progressing along nicely and then life happens.
Chances are that you have not put the right measures in place to ensure when life’s mishaps come along and throw you a curve ball that you don’t fall off the band wagon completely. Put simply, you failed to set out your goals and turn them into an action plan.
Don’t worry, we have all been there.
In this blog post we are going to outline the importance of goal setting, who should set goals and how you go about setting them.
Why goal setting is important?
Focus –
Documenting and clearly displaying what you want to achieve helps keep you focused. By zeroing in on the things you need to do will prevent you from taking unnecessary detours and becoming distracted from the things that are important.
Progress –
Setting goals is a great way for you to mark where you are at a certain point in time and track your progress. Without clearly defined goals it can be hard for you to maintain perspective and know what exactly you have achieved. Whether that is increases in strength at the gym, or a DIY project at home.
Achieve –
If you are trying to achieve something big, it can often appear unattainable. By setting goals you can break your big audacious goal into smaller easily achievable ones. More bite sized goals will allow you to have more wins more often, helping to keep you motivated and focused.
Plan –
Setting goals gives you a framework and detailed plan to work with. As we have said in previous posts, failing to plan is planning to fail. By taking the time to sit down and strategically set your goals will not only help you identify any challenges you may encounter, but will give you road map of what you need to do and when to turn your goals into a reality.
Action –
Having intentions to do something is very different to taking the right actions to ensure you achieve it. Behavior is everything! Actions really do speak louder than words. Setting goals will allow you to take your intentions and turn them into actionable tasks.
Who should set goals?
The short answer is everyone!
No matter who you are or what you are wanting to achieve, setting goals is going to be the best way to successfully and effectively achieve them.
Gym goers –
if you are wanting to trim down, gain strength or put on some muscle, having your goals documented and broken out into a workout program is going to see you smashing them in no time.
Personal goals –
For those who are wanting to take on a personal project, then you are definitely going to need to document your goals. You’ll need to identify what you want to achieve, how it will look and what help you might need.
Work goals –
Perhaps you are wanting that promotion at work. Chances are you are going to need to tick certain boxes before you get there. Maybe you need to undertake some additional learning, work on a certain project or gain experience in another team. The one common theme here is that you are going to need to clearly define your goals and work out what you need to do to get there.
Goal statement –
Regardless of your goal, you are going to want to put an all-encompassing statement that captures your goals and will keep you true whilst you work towards achieving them.
How do you set goals?
But how do you set goals you may ask. It is simple, set SMART Goals.
SMART is an acronym that will allow you to set goals that are going to work and see you achieving them. Broken down, SMART stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-based
If you would like to know more about how to set SMART goals, write a killer goal statement and avoid self-sabotage you are going to want to come along to our upcoming Goal Setting Workshop on 2nd September at 2pm. This is one of two exciting workshops facilitated by psychologist, Jocelyn Brewer. Each workshop will be a small group to develop an action plan and help you get the most out of the remainder of 2017.
If you want to find your why and learn how to activate you how, click here to register. Places are filling fast!
