Achieve sustainable results by setting goals with a clear focus
Making sustainable changes through goal setting takes strategy, research, and commitment. You can’t expect to achieve your goals if you simply sit idly by hoping that change will happen on it’s own. You have to be focused and motivated so that your goals, whether for your career, health, school, or trying to quit smoking, are easily attainable. In order to help you with achieving your goals, here is some expert advice.
Do
- align your goal with your current reality
- be flexible with timeline
- build your character
- make a comprehensive well studied plan
Don't
- work on more than one goal at a time
- despair
- forget that passion and purpose feeds motivation
- expect the outcome to look the way you planned
Do align your goal with your current reality
Make sure your goal doesn’t conflict with current responsibilities, commitments, and reality. If a conflict exists, values will be compromised. A goal that requires financial support cannot be met until resources are available and secured.
Do be flexible with timeline
Many people give up on their goals because they don’t reach success in the time frame they chose. Re-assess the reality of the timeline and make adjustments. It is better to lengthen the time it will take to succeed, rather than consider the plan a failure and quitting.
Do build your character
Setting goals strengthens your character. When the going gets tough with the plan to meet a goal, inner strengths, resiliency, flexibility and patience will be tested. This is a time to dig deep, pull in resources, ask for help, and strengthen fortitude when meeting energy, creative, and emotional blocks.
Do make a comprehensive well studied plan
In setting a goal, a comprehensive plan must be devised. This plan must include time lines that are flexible, strategies for meeting the goal such as securing finances, expanding networks, study others who have succeeded in the specific area you are striving for success. Creativity is key to success. Look at possibilities that are not obvious. Dig deep, keep an open mind, and stock up on advice from respected colleagues, professors, friends and strategic alliances.
Do not work on more than one goal at a time
Many people underestimate the time, energy and resources needed to successfully meet a goal. Goal setting strategies require behavior changes, and learning new skills. Focus is a crucial element of goal setting. Setting more than one goal at a time cause distraction, energy drains, confusion, and scattered resources.
Do not despair
When difficulties arise during the process of meeting goals, many people take it as a sign that they aren’t going to succeed, and might choose to cut their losses. This is a critical juncture in getting to success. When things seem impossible, research ways to streamline the goal, or learn new skills needed to continue on. Try different strategies, add new behaviors that align with the tailored plan.
Do not forget that passion and purpose feeds motivation
A goal that comes from passion will sustain the difficult trials and setbacks. A goal with a soulful purpose keeps the goal setter in for the long haul. If a goal has heart, soul and passion, giving up is not an option.
Do not expect the outcome to look the way you planned
We know what we want, and think we know what our goal once reached will look like, feel like, and how we will react to the success. The process of meeting a goal is a journey that will take the goal setter on new horizons, learn about himself in new ways, learn new strategies and skills, and develop new and stronger character traits. Goal setting and sticking it out is a hero’s journey. Be prepared to see yourself on the other side in a new and different way. The goal, once met, may lead to a hunger for more goals to set, and more paths to explore.
Summary
Using the strategies of goal setting will cause you to map a new course that is thrilling, full of risks and will teach you how to manage time, anxiety, resources, and rejection. Your character will be shaped into a new, stronger and more brilliant form. Forever changed and wise for the experience, you will now be able to share what you have learned with others, and find yourself an expert in a new field.
