How to set goals
Few of us would set off on a cross-country trip with only an agenda in mind and the hope that we might find the landmarks we are going to see. We would first figure out what we wanted to see, where the places were and decide the best way to get there. We would perhaps consult a travel agent and certainly we would look at a map. Unless we had all the time in the world we would then figure out how long it would take to reach our desired destinations. And finally we would go over exactly what we wanted to see and do when we reached our desired stops. Yet with all this planning for a trip we rarely put the same amount of planning into our lives. Using some simple goal-setting principles can provide anyone with a detailed map of priorities and desires and then help that person translate them into action. We dream of where we want to go we just need a map to get there. Following are 7 questions to ask yourself when setting any goal-
1. Is your goal something you really want or something that just sounds good? If you are working on something that is someone else's priority or doing it for someone else's approval you will probably not be as successful. Make sure that your goals are consistent with your values.
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2. Does your goal contradict any of your other goals? For example you can't buy a $50,000 sports car if you are only working at a minimum wage job. This type of planning is called non-integrated thinking and is truly counter-productive. Your goals must be reflective of each other in increasing the overall success of your life.
3. Are you developing goals in all area of your life? The following 6 areas can serve as a guideline in developing goals.
a. Family and Home
b. Spiritual an Ethical
c. Social and Cultural
d. Financial and Career
e. Physical and Health
f. Mental and Educational
By setting goals in each area of life this helps create balance as you begin to examine and change in everyday living. Also by setting goals in each area it allows the goal-setter to not become preoccupied with the wrong or inconsequential things of life.
4. Is your goal written in the positive instead of the negative? It is important to focus our goals on what we want to accomplish not what we want to leave behind. By programming ourselves in the positive we are much more likely to achieve success in goal-setting. The more positive instructions we receive in our brain the more positive results we will get. Positive thinking should not be limited to only goal-setting but also to everyday life.
5. Are your goals written out in complete detail? If your goal involves becoming debt-free in a certain amount of years than the goal that is written down should include the amount, the payment structure, and the methods used to pay off the debt (for example-a second job, a loan restructure, selling items etc.) This way you have a complete plan of how you are going to accomplish your goal.
6. Is your goal high enough? If you are going to go to all the trouble of setting a goal, writing it down and making a plan than make sure the goal is high enough and worthy enough of your time. Failure to set a goal high enough is just a waste of time, energy and resources.
7. Are all your goals written down? Writing down the goals is the most important step in making a roadmap to success. Than after they are written down review them frequently to make sure you are still on track.
