Goal setting is an intentional process that helps create a blue print and take the necessary steps to get us towards a desired outcome. Let’s start with identifying something important that you desire and want to accomplish. Goals must have a timeline because to accomplish or measure progress you must have a set time frame of completion.

Every year many people start the year off with the intention to do something different in the upcoming year. New Year’s resolutions could possibly be the first time many of us may have recollection of goal setting. 

Well, everyone may choose to ring in the new year with new goals and a hearty sense of intention, it may not be the best time to start. Studies have shown that many people only stick to these newfound goals for approximately one week. This doesn’t mean that you can’t set goals at the beginning of the year but why wait until then. The reason why people have trouble sticking to goals a lot of times it’s simply from lack of planning as well as a lack of thought and self-reflection on what it is they truly want to do.

Goal setting is intentional, it is a powerful process that can make a huge difference in your success.   Thinking about your ideal future and motivating yourself to turn your dream into reality can be rewarding and change the way you look at life.

People constantly talk about grinding but don’t have clear and concise goals as to what they are “grinding” towards.   Many people put far too much focus on “The Grind” and minimal effort ensuring the set a timeline and a clear end point. Simply put  “What’s your Why?” If you begin to set sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goal.  Once you begin to see progress the daily grind won’t seem so pointless.  You will also raise your self-confidence

What’s your “WHY”.   What do you hope to achieve by setting this goal? Understanding why you are doing something is just as important and chasing after it!

You should ask yourself what is my “WHY” before setting any goal? Once you have a clear understanding of your why then the goal setting process can begin

Write It Down

When I first began to set my goals, I would always write them out. At times when I didn’t write them down I would remember them but I didn’t always work towards them the same. What I discovered was I did better at remembering and acting on my goals when I wrote them down. Not that I didn’t do well with simply ruminating on them, but I saw more results when they were written out. There are studies that show when you write your goals out as well as having a solid and detailed plan you are more likely to follow through.  Now this plan does not have to be set in stone because we all know as we work towards our goals “Life happens” and we must shift gears, reset, readjust, and refocus. You may have to take a detour, but as long as you stay on track you will end up exactly where you need to be.

Be Specific

I can’t stress this one enough! You need to be extremely specific about what your goals are. I’ll give you a few examples, say you want to own an exotic sports car. Do you feel that’s specific enough?  To be specific you must spell out what type of car you want, what year, what color, what types of features you want in this car? Do you see where I’m going with this? What if one of your goals is to be a wealthy CEO, what type of company are you working for, are you the CEO of your own company, how will you get there? 

You are painting a mental picture for yourself. You really need to envision what goal it is that you want to achieve.   Then write it out.

It is imperative that you place yourself there, as if the goal has already been achieved. Write down every aspect of your life when you reach this goal in vivid detail. 

Pick a Timeline

It is very important when setting goals to have a measurable timeline. To simply say I want to lose 40 pounds is great, but do you want to lose 40 pounds over the course of this year, or do you want to lose it over the next five years? You really want to give yourself a realistic timeframe to complete the goal. You want it to be realistic and achievable.

Make sure your goals are measurable

You want to be able to keep track of your goals, additionally you want to also measure progress as well. Research also shows that if you’re able to see progress while moving towards your goal you will be more likely to continue down that path.  In fact, it will give you incentive to push harder.

Create a Plan

Creating a plan not only helps you stay organized it is also your road map to success. Your plan should be meticulously detailed. Included should be the steps you plan to take to achieve the goal, what resources you will use or have available, Etc. Your plan needs to be strategic and precise. 

Execute

Once you have all these other things in place it is time to put your plan into action and execute. This is where you put all fears aside you take a step out and you put your plan into motion. Having done all of the work will allow you to move out of your pocket of fear and doubt and on towards your goal.   As you venture out and head towards your goal you will start to see putting one foot in front of the other will begin to open more doors getting you closer to your goal.

After you do this a few times with different goals it will become easier to step out. Things to keep in mind, things will not always be easy everything will not always go your way but if you keep your eyes on your end game nothing can stand in your way. Once you get past that wall of fear you will begin to realize just how strong and amazing you are. Keep pushing towards your goal and honor the journey that it takes to get there.