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Learn how goals can help you succeed in life
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Maybe you’re thinking of climbing that corporate ladder, or perhaps you’re about to graduate. No matter where you are or what you want in life, setting goals is an excellent way to accomplish your dreams. But why is that exactly? In this article, we’ll walk you through why setting goals is important and give you plenty of tips and tricks for accomplishing them. With our help, you’ll be catching those dreams in no time.
This article is based on an interview with our executive life coach, Guy Reichard, founder of HeartRich Coaching & Trainin. Check out the full interview here.
Things You Should Know
- Goals help motivate you to follow your dreams while encouraging you to be the best person you could possibly be.
- When you achieve something, you boost your self-esteem and self-confidence, which are just a few of the reasons why goal setting is important.
- To set a goal, identify what you want in life by asking yourself what you value most. Then, make a goal that's specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
Steps
Section 3 of 3:
How to Set & Achieve SMART Goals
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Make your goals as specific as possible. This way, you’ll know exactly what you’re aiming for. The more detail your goal has, the easier it’ll be to accomplish because you’ll know the end goal. [7] X Research source
- When making your goal, think of these questions to help you picture the outcome:
- Who, if anyone, can help me reach my goal?
- What do I want to accomplish?
- When can I work toward accomplishing my goal?
- Where can I accomplish my goal?
- What obstacles may I encounter?
- Why is achieving my goal important?
- What limits are there to my success?
- Why do I want to accomplish my goal?
- Let’s say you want to improve your business’s digital space. Your specific goal statement may be something like, “People are accessing our website from their mobile devices. Because the website isn’t responsive to that means of traffic, we’re experiencing poor reviews. I want to launch a mobile app for the company website by the end of August. This will require involvement from the software development, design, and marketing teams.”
- Perhaps you’re writing a book. A specific goal could look like, “I want to write a novel by the end of November this year to work toward my dream of being a published author. With school, I may encounter scheduling conflicts due to other homework assignments and clubs. I’ll inform my friends and family of my endeavor, so they can support my goal.”
- When making your goal, think of these questions to help you picture the outcome:
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Plan a way to measure your progress. An achievable goal is something you can measure the success of. How will you know your goal is achieved at the end of the day? Make sure your long- or short-term goal can be defined and tracked in some way. [8] X Research source
- For instance, if you’re creating a new website for your business, you can track how much traffic the site sees each day of the week, while noting where customers are finding your site (search engines, social media, etc.).
- Say your goal is to finish writing a book. You may track your progress with how many words or chapters you write using a bullet journal or spreadsheet.
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Determine how you’ll achieve your goal. Arguably, one of the most important steps in setting a goal is to make it achievable. Don’t aim too high that your goal is too hard to reach, but also don’t aim too low so that it’s too easy. Think about your limitations and work around them. Then, continue setting bigger goals with each success.
- Let’s return to our corporate example. Setting milestones for the project can help you and your team measure the success of your app. For instance, perhaps you celebrate when there are 100 downloads or 100 new customers. [9] X Research source
- For our book example, aim to write a certain amount of words or chapters a day. When you achieve that small milestone, try to write more words or chapters.
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Make sure your goals are relevant and align with your values. If you’re struggling to set a goal, ask yourself, “What do I want most in life?” Then, work from there. Large and small goals should speak to you, your needs, and your purpose. Remember, at the end of the day, goals help you be the person you want to be. [10] X Trustworthy Source Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration U.S. government agency whose mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. Go to source
- Try asking yourself these questions about your goal(s):
- Is this goal what I want?
- Does it make sense for me to do this?
- Are my daily goals relevant to my larger purpose?
- For instance, if you’re creating an app for your company, perhaps the company’s initiative this year is to improve overall customer experience, and implementing a new app will create a more pleasing experience for customers. [11] X Research source
- Say you’re writing that book. Perhaps your goal is relevant to your values because you love reading and writing and have always seen yourself becoming a successful published author.
- Try asking yourself these questions about your goal(s):
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Set a timeframe for how long it’ll take you to complete your goal. Time-bound deadlines can give you a sense of urgency and push you to work harder. Your goal deadline doesn’t have to be super strict—be reasonable with yourself. Plan a day to start working toward your goal, and then set a time by which you hope to achieve it. [12] X Research source
- For example, if you’re creating a company app, perhaps you aim to achieve 40,000 mobile app installs by the end of the fiscal year.
- If you’re working on writing a book, maybe you set out to start the draft in June and aim to finish it by the end of August.
- Keep in mind that goals don’t have to be achieved right away; change doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient with yourself.
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What Is a Smart Goal?
Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat steps should I take to reach my goals and get everything I want in life?Guy Reichard is an Executive Life Coach and the Founder of HeartRich Coaching & Training, a professional life coaching and inner leadership training provider based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He works with people to create more meaning, purpose, well-being, and fulfillment in their lives. Guy has over 10 years of personal growth coaching and resilience training experience, helping clients enhance and transform their inner worlds, so they can be a more positive and powerful influence on those they love and lead. He is an Adler Certified Professional Coach (ACPC), and is accredited by the International Coach Federation. He earned a BA in Psychology from York University in 1997 and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from York University in 2000.Know what you truly want and why. Realize that it may not even be in your best interest to get everything you want. Better than wants are values. Know and prioritize your values and create goals or commitments that are aligned well with them. Next, make a plan for how you will go about achieving your desire. Take one step at a time, honor the values along the way and celebrate the milestones and the learnings that you’ve gained.
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Tips
- Make a list of goals to help you visualize your goal-setting and achieving plan. When you feel lost, simply look back at your list to remind yourself what you want.Thanks
- Focus on 1 goal at a time rather than many all at once. Remember, you can always expand on your goal, but taking on too much can be overwhelming.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about improving your life, check out our in-depth interview with Guy Reichard .
References
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/notes-self/201308/how-set-goals
- ↑ https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/goal-setting
- ↑ https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/study_guides/study_skills/502_study_goals.html
- ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/raise-low-self-esteem/
- ↑ https://extension.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-set-goals-and-achieve-balance-in-and-outside-the-classroom/
- ↑ https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-18187-001
- ↑ https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf
- ↑ https://inside.ewu.edu/calelearning/psychological-skills/goal-setting/
- ↑ https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/nc-smart-goals-fact-sheet.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf
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