Setting Goals is Easy – Here’s How to Achieve Them

Setting goals in life is important to say the least. That’s because goals keep us focused and motivated to keep moving forward and improve ourselves on a daily basis. There are thousands of examples of how setting effective goals helped remarkable individuals achieve wonders.

But in reality, setting goals is only one part of the equation. If you truly want to get where you want to be and make something of yourself then you need to achieve those goals as well. In fact, some people would argue that setting goals is the easy part because after all, anyone can set goals.

The hard part is achieving the goals because it requires focus, dedication and commitment that is hard to maintain over a long period of time. That’s why today we’ll be discussing some of the ways you can set meaningful goals and what you can do to achieve them in an effective manner.

Why are Goals Important?

We need to start by understanding why setting goals is important. According to research, goals can be divided into two types; (1) those that help achieve something and (2) those that help avoid something. The first type are known as mastery goals and the second type are known as avoidance goals.

The reason mastery and avoidance goals exist is because they help shape behavior. In order to achieve anything, humans need to change their behavior in one way or another. Goals help bring that behavioral change to life by providing an incentive, or tracking performance.

In addition, goals help define success for each individual. Since everyone wants to accomplish different things in life, therefore goals help define what success would look like in each case. As a natural consequence, goals also define what failure looks like and automatically hold people accountable for what they do or do not achieve.

Thus, goals are an instrument of injecting purpose into life. Fulfilling goals provides a sense of control, and a sense of control develops long term purpose and value for individuals. And purpose drives happiness and contentment in life.

So there are plenty of reasons to set goals, but how do we know which goals are worth setting? That’s where it gets tricky. But as Zig Ziglar said, “A goal properly set, is halfway reached”.

How to Set Meaningful Goals?

What Ziglar meant by this was that setting goals with the correct ambition in mind is of paramount importance. It also means that in order to set meaningful goals, it’s important to know oneself – your own strengths and weaknesses, fears and ambitions.

You can talk to friends and family to get to know some of the characteristics about yourself that you may not have known before. Or simply being more observant may allow you to decipher hidden aspects of your personality. Once you have a better idea about who you are and the things that make you happy, here’s what you can do to convert vague ambitions into definite goals:

• Start by defining what you want from life and where you envision yourself in 1, 5 and 10 years time.
• Write down the ideas that come to your head.
• Try to convert generic ideas to specific ones
• Write out concrete steps for achieving any one specific goal, for example, any specific skill you can learn.
• Prioritize your goals one by one until you have clear vision of which goal is most important
• Then ask yourself why the most important goal is most important to you.
• Make sure that the goal is challenging, and that you have a roadmap about what you need to do to accomplish it.

How to Achieve Your Goals?

Now let’s get to the part of actually achieving your goal. Experts have written entire books about how to achieve goals, but we’ll be covering the most important steps you need to know to fulfill your goals.So let’s get started.

 1. Know What Motivates You

This is part of the “knowing oneself” exercise you did when you were setting your goals. Knowing what motivates you is essential to be able to drive yourself to fulfill tasks and accomplish goals. It’s also easier to motivate yourself when the goal you’re trying to accomplish is related to something you’re passionate about.

 2. Develop a Proactive Mentality

Notice how we said a proactive mentality – because action stems from mentality. Developing a proactive mentality means having a ‘can do’ attitude which essentially means you are solution-oriented rather than problem-oriented. This mentality is essential in achieving goals because you will face multiple obstacles. The only way to overcome these obstacles is to have a mental state that allows you to overcome adversity and look for solutions rather than get weighed down by problems.

 3. Acquire Relevant Skills

One of the most important steps in achieving goals is to have the right skill set. It’s necessary to acquire the relevant skill set to achieve your goal because every goal requires some level of proficiency in one area or another. Not to mention, skills developed meticulously over a period of time can be assets later on in life. In addition, acquiring relevant skills is one of the concrete steps that aid in achieving overall goals. So without tangible skill improvement, it becomes nearly impossible to achieve your goals.

 4. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

Failure is a part of life and that means it’s a part of achieving success. You’ll undoubtedly fail at some point in your life but that’s ok. The most successful people have failed in life and learned from it, which is why it is essential that you do the same. Failure is only harmful when people do not learn from it. So try your best to analyze your mistakes and understand why it was that you failed. This will allow you to improve yourself with time and help you learn from your mistakes.

5. Track Progress Regularly

You can’t manage what you can’t measure which is why measuring your progress is important. Goals are all about managing your time and skills to accomplish what you want to accomplish. That’s why tracking progress regularly is an essential part of achieving your goals. Tracking progress also keeps you accountable to your goals. If you feel you are not the best person for tracking your own progress, then ask your friends and family to help out. 

6. Visualize the End Result

This step is a recurring one, because you need to continuously remind yourself what it is that you’re trying to achieve. It’s easy to lose sight of the end result when faced with repeated hardships and obstacles, but visualizing the end result is one of the best ways you can maintain your focus. Whenever you feel yourself wavering from your commitment, ask yourself what it is that you are trying to achieve. This visualization is most effective when your goal is something that you are passionate about.

Conclusion

Goals help organize and manage life while providing a sense of purpose. They are important for a healthy lifestyle and help achieve success in a set time frame. Follow the steps outlined in this blog to set meaningful goals for yourself and achieve them as well!

If you’re interested in finding out about LGBT owned businesses and how the LGBT Chamber of Commerce helps those businesses grow their networks, then become a member of our Chamber today!

 

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is an organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and LGBT-allied businesses, corporations and professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin. It offers networking opportunities, business development efforts within the LGBT community, and educational programming to its members. The organization has nearly 700 members from around the state. In 2015, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce received the National Chamber of the Year Award from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). More information can be found online at: www.wislgbtchamber.com.

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