Today I have decided to write a post post on goal setting and how to achieve it? Before I can give the how we must explore and understand why.
It is becoming more of a common question to the younger generation these days. 'What are you planning to do with your life?' I cannot recall how many times I had heard this question by numerous people in the last 10 years.
This year I have faced many changes personally and career wise. My goals had changed and so had my perspective. I finally had my own wake up call and asked myself the question What do I want to do with my life? What are my goals for the near future? What do I want to do career wise? I realised my goals were quite different to what I was doing and knew I had to change this.
Why set goals?
Today (3rd September) Many return to school and college. For many it will be there first year or their final year, final year students will soon face these questions too. Will they apply for 6th form? Will they apply for college? Will they go to university or aim for an apprenticeship? I can recall facing all these questions and just wishing I would be left alone instead of being badgered and forced to give an answer. There is so much pressure on students instead of giving a more supportive approach. One question me and some of my friends had but could not seem to find a clear answer to what Why set goals? The main answer we was given was 'Because you have to do something with your life, you cannot just sit down and do nothing.' Granted this answer is true BUT does not motivate. The younger generation need motivation and purpose to set goals, to find their own calling and not be forced into anything they do not like.
While planning this post I thought to myself, Why do I set myself goals? 3 things came into my mind;
1) To give me a sense of purpose.
2) To give me something to work towards.
3) To feel accomplished and achieve what I want to.
These are just my main reasons why I set myself goals. Everytime I feel in doubt with what I am doing in life I reflect on these 3 points and ask myself if what I am doing makes me feel these things?
How to set goals.
Before you can set your goals you need to think and reflect. Ask yourself;
1) What you want to do in life? What are some personal goals I want? What is my aim for a future career? What are my passions? What do I want to achieve?
When you have identified your goals that is the hardest part done! You then need to be realistic with your goals.
2) What may seem as an impossible goal can be achieved. You do need to be realistic in terms of time frame and not letting your imagination run wild such as 'my goal is to fly to pluto in 5 years time.'
3) S.M.A.R.T targets- I heard this phrase so many times while going through School, College and University.
Specific- Don't just think 'I want to earn more money' , be more specific such as 'I would like to earn more money by...' . My Specific target is 'I want to write content for the web by gaining experience and perhaps more education.
Measurable- I never understood this one when hearing it time and time again. It basically means How will you know that you will achieve your goals? How will you measure your progress and success? Personally I tackle this by reflecting after I have achieved one of my steps to obtain my goal.
Achievable/Attainable- Again, this step is basically being realistic with your goals. Can you achieve this goal? What do you need to do to achieve this?
Relevant- Is this goal relevant to what you want to achieve in life or your overall plans? Is it worth doing?
Time bound- When do you want to achieve this goal by?
By making your targets SMART, it helps give more structure and focus to your goals. It helps you think more clearly when working towards them.
4) What do you need to do to achieve your goal/s? Write down, mindmap your thoughts out. Research if you need to, to help you figure out how to achieve it.
5) Plan out how and when you will achieve this goal. Prioritize or organise your life to help fit it in within any commitments you may have.
6) List out the steps you will take to achieve this goal. This help you focus on one aspect of achieving the goal instead of all of it so it does not make it seem so impossible.
7) Follow through on these step! Stick to them and reflect when you have achieved them. Celebrate that you are a step closer to your goal.
I hope this help you guys to set yourself some targets and achieve your dreams, Remember anything is possible if you work hard enough for it! :-)
Cover Photo by Lucas Clara on Unsplash .
Bubble Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
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