“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act . There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso
What is Goal Setting?
Goal setting is the development of an action plan designed to motivate and guide you toward a goal. It is the first step towards effectively planning for the future and gives you direction as you navigate your life. Knowing what path to take is a lot more difficult when there is no destination planned, so goal setting is essentially “path planning”.
Importance of goal setting
The discipline you get and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself. -Bo Bennet
The people that have goals succeed because they know where they’re going. Goal setting gives you direction. It is a great source of motivation, and it greatly improves your decision making capabilities. It gives you strength, confidence and activates the joy of living.
Effective goal setting does wonders for your prioritization skills, time management skills and increases your self awareness. When you set goals, you become aware of where you are and which way you need to be headed. That way, your knowledge acquisition efforts are focused in the right direction.
How to set the right goals
Setting the right goals is the most important aspect of goal setting. It is possible to have the most elaborate and detailed plan that is wrong for you for that time, or just not for you at all. So, you must set the right goals to begin with. You might be wondering, “How do I set the right goals?” The starting point is being clear about your vision for your life. Have you designed that life you really want to live? If you haven’t, stop right now and start writing. Design your Dream Life NOW!!
You have probably heard of S.M.A.R.T goals and I hope that has been the foundation for your goal setting but I personally feel to achieve maximum results, S.M.A.R.T goals are just not enough! We must move from having S.M.A.R.T goals to having R.E.A.L goals. What are S.M.A.R.T goals? They are a goal setting guide:
S – Specific
M- Measurable
A-Achievable
R- Realistic
T- Timely
The biggest issue I have with this guide is the word “Realistic” because I have found that people use it mainly for dream killing. You must be careful when setting “realistic” goals because realistic is a totally subjective word. Realistic for whom? Realistic for one person is running a hundred meters in under 10 seconds and realistic for another is nothing under three minutes. So when you want to set your goals make sure they are “realistic” for you. The question I like to ask is “What do you believe you can achieve. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” So let’s move to R.E.A.L. goals
What are R.E.A.L Goals?
R- Research: All your goals must be researched. It is important for you to look for mentors or role models who currently emulate your values and model the kind of life you envision for yourself. You must understand what they have done to get where they are and mirror that while setting your goals. Research upgrades your reality. Open yourself up to the greats. Study how they pushed the bar higher and start pushing yours.
E- Encompassing: Your goals must touch on every aspect of your life; Spirit, Soul and Body.
Set goals for the 6 Productivity Plus Arenas of your life.
- Career/Business/Studies
- Finance & Wealth
- Health & Fitness
- Family & Friends
- Spiritual & Personal Growth
- Romance, Fun & Recreation.
A- Aspirational: Your goals must stretch you and scare you! If your goals don’t scare you, they are not big enough. While creating aspirational goals, you must make sure you take steps to ensure you meet these goals you have set for yourself. Push, push, push. Productivity Plusers are goal breakers!!.
L- Leverage: You must leverage on the opportunities placed around you! You must be intentional and keenly aware of your environment and all that God has placed around you to help you build your dreams. Open your eyes to the relationships, resources, finances etc. that you can leverage to achieve all the goals you set.
I think S.M.A.R.T goals are a great springing board. Combined with R.E.A.L goals, you will be setting fantastic goals, crushing them and working proudly into your designed future.
Goal setting is everything! It is the foundation upon which all our future plans are built. If you have been following me on my social media platforms, you should have designed your Dream Life or at the very least, started to gain clarity on how to go about it. If you are still a bit confused, feel free to book a coaching session with me. Setting goals for yourself is the first step to getting you where you need to go, and I would love to work on that with you.
“Plan your work for today and everyday, then work your plan.” – Margaret Thatcher
Always remember that you must always pay the price to achieve your R.E.A.L goals! It’s not as scary as it looks, it’s mainly about rolling up your sleeves to do the hard and smart work. All it takes is the willingness for delayed gratification on your part. The great thing is once you pay the price, you are set to get the prize!
I heartily congratulate you in advance!!
[…] same way and expect a different result. However, the dichotomy of our existence is that we dream, set great goals and want different results; yet we keep doing the same things we’ve always done because those are […]