How to Set Goals – Rules for Effective Goal Setting

Imagine getting into your car without knowing where you are going and attempting to get somewhere – how will you even know in which direction to turn? This is like a life without goals. If you want to achieve anything from life then you need to begin with goal setting. In this article we will look at how to set goals that are SMART and that will get you where you want to go in life.

Goal Setting – Begin with What You Want

The reason some people find it so difficult to set goals is that they don’t really know what they want from life. Effective goal setting begins with knowing what you want to accomplish in life – so take some time to write down your dreams, desires, what you want people to say about you at the end of your life, what you want to accomplish. Once you have written down some of these things form a mission statement for your life. A mission statement is something which sums up the person that you want to be and what you want to do with your life.

The First Rule of Effective Goal Setting – Write Down Specific Goals

The first rule of effective goal setting is to take your mission statement and to turn the things you want to accomplish into specific goals. A mission statement is a more general statement of what you want to accomplish whereas goals should be as specific as possible giving the actual details of each thing you want to accomplish. You can also break these specific goals down into long term, medium term and short term goals. The “S” in “SMART” stands for “Specific”

Effective Goal Setting Means Setting Measurable Goals

How do you know when you have reached your goal? Do you have something to measure your goal by that will tell you without doubt that you have achieved what you wanted to achieve? Effective goal setting means setting goals that are measurable – these goals should have implicit to them a measuring system for determining when they have been met. The “M” in SMART goals stands for “Measurable”.

Effective Goal Setting Means Achieving your Goals

Unless goals are able to be achieved then there is no real point in setting them. If you set goals that you can never hope to achieve all you will succeed in doing is getting disheartened and feeling a failure. By setting achievable goals you are able to move towards success. Start by setting small goals that can be achieved fairly quickly and that build towards one larger goal. As you reach these minor achievements you will be encouraged that you can achieve the larger goal. If you have a tendency to be unrealistic in your goal setting ask someone you trust to give you their honest opinion, someone who will not just tell you that it can be done to make you happy but someone that is honest enough to tell you it will never happen if they think you are being unrealistic.

Effective Goal Setting Means Setting Goals Which You Find Rewarding

Working towards a goal is going to demand some sacrifice in many cases, there will be times when you need to work on your goal instead of doing something that would bring more immediate enjoyment. If your goals are rewarding enough then you will find the strength to stick with your goal plan but if it is not rewarding then you will soon give in to other temptations. You should also set a number of smaller goals and reward yourself for reaching these milestones towards your major goal as this will help keep you motivated for the long haul.

Effective Goal Setting includes a Specific Timeframe

Effective goal setting should include a realistic timeframe for meeting these goals – if your timeframe is too short then you will probably not achieve the goal within the timeframe and become discouraged, if your timeframe is too long you will eventually lose focus and give up on ever meeting your goal. If you have a very long term goal that cannot be reached within a short timeframe then set yourself a number of intermediate goals with shorter timeframes to keep you motivated towards your long term goal. The “T” in SMART goals stands for “Timely”.

In conclusion effective goal setting means setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, rewarding and timely. In order to set these SMART goals you need to know what it is you want in life. Start by writing down a general mission statement for your life which includes the things you want to achieve and the type of person you want to be, break these down into SMART short term, medium term and long term goals and get started today on your journey to success.