There are ways of setting goals to make them more effective, meaning you’re more likely to act on them. This makes all the difference between achieving what you want or seeing your good intentions fizzle out to nothing. But how to set goals in life that you want to achieve?
Here are 5 tips on how to set goals in life you'll want to and will achieve.
How to set goals in life
1. PERSONAL – The first thing is to make sure that all your goals are yours. Sometimes the difficulty is you think you want something but in truth you’re doing it for someone else, a significant other such as a parent, loved one, or even your religion. Or it’s something that you think you should want to do or would be good for you, even if deep down it’s not what you really want, or you’re just not that interested in it.
However well meaning you or others might be, you will not be committed to goals that don’t grab you. This is not about doing what you think you should do, nor a laborious process to be worked through, but a stimulating inspiring exploration of your future, so own your goals for yourself. For this reason start your goals with ‘I’.
2. PRESENT – Frame goals in the present tense. That is, compose them as if they are happening here and now, not at some future time. State your goals from the perspective of actively achieving them now. So e.g. starting with ‘My goals are …’ say ‘I am financially secure’ rather than ‘I will be financially secure in five years’.
It might seem a slightly strange way to put it but it is more powerful to state how your brilliant life looks when it becomes reality, not how it looks from where you are standing now.
This is important because it sends a strong clear signal to your mind that this is the reality it needs to be working to create right now, not filing it away as something that doesn’t need to concern you for five years.
3. POSITIVE – Keep the language positive. This means phrasing your statements in the positive not the negative. For example, if you want to lose weight, say ‘I am slim’ or ‘I am a size 10’.
You are saying what you want rather than what you don’t want. Once again this sends a clear command to your brain, it is more effective to state the intended result rather than internally interpreting what something you don’t want looks like.
It’s difficult to think about and measure a negative or something that’s not there. A positive is more measurable and more likely to lead you to actions that focus on your preferred outcome.
4. PURPOSE – Being clear on the reasons why you are doing what you are doing, is crucial to creating goals that inspire you. The purpose behind your goals is the ‘why’ that will be your motivation.
For example, many people create a goal around finance. However, while the goal is about wealth, the purpose behind it is not to get money for it’s own sake but as the means to get the things and experiences in life they desire. These might be freedom, more time with family and friends, a sense of security for their family’s future, experiences like travel or having their own boat or horse, or the ability to help others. These are the purpose behind the desire for money.
So make sure that whatever lies behind you wanting to attain your goals is so important to you that it will ignite and sustain your commitment to accomplishing them.
It might be your husband, wife, children, family, friends, health, happiness, excitement, security, time with loved ones, recognition, reward, longevity, happiness, accomplishment, excitement, contentment, enjoyment, satisfaction, freedom, fulfilment, validation, sense of pride, control, love, safety, and so the list goes on – but whatever it is – make it big, because the bigger your ‘why’ the easier the going will be.
“Humans work best when they have a sense of purpose. It doesn’t seem to matter what it is, as long as there is one! Without a sense of purpose the Human lacks direction and meaning to life.”
(Dr Steve Peters, The Chimp Paradox, 2012, Vermilion, p.41)
5. PEN or PRINT – Last but not least it’s critical to write out your goals. In writing down your goals you define and declare them.
What you are doing here is setting new parameters for your experience. You are clearly stating your new intention and in doing so start to shift your focus and energy onto the actions and opportunities that will coincide with getting you on track towards your vision.