Creating Effective Goals

Have you ever heard the saying, “without a vision the people perish?”  This is a true statement. If you don’t have a vision then you don’t have a goal and you have no planned destination.  Goals are an important part of everyday living.  Everyone should have goals - things they want to accomplish in life.  This is something that you work to achieve every day.

We sometimes set goals that aren’t effective or achievable and this can cause a great deal of conflict.  There are ways to know if your goals are effective and achievable.  The first thing you should do is jot down the resource it would take to attain your goal – both physical and mental resources. Most of the time there are steps you need to complete before your goal can become a reality.  That means it is time to prioritize the steps you must take to complete that task first.

When your resources are in place, you are well on your way to achievement.  Let’s examine how to send you on your way.  Here are some strategies you can use to create effective and achievable goals:

1. Be specific. When you set measurable goals they are easy to reach and you have much success.  Put together a timeline for whatever it is you want to accomplish. Saying your goal is to become a great author doesn’t work since there is no specific end target. It is hard to know if you have accomplished what you set out to do because there is always room to be better at something.
2. Make your goals attainable and realistic. If you want to become a great author you wouldn’t set your timeline for the next 2 days because it is not realistic.  Setting a goal to be a great author over the next ten years – after you have written over 3 dozen books is real and attainable.  Setting unattainable goals are counterproductive.  You will never complete them and it will prevent you from even trying. This is a sure way to set yourself up for failure.
3. Give yourself a timeline. Setting a deadline makes the goal a priority, keeps it in your mind, and makes it easier to achieve.  If you know that you have a certain amount of time to achieve something you are more motivated to accomplish that goal.  If you have a big goal, divide it up into steps or smaller goals. This will help keep you focus on the bigger goal.
4. Write down your goals. If you are a self motivated person you most likely have more than one goal you would like to achieve.  You can set goals in almost every area: family, work, health, education, hobbies, or any part of your life in which you would lie to make changes. Writing down each goal can help you organize them and better motivate you to work toward achieving them.

By using these goals setting tips you will be able to set more effective and achievable goals.  Once you have crated your objectives, make an action plan and see it to the end.  When you have achieved your goals you will have a system in place to accomplish any endeavor.