Secret to Setting Goals

Setting goals is one of the most critical tasks that any person can do. Setting goals allow people to be efficient. It allows people to not waste time and other resources on things that are not congruent with the goals they've set for themselves. In other words, without clear goals, most people will never accomplish much of what they would like to. You may get by, but you will not succeed unless you take the time to think about your goals, write them down, and track your progress in accomplishing them.

Before you can set goals that you can and will reach, there are a few things you want to keep in mind.

1. Write them down. This is the first, and probably the most important, thing you will do in order to set goals that you can reach. As you take the time to write down your goals, two things will happen. First, as you're writing your goals, you're forced to visualize your goals. Second, by writing them down, you're creating a commitment in your mind. The key here is that the more real your goals are to you, the more likely you are to accomplish them.

2. Express them positively. If you think about it, why would you want to write down things you don't want to accomplish? Don't talk down to yourself. You set goals to give yourself the opportunity and clarity to define your life's destination, not to encourage bad behavior or limiting thoughts. Words like "can't" or "won't" only limit your potential. Focus on what you want to happen, not what you want to leave behind. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, it is better to say, "I will adopt healthier lifestyle habits" than "I need to lose weight".

3. Be precise. There's a saying, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up going nowhere". You have to be specific. If you're not specific about your goal, then you're less likely to achieve it. Do you have a time frame you would like to accomplish this goal by? Is this a long-term goal or a short-term goal? How do you see yourself achieving this goal? All of these things are important. Again, the key is to make the goal as real to yourself as possible. If the goal is to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, be specific about these habits. By when would you like to do this? In this step, your goal might look like this, "By December 2009, I will adopt healthier lifestyle habits by drinking more water, watching what I eat, and exercising."

4. Set priorities. Some goals require more time to accomplish. Others require more energy and resources. By setting priorities, you're not wasting time and energy on things that are less important. You're focusing on what needs to be done.

5. Set small & measurable objectives. The last thing you want to do is set objectives. As you begin to visualize your goals, you may notice that there are steps in reaching them. These steps can be translated into objectives. The reason many people have a hard time reaching the goals they set for themselves is because they often set goals that may be too high, but more likely it is because they do not measure their progress along the way. Not being able to measure your progress or setting goals that are too high tell your mind that you don't have a way of reaching your goals. In other words, you're telling limiting the likelihood of your success. If your goal is to adopt the habits stated above, then your objectives might be as follows: I will exercise 3-4 times each week. I will cook lean, healthy meals at home. I will drink water instead of soda. With these small objectives, each week you can measure your progress. As you start to accomplish those objectives, you can pat yourself on the back. The more patting on the back, the more likely your mind will start to believe that you are on your way to achieving your goal of losing weight by December 2009.

As you set your goals and start to reach them, you'll notice that your goal sheet becomes a living document to you. At times you may want to change a goal or reprioritize your goals. Feel free to do so, it's yours. The more you work with it, the more real it is to you. And the more real it is, the more likely to accomplish it.