Determination is one of the major factors that influences us in achieving our goals. Goal setting is a process of knowing and defining the aims, achievements and values which you wish to fulfill within a specific time line.
However, not many of us know how to set goals. And worst, many people don’t know if they are setting realistic goals in their life or not. This can become a major problem especially when the person must work within an environment where setting goals is a must.
If this happens, the goals set by someone without a good working knowledge of how to go about setting proper goals tend to be big and unrealistic. Therefore, when you set your goals, ask yourself if your goals are consistent with your abilities, level of determination and personal characteristics.
Writing goals on paper is the first thing to do when setting goals for ourselves. It helps us clarify our thoughts of what we would like to achieve.
If you have decided to set up your goals, there are ways to put them into a plan and start acting on them to make them realistic. The use of a goal setting outline makes it easier for you to define your goals and achieve them step-by-step.
If you’re looking to formulate a number of goals which you want to achieve in the next 1 year, the SMART mnemonic is an outline which you may want to try.
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S
This technique follows the format S.M.A.R.T which means you first have to be SPECIFIC (S) about your goals by setting clear and concrete goals.
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M
Then create a timeline which will indicate what stage you have reached along the way. This way you can identify when you have reached your goals, which means your goals must be MEASURABLE (M).
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A
Why would you set a goal if it were not achievable? That is why it is called a goal. Therefore, it must be ACHIEVABLE (A).
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R
When choosing a goal for you, it must also be RELEVANT (R) to your profession, interest and your course in life. Setting a goal which you are not interested will likely not work out for you.
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T
Lastly, setting of goals must be TIME-RELATED (T); this means there should be a specific time allotted to achieving a certain goal.
Goal setting outline can be done manually or with the use of a computer. Whichever way you want to do it depends on your style and what is more convenient for you.
Here are a few guidelines to help you with your goal setting:
- Write your Success Creed
- Write your Success Questions
- Write your Success Stimulants
- Practice a Daily Review of your success goals: this way, you know your performance rating.
- Practice a Weekly Review of your success goals: this way, you even if you are busy and stressed with other issues, it helps reduce your stress.
If you are the type of person who looses focus easily and can’t stick to setting your goal outline, there are various goal setting software programs which can be of assistance. Goal Setting Pro is software which helps you organize your goals according to time frames. It also has built in added features like e-books and goal setting outlines.
These outlines are worksheets which help you set your goals with fill in blanks success plan. This way, you can create your goal review which will help you stay focused on your goal plan, use the fill in blanks success plan to create your success at every time frame, and even saves the reports and even print them.
Any of the goal setting outlines suggested above can help you in successfully achieving your desires.