Have you ever set a goal for your business or your life? Do you currently have goals that you are pursuing? Maybe you've never set a goal, or you tried it and really didn’t care for it.
Goals can help people achieve desired outcomes. However, some folks tell me that goals just don't work for them. If that is how you feel, this article is for you. Please take another look at using goals. I propose that if you learn how to set effective goals, it can help you get what you want. If you already practice setting goals, this article can help you enjoy and improve the process.
An effective goal will make you feel good. Many people don’t like goals because they elicit feelings of failure, guilt, and stress, much like dropped New Year’s resolutions. You set the resolution to change some habit, and then forget the whole idea in just a few weeks. The resolution just becomes a nagging regret and reminder that you have failed yet again. This is a misuse of the goal setting process. Here are three practical steps that will help you fix the process.
First, create goals that serve you. A goal is just a planning tool. The most effective goals are clear, specific descriptions of a desired outcomes. When you create a goal that you can clearly see, every time you look at it you emotionally experience the outcome before it happens. The clarity and energy help you focus and plan the steps you must take to move toward what you see. You know that a goal is working when it makes you feel good and inspires you to take action. A clear goal also serves as a compass to keep you on course headed to the destination. If a goal makes you feel overwhelmed, guilty, or discouraged, then you need to adjust it or just drop it! Goals are great servants, but terrible masters. If a goal is bringing you down, get rid of it.
Second, create goals that have a clear purpose. Why do you want to make a million dollars, or own a certain house, or travel to a certain destination? Why do you want to lose 20 pounds, or learn that new language? Why do you want your business to grow? When the why gets clear and strong, the journey gets a little easier. A huge goal with a wimpy why will just become a discouraging nag.
Finally, create goals that keep you growing and stretching. The greatest value of a challenging goal is who you become while pursuing it. Arriving at the destination is a great time for celebration, but the true reward is who you have become as you worked and persevered to the end.
Goals are wonderful, beautiful tools if you learn how to use them effectively.
