Setting and achieving goals will put you ahead of 96% of the general population

Success in setting and achieving goals requires the goal setting activities and goal setting strategies described on this page, which also explains some theory of goal setting, especially Locke's goal setting theory, and why is goal setting important.

Setting and achieving goals is critical to success and self improvement, but if you are like 96% of the general population, chances are that you do not have any written down personal goals.

You may have some goals in your head but writing them down on a goal setting worksheet is a very important thing to do actually.

Writing down your goals in SMART terms is a very smart thing to do.

Why?

Because it helps your unconscious mind and conscious mind to know what you want to achieve and then to align in helping you to achieve it.

Also, it makes your intentions explicit which is really helpful in terms of your motivation and perseverance.

The studies are revealing - high achievers know very well how to set goals.

They have smart goals, they write them down on goal setting forms, and they use them to deliver success and personal development.

It’s not an accident that this works for them - the research also shows that they gain an advantage because only 4% of people bother to set personal goals in this way (and that’s not a lot of competition for them, is it?).

So what are goals?

A goal setting definition is:

* a goal is simply an end result you want to achieve and choose to work towards.

In setting and achieving goals, some people distinguish between primary goals (what you want to achieve) and secondary goals (things you must do to create what you want).

Why bother with setting and achieving goals? - why is goal setting important?

Well, goals give you a direction, a target to aim at, a purpose, a reason to make the effort, and feedback about your achievements (when you reach your goals or not).

In addition, goals create a focus of what “should” happen, what you expect to achieve, which, for example, will form the basis of your personal development plan.

This is a vital reference point that enables you to be in control.

Control means comparing what “actually” happened to what “should” have happened to identify variances (positive and negative), analyse causes and make beneficial changes (including re-planning and resetting your goals).

Without the “should” that planning and goal setting creates, control is impossible.

A little about goal setting theory and goal setting strategies:

Setting and achieving goals is widely accepted, supported by numerous research studies, as being fundamental to performance.

That is, setting and achieving goals, especially SMART goals, creates high motivation and stickability compared to less focused efforts based on, for example, "try hard" or "do your best".

In particular, in the late 1960s, Edwin Locke (and, later, Gary Latham), carried out research that showed that the following were key in achieving the best results from setting and achieving goals:

* clear goals that are measurable, specific and with a deadline for achievement are more motivating than fuzzy or vague goals

* goals that are challenging are more effective in creating high performance and a sense of achievement than goals that are too easy or unimportant or unrealistic

* high commitment to achieve goals stemming from high ownership and a sense of being in control. Great outcomes are less likely if goals are set by others or imposed on someone

* feedback of results, with opportunities for learning and change, is essential in setting and achieving goals

* task complexity, when adequately balanced with skills and time available, adds to motivation and feelings of satisfaction.

How to set goals, in practice,......:

Setting and achieving goals can be very short term (eg you want to beat your personal best run tonight) or medium term (eg you want to achieve your educational qualification next year) or long term (eg you want to develop your skills to take over the family business in 5 years or so).

Goals are most powerful in helping you to deliver success when you are passionate about them (all motivation is emotional and passion, of course, is a very strong emotion) and they align with your values.

For example, you believe strongly that your goals are important, right for you and worthwhile.

Setting and achieving goals may be a process of discovery for you.

That is, you may not know what you want at first but as you explore possibilities, and your priorities, and what you do not want, your goals will often emerge more clearly.

If they don’t, start off with whatever you can think of by way of goals and refine them or change them as you go along.

Don’t fall into the trap of not bothering because you’re not entirely clear what you want (that will put you in with the 96% of the general population).

There’s no fixed way of carrying out goal setting activities, so whatever works for you is fine.

Often, you may start out very broad by asking yourself (and your partner or family) questions such as:

what do you want in or from your life?, what do you want to achieve?

What future do you wish to create?

That may get you some big broad headings such as:

* health

* wealth (and material possessions)

* happiness (and relationships)

* travel the world

or, some more specific ones, such as:

* become a teacher

* emigrate

* start your own business

* get a degree

On the other hand, there may be some high priority, specific and obvious goals that you must set out to achieve. For example:

* get out of bad debt within 2 years

* buy a house

* put the kids through college

* get medical treatment

If you do a SWOT analysis, or a self diagnosis exercise, you will often reveal priority areas for setting and achieving goals that will build on your strengths; strengthen your weaknesses; identify opportunities to exploit and threats to counter.

Goal setting is a bit like a funnel.

That is, you will need to narrow down from these very broad and big goals to come up with an action plan that will help you achieve success.

How do you do that?

Well, you can use time.

That is, if you think about your life goals (from above) you may narrow down by asking what will need to be done in the next 5 years or in one year or six months or one month or.......tomorrow......get the idea?

Or, you can use activities.

For example, let's say "health" is one of your goals.

You will need to narrow down to, "yes, but in practice what will this require?".

That may get you setting smaller goals about your weight or diet or exercise or regular medical assessments or giving up smoking or drinking until you funnel in to the action plan that will help you deliver success.

Continue with the questioning approach to reveal your goals.

An effective left brain approach is to express your goals as SMART goals.

In addition, you may want to include some right brain visualisations to help with your setting and achieving goals.

Some people describe themselves as unable to visualise or think in images. Some practice though can make a real difference and it is fun and simple to do.

It is important also to check out that you don't fall into any or all of the 7 traps that can undermine the benefits of goal setting.

Goal getting - the achieving bit.

Goal setting is fine but goals don't achieve themselves, do they?

YOU have to do the work that gets the goals that you have set.

How do you do that?

There is no one way, or formula, people will have different approaches.

Having said that, here are a few tips that might help:

* show determination and self discipline.

That is, the second step in the i-c-s-i way is COMMIT.

You've set the goals that will give you terrific benefits, so COMMIT to the determination to go and get them.

* celebrate your success.

When you achieve a goal, reward yourself in some way that is meaningful to you.

This will reinforce your motivation and boost your self esteem.

* learn from your experiences as you go along.

For example, if you achieve a goal and you know it was too easy, review your other goals and higher the standards you expect appropriately.

If you don't achieve a goal (that's not a failure, it is a result - failure would have been to not even try in the first place), investigate why, learn and either move on (that goal is now redundant) or re-frame it.

If it takes you four times longer to achieve a goal than you expected, investigate (e.g. was your timescale prediction terrible or was it a poorly thought out goal or were you short of resources or....), and review the timescale on your other goals, modifying your setting and achieving goals as needed.

* develop your time management skills

* keep re-setting your goals.

That is, to gain from all the advantages of goal setting, don't let your goals become rigid or a limiter on you.

Circumstances change and so must your goals.

It's not what the goals are that yields the best self improvement returns, it is the process of setting and achieving goals that creates personal growth.

So, setting and achieving goals is one of the fundamental things you can do to be in control, be a victor and achieve great self improvement - click here to go to Home Page.

If you are looking for more information because let's face it, we all live way too busy lives, life is too short to not make personal goal setting a number one priority, visit http://www.personal-goal-setting.com/index.html (this will open in a new window).

If you are seeking more information on professional audio subliminal programs to help you reach your goals, visit Bright Images. Since 1987, with 3D sound/music, 20,000 emotionalized affirmations, these programs work fast. Each subject area contain relevant and unique information, tips and tools to reach your goals (opens a new window) http://www.brightimages.com

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