4 tips for setting goals and keeping them

Three months into 2019 and you’ve either kicked your new year goals, given up or totally forgotten what they were.

A new year means a fresh start and it’s never too late to plan future goals. Goal setting is important for several reasons; it gives you focus, creates long-term vision and motivation for the short term. Whether it’s to improve something, change something or learn something new, here are some quick tips on how to kick your goals and keep them.

Be specific and visualise it

Hindsight is 20/20. Look at the past to see what you would like to change or what outcome you would like to improve and make it specific. Having a specific goal in mind, makes it easier to plan, practice and pull off in the long term. Creating a clear and defined goal gives you direction.

Make your goal attainable and realistic

A dream is a wish your heart makes, but sometimes you need to follow your head. After working out exactly what you want, make sure it’s realistic and attainable within your time period. If the time frame is small, consider breaking your goal down even further into single steps. The quality of the goal is more important than how long it will take to achieve it. Setting milestones helps the goal remain attainable and realistic it also creates a logical action plan to be followed.

Keep your goal relevant

When setting goals, they need to be relevant to the outcome you are working towards. Doing so, will help you remain focused. To make sure your goal is relevant think about why it’s important, the advantages of achieving it and whether it will still be important a year down the track. Keep in mind that your goal should be dynamic and fluid because as factors change the goal may need to be altered as well. Now you’ve set your goal you need to consider your ideal (and realistic) timeframe. Having a set timeframe helps you remain motivated.

Get accountable

Most people need outside pressure to really get something done. How much accountability you need will depend on your motivation and the scale of the goal. You may be able to simply write down your goal and be held accountable for it. Sometimes you might need to enlist a friend or colleague to check in with you every couple of weeks and make sure you’re on track. Find a way that works for you.

Now that you have the idea and the plan, follow it until your goal is achieved.

As Picasso said,

Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.’

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *