How To Set Goals and Achieve Them
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -- Douglas Adams
I wrote a step-by-step How To on How To – Set Goals and Achieve Them on Getting Results.com.
I find setting goals and achieving them is a blend of art and science. The art part is knowing how to frame the goal in a way that inspires you to action on a regular basis. The science part is breaking the goal down into actionable steps that you can measure against targets.
Over the years, the three most important things I learned about goals are:
- Factor the inspiration from the perspiration.
- The "Why" behind the goal is everything.
- You can achieve big goals by taking little steps over time.
Factor the Inspiration from the Perspiration
Dream big. Don’t hack up your dream into little insignificant parts right off the bat. Inspire yourself with skill. Find your buttons and push them until that little part of you that wants more from life wakes up and says, I want me some of that.
Goals are among the best way to change your life or change the world or simply move forward versus slide back. Create inspirational goals, the kind that light your fire. That’s your starting point. That gets you ready for the tough part.
The perspiration of the goal, or the tough part, is translating the end-in-mind into action. This is the part where you break the goal down into sub-goals, steps, and actions. This is the part where you make the goal SMART – specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely. This is the part where you get clarity on what success looks like along the way, and how you will map out your path to get to your destination.
The simple lesson here is, dream up compelling goals first and get excited before you start applying the rigor and discipline of making them happen. Then use the rigor and discipline of making them happen to inspire you along the way, as you make progress toward your goal.
The Why Behind the Goal is Everything
There are many ways to kill a dream or kill a goal. The longer it’s spread out over time and space, the more hurdles and challenges you might have to deal with along the way. But some goals are dead right out of the gate.
If your goal lacks life and has no compelling “Why” to drive it, it’s dead in the water. It doesn’t stand a fighting chance. If you want your goal to stand the test of time and to help you stay the course, then you need to have a compelling “Why” behind it. The “Why” is the generator of your juice that makes you go. You know it’s working when you simply remember “Why” and you are back on track.
You Can Achieve Big Goals by Taking Little Steps Over Time
The surprise is that consistent action really does pay off. It’s a case of slow and steady wins the race. The trick here is not to go intentionally slow and not to depend on baby steps. Instead, it’s to find the way forward, and to keep taking action. Sometimes that means taking little steps. Those little steps add up over time.
I integrated these lessons into my How To – Set Goals and Achieve Them to stack the deck in your favor and to help set you up for success in achieving your goals.