Goal Setting for 2020
For personal goal setting it pays to have a bit of practicality. For example, if you are not an athlete, you don’t want to try to run a marathon in 4 weeks or less, it just won’t work. Most athletes will plan for a marathon for 3 to 5 months.
It should be a “stretch”. It should be something special, something you have wanted to do and have just not been able to do, for whatever reason.
Because it is a special goal, something that you want, you should be able to apply AbC: All by Commitment, you really want it, so you make a promise to yourself to get it done (broken promises eat away at your self-worth). If you can’t bring yourself to commitment, then give it up. Your internal voice will let you know if your goal is viable or not. Caveat: don’t overthink this!
The reason for commitment is simple; it’s to get you through the times when you “don’t want to”. You don’t need commitment when life is joyful and easy, you need commitment when you are tired, or lazy.
One other thing you will need for effective goal setting is a feedback loop. You must have a way to measure your progress. That’s easy if what you want to do is lose weight, not so much if your goal is to “get in shape”. To be effective, you need goals, and objectives that you can measure.
What’s the difference between a goal and an objective? A goal is your overall want and your objective is a piece of that want. Back to dieting: the goal is to lose 5 pounds; the objective might be to cut sugar out of your diet. Cutting sugar out of your diet is a step towards the goal of losing 5 pounds. See how that works?
Be aware of your challenges and make sure that you don’t “bite off more than you can chew”. Use the feedback loop to let you know if the goal is too difficult to accomplish. Don’t give up! Moderate your goal and don’t let it become too difficult to accomplish.
Tips to Accomplish Your Goals in the Next 365 Days
- Make your goal workable and reachable.
- Make your goal special and make it a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, it should be a little difficult. Understand that goals should challenge you. Pushing through challenge is when growth happens.
- Make a clear commitment and listen to your inner guide.
- Make sure you can measure progress towards your goal i.e.:
- Words written per day
- Number of jobs applied for
- Miles run
- Classes attended
- Envision yourself attaining your goals. Feel the feeling of successful goal accomplishment. Get after it!
