Goal-setting is not the easiest thing to do by any means. But I've found that having a plan to achieve my dreams has helped tremendously! Sometimes it has taken me years to write out a goal because while doing everything sounds nice, not zooming in on what I wanted to achieve held me back for a long time.
There are hundreds, if not millions, of different ways to set goals. There's SMART goals, long-term goals, financial goals, etc. - the list goes on and on. But no matter what you or I want to achieve, it all starts with setting goals.
Among all the hundreds of reasons, here are my top eight everyone should hop on the goal-setting train!
1. Goals help you narrow down what you want to accomplish.
Over time, I have thought about being an engineer, working in the sales department of a top company, and even becoming a best-selling author. But I realized very quickly a lot of these things just sounded nice. Making a plan for everything I wanted to be or even do seemed like a hard task because they were not things I actually wanted to accomplish. Goals help separate all the things that sound nice from all the things that you can't live without accomplishing!
2. A goal without a plan is just a dream.
I know this is a major clichė, but that does not make it any less true! When you write out your dream as a goal, your commitment level goes up 100%.
3. Goals hold you accountable, even if no one else will.
Your goals will hold you accountable because they are just that: your goals and no one else's. You know what you want to get from everything you are working towards, so answering to yourself is how you will make progress!
4. Goals ignite behavior!
This has been one of the biggest reasons I even started to set goals for myself. Goals serve as my outline. They give me a place to start and a solid place to finish.
5. What measures your progress more than goals?
The best way to see how far you've come from where you are, to where you want to be, is by setting goals.
6. Goals motivate you.
Goals you set motivate more than goals set for you by your boss or by your teachers. They are things that YOU want to accomplish, so that's more than enough reason to push yourself a little harder.
7. Goals are procrastination's worst nightmare.
All of those times we procrastinate in life are because maybe it isn't the right time for something fiscally, or maybe the risk is a little too big. Goals are what that voice that tells you to procrastinate cannot stand and ultimately fears.
8. It's only up from here.
Once you accomplish one thing, that opens the doors to endless possibilities and so many more things you can accomplish. While one goal at a time is reasonable, setting one goal isn't enough! Once you know what you are capable of no one, raising the bar is the only option.
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