It can be so hard to define and work towards the goals that you have set for yourself. It’s very easy to daydream, to stare into the sky, and picture yourself in a life that you don’t have right now. You could be staring out of the office window and wishing your job was a diving instructor in Bali. You could be walking down the road and wishing you had the motivation to run for a change. You need to be able to envision these goals in front of you and make them come to life. And that’s the hard part
Hitting goals is not for the faint-hearted. Except that when you know what you’re working towards, that’s a dream, that stares out of the window in the rainy office? That feels like something tangible. It feels within reach. But you have to make your goal your North Star – your Everest. People climb Everest, and yes, they do die along the way, but that doesn’t mean you would!
You need to be able to hit your goals and while this blog explains things to do with vision boards and quotes and affirmations that can help, we have seven tips to help you to get your goals so that once you’ve got them, you’re going to celebrate.
Goals are how we paint the picture of a future that we are motivated to work towards, that motivation doesn’t come out of anywhere. You have to work for your motivation and make no mistake about it, it is not going to be easy, but with these seven tips you can at least try.
Do your goals match your core values?
One of the best tips for hitting your goals is to make sure that these match your values in the first place. Most people have a few long-term goals that they’d like to achieve in life, and you do have a lifetime to reach them. The thing is, the lack of motivation due to setting the wrong types of long-term goals is why people don’t achieve them.
You need to be able to connect your long-term goals to your values, so whether or not you value compassion or leadership, recognition or stability, you need to make sure that you are putting your goals alongside these for them to work.
Make your goals concrete.
What’s the point in having a goal if you only ever regarded it as a daydream? You need to make your goals more concrete, which means that you need to put steps into place for you to work on. If you want your goals to be real, you need to stop putting them in the clouds and start thinking of them as something you are actually going to work towards.
If you want to travel the world, start saving some money and buying some tickets and booking accommodation. Start making sure that you have an account behind you that can fund you for an entire year. It can happen – and you have the power to make it so.
Break your goals down.
We talked about your goals being Everest, but they really don’t have to be. Your first goal could be just a small hill. Your second goal could be just a big hill. Each of your large goals need to have some subgoals, and those subgoals should be bite-sized and easier to achieve.
We talked about traveling the world, so make your first goal putting some money away. Little things could help.
Ask for guidance
When trying to hit your goals, you also want to ask for guidance at every available opportunity. Don’t assume you automatically know which direction to proceed. Pitfalls are everywhere.
For instance, if you’re trying to make yourself more productive at work, don’t just guess which pivot tables and formulas you should be using. Instead, use an Excel consultant or IT professional to provide assistance.
The same goes for anyone starting a business or wanting to become great at a sport. Going to a coach is essential and non-negotiable for success in these activities.
Schedule.
When you put things into your schedule, onto your calendar on the wall, you’re going to be able to make them happen. Scheduling your goals removes the decision to work towards them every day, because you’ll be able to put them as part of your day rather than something that you’re doing extra that takes more energy.
You should be living your pathway to your goals. And when you schedule these, you are more likely to go ahead and hit those goals in the long term.
Remove ‘if' from your vocabulary.
Remove ‘if’ from your vocabulary. It may seem counter-productive, but if you keep saying ‘if’ whenever you are discussing your goals, you won't get there. You need to make it true in your mind, and that means talking in terms of ‘when’. The word ‘if' is often used by individuals who don't believe in themselves and their abilities. If you believe that success is possible, then your language must reflect that belief. So instead of living with constant doubt about whether or not you're going to reach your goals, you need to tell yourself that you can and will reach your professional development goals. With the right mindset and the right tools, you can achieve whatever you want to. So put the word ‘if' out of your vocabulary and start reaching for success!
This is valid for any type of goal, whether you want to improve your skills at softball, try to drop a dress size, or move your career forward. Confidence is key to any goal you set yourself. As Ashley Roberts Police Captain and a renowned sports and health enthusiast, notes, you have to “find your confidence” and deal with your anxieties on and off the field. Regardless of the situation, the biggest obstacle to your progress is always going to be those mental blocks that hold you back.
Tell the world.
Post on your social media, tell your friends and family and keep yourself accountable to your goals. It’s much easier to achieve goals when you know that you have an audience cheering you on.
Be comfortable with uncertainty.
If you want to hit your goals, you need to avoid being too perfect. It may sound like the wrong way to go, but really if you try to be too perfect, and you don’t get where you want to be, you will talk yourself out of the hard work that you’re doing.
