HOW TO SET YOUR GOAL

Eight Steps for Setting the Goal

There is a very clear and simple process in eight steps that you can go through to set any goal whether personal or professional. To be effective, the goal you choose must include all seven of the following steps:

• Identify your goal by writing it down.

• Set a deadline for the achievement. Put a date on it.

• List the obstacles to overcome in accomplishing your goal.

• Do the Affirmations for your Goal frequently, clearly visualize the attainment of your goals.

• Identify the people and groups you need to work with to reach your goal.

• List the skills and knowledge required to reach your goal. What do you need to know?

• Develop a plan of action to reach your goal.

• Write down the benefits of achieving your goal. ("What is in it for me?")

It is important to re-evaluate your goals on a periodic basis to make certain that they are in alignment with what you truly value and want out of life. Goal-setting is a life-long process. Once you have completed one goal, be sure to replace it with something else. This way you will always reap the benefits that goal-setting provides.

Self Motivation

First, our motivation can only come from inside ourselves. Why? Because motivation is an internal

force that drives individuals to act in order to achieve a specific goal. Two people might read the same book, or listen to the same inspirational speaker but respond differently. One person might feel motivated to act, the other might not.

Second, you must have a big enough 'reason why' in order to feel motivated. Your reason why must provide a 'meaningful motive'. It can be useful to look for a reason that's bigger than yourself. For example, you may want to earn enough money to take care of your family - not just yourself. So it is highly advisable to dig deep into the truth of what you want. This is why it's so important to choose goals to which you feel 100% committed.

Third, you need to believe that your goal is attainable. Either that or your fear must be so great that you will try anyway. Without this fear or belief self-motivation is difficult to maintain. Given that you probably don't want to live with feelings of dread, let's take a look at belief. You can start by looking for evidence within yourself that you can achieve your goal. You can then back this up by seeking support, mentors and role models, either directly or indirectly through books and audios.

Fourth, your environment is an influence on motivation. That's a key reason why you need to choose your friends and colleagues carefully. This doesn't have to mean saying goodbye to the people you know now. But consider whether it would be helpful to make new contacts. Again, books and audios can be very supportive when you are looking to new ways of thinking.

Finally, there is a difference between motivation and inspiration. Inspiration is getting in touch with our human spirit, whereas motivation is the driving force to move towards our goal. Inspiration can certainly help self-motivation - and we can look outside ourselves for help with inspiration. So Motivational speakers like Shiv Khera might help us feel inspired. It is then up to us whether to decide to be motivated to take action to achieve our goals.

Personal Goal

Why do you need to set goals? 

Goals are powerful because they give our energy a specific focus. Goals enable us to sort out what’s important in our lives and what isn’t. Goals are not cast in stone; they are changing and should

be revisited and revised often. Remember, you will not pay a price for setting goals, you will pay a price for not setting them. We can choose to get caught up in the everyday activity of our lives without feeling any real sense of purpose or we can choose to accomplish something meaningful

with our lives that give us a sense of direction and self-motivation.

Let us take a look at a few of the other benefits of personal goal-setting:

• Know, be, do and have more
• Use your mind and talents fully
• Have more purpose and direction in life
• Make better decisions
• Be more organized and effective
• Do more for yourself and others
• Have greater confidence and self-worth
• Feel more fulfilled
• Be more enthusiastic and motivated
• Accomplish uncommon projects

Goals have to be: 

Long term - to provide you with a vision of what you want to do in your lifetime.

Short term - to provide you with gratification, to keep you going on a day-to-day basis.

Realistic, achievable and challenging - to balance the need to provide yourself with challenges as well as the need for success.

Flexible - so you can revise goals as your life changes, as priorities change and as new opportunities arise.

Precise and measurable - so you know exactly what you need to do, with deadlines.

Your goals - no one else's. They must reflect your learning style and the way you to operate.

In writing - to make them real. Goals aren't real goals until they're written down - don't be afraid to put your dreams in writing.

There are two kinds of goals: outcome goals and performance goals which involve actual tasks.

for example:

Outcome goal for Math: I'm going to earn an A in my math course.

Performance goal: I'm going to improve my grade by studying and working on math problems at least an hour and a half every day. I'm going to do all the chapter problems, not just the assigned ones. I'll work with tutors in the Tutoring Center whenever needed.

If you achieve the tasks in your performance goals, you will achieve your outcome goals.

Identifying Important Goals

One question a lot of people ask is how to know if a goal is good or bad. In other words, how do you discriminate between the really important goals and the "nice to have” but not really important ones?

You will know whether or not a goal you have chosen is important by answering these five questions.

•Is it really MY goal?

•Is it morally right and fair?

•Are my short-range goals consistent with my long-term goals?

•Can I commit myself emotionally to completing the project?

•Can I visualize myself reaching this goal?

If you have answered "No" to even one of these questions, you may want to reconsider this goal. In the short-term, it may appear to work for you, but in the long run, you may expose yourself to a lot of unnecessary conflict and frustration. Be sure to set big goals as well as multiple goals. Big

goals force you to reach in and use the potential that is inside of you. Long-range goals help you to overcome short-range failures. They can also help you to change your direction without going back on your decision. Whether or not they ever reach the goals they have set, people who set big, long-range goals have been found to have higher self-confidence, higher self-esteem, and greater personal motivation. The bottom line is that more than half the rewards and benefits achieved from goal-setting come from actually taking your first step in that direction, regardless of the consequences.