The Importance of Setting Goals

“The past is a foreign country;

they do things differently there.”

L.P. Hartley

 

We can experience the satisfaction of knowing we can achieve any goal or objective we set out to accomplish. It is up to us to decide what we want from life. When we make decisions, we are in the driver seat and we can use our decisions to achieve goals of our own choosing.  Setting goals is a way of keeping our minds on the things we want, and off the things we don’t want. We need to set short-term and long-term goals on a daily basis. This is very important. We need to write our goals on a sheet of paper. Visualize ourselves achieving our goals and constantly refer to them in a hopeful, positive manner.

Everybody needs to sets goals in order to establish a future filled with anticipation and purpose.  I like to tell people about my goals so I can gain support and attain accountability.  It is important we tell others about our plans so if we falter and try to avoid doing what we said we were going to do, the individuals we told about our goals can push us in the right direction.  Goal setting happens all the time and sometimes we are not aware of it because it happens so often.  We do so when we wake up in the morning by telling ourselves what we need to do to get ready for the day. Goal setting needs to be taken seriously, written down and assessed on a regular basis. 

A goal is anything we can have, be, or do.  Goals can involve finances and they can be spiritual, health-related, educational, social, family, professional, and/or personal.  They can be short-term and/or long-term.  Goals can be as simple as straightening a drawer or as complicated as seeking a college education.  When we set goals we  need to establish guidelines and our goals need to be realistic and achievable.  Are our goals measurable so we can determine our progress?  And they need to be within our realm of control.  Controllable means we are in control of the outcome, not someone else.  A goal of changing someone else is not a realistic goal, because it relies on others for the accomplishment of the goal and it is not up to us to change others.

Our goals cannot contradict one another.  If our goal is to spend time with loved ones, we shouldn’t have a goal to work longer hours to seek a promotion.  Neither will be reached.  Goals need to include action words, verbs.  Instead of saying I want to do something, we need to say we are going to do something.  See the difference.  A goal must have a completion date in order to enhance our accountability.  Without setting a time frame to complete the goal, there is no drive, no immediacy, and no sense of willpower to achieve the goal. 

In order for our goal to reach its full completion, we need to make a radical personal commitment to the achievement of that goal and again it must be written. We will need to think through our entire goal from inception of the goal to the completion, from beginning to end.  We will need to examine how the goal is written, how long we have given ourselves to achieve the goal, and we must take a look at what the achievement of this goal can do for us. 

Create a narrative statement which is a visual image we are creating in our mind about what our life would be like if we attained our goal. Picturing ourselves already achieving our goal is an excellent motivator.  Let’s say our goal is weight loss, a specific amount of weight such as 20 pounds.  How would losing 20 pounds change our life?  If we were 20 pounds lighter would we be more confident?  Would we have to go clothes shopping?  The narrative statement helps us see into the future.

Factors contributing to the failure of achieving goals:

·         Procrastination.

·         Poorly planned objectives.  Objectives are the steps drawn up to complete our goals.  For example, if weight loss is a goal, setting up a weight loss program that does not involve eating healthy foods is a poorly planned objective.

·         A lack of the necessary information to complete the goal.

·         Unrealistic and unachievable goals.

·         Lack of commitment.

We need to complete an on-going assessment of our goals.  Make a determination of what ones are working and what ones do not fit into our life plans. Even though we don’t realize it, we are changing constantly. We are not the same person we were a year ago, or even a month ago.  Review each goal including any new goals, and ignore any goals we decided to eliminate. Describe our progress in meeting each goal, and does it seem important to keep working on this goal.  Are there new ways of doing things or new skills we can use to work toward meeting our goals?  Complete this assessment for each and every goal we have set for ourselves.  Seek help from a friend, family member, life coach or a counselor if you are struggling with setting up your goals.

Our capabilities are not given to us in a ready-made package, they are fine tuned and revealed as talents which can be developed and enhanced.  Most people have a dream, realized or unrealized; but the dream does exist.  It’s not necessarily lined up with what others expect of us.  Our dreams are our own personal aspirations.  In order to pursue realistic dreams and goals we need to examine our strengths.  Another point that was addressed in an earlier chapter is determining what personal strengths we have that have helped us get through life?  For example, are you good at problem solving, are you good with getting along with others, are you good at being creative, are you good at being the peace maker in the family, everybody has something they are really good at.  Examine our strengths and write them down.  Exploring our strengths will aide us with developing our goals.

Setting, maintaining, and assessing our goals is a necessary component to living a healthier life.  Goal setting is essential for all aspects of our lives from completing day to day tasks, and accomplishing short-term and long-term aspirations.  We are all here to keep life going. We all have to do our part for ourselves and others.  We don’t live in a vacuum.  When I meet people who seem to be lost, I usually discover that they haven’t set personal goals for themselves. They are going through life by basically going through the motions without any real basis or belief in their own existence.  We can start by writing a to do list each night concerning what we want to accomplish the next day.  We need to ask ourselves where we want to be in three years.  Make sure our goals are achievable and realistic and again, don’t forget to write down our goals.  We will be glad we did.