Setting goals and achieving success isn’t easy. There are many obstacles to overcome and personal habits that can hold you back. Self-awareness is crucial for you to move forward and create the life of your dreams. Here are some ideas to help you do that.
Life-Changing Goal Setting Tips
Tip: Start the habit of liking something then set a goal to obtain it.
Meaning: Often, you set a goal to exercise, stop smoking, go back to college, or clean out clutter. You then realize that you have certain habits that you either need to stop doing or start doing in order to achieve your goal. For instance, you want to lose weight but you hate to exercise. Why not set a goal to do something you would actually like to do? Once you get the hang of it, set another goal and accomplish it. Eventually you will be able to achieve more challenging goals by changing the bad habits that are holding you back.
Tip: Build a life plan around your own personal goals.
Meaning: Start with you. Plan a life you would want to live. Think about where you want to live, what does your home look like, and who you would like to share your life with. Once that is established, plan your career. How do you want to spend your time, what do you want to be doing, and what is it that you bring to the world that is unique to you?
Tip: Think about a goal that motivates your right now.
Meaning: It’s not about the future; it’s about right now. If you have 90 pounds to lose, don’t think about the 90 pounds. Think about and plan for this week. What activities will you engage in? Will you stop yourself from snacking after dinner? Can you get quiet and think about what you are eating before you eat it?
Tip: Ask yourself, “Am I willing to pay the price?â€
Meaning: You must give up something to get something. If you are raising children, how much time are you willing to spend away from your children? If you wish to lose weight, are you willing to work out when you don’t feel like it? If you want to start your own business, are you willing to task risks?
Tip: It’s not achieving the goal that’s important; it’s what you become in the process.
Meaning: When you achieve what’s important to you, it is connected to your true self.
Tip: Learn how to follow through with commitment and action.
Meaning: Don’t ever give up. Setting goals and succeeding at accomplishing goals is difficult. A goal will never become a reality, though, if you give up.
Tip: Know the difference between what you like and what you do.
Meaning: Have you ever wondered why some people can do something so naturally and others struggle to do the same thing? That is because everyone has an aptitude and intelligence preference. In 1983, Dr. Howard Gardner published Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, where he writes that people solve problems or fashion products with varying levels of skill based off of their preferred “intelligence†preference. You have a unique intellectual make-up. These preferences can be nurtured and strengthened or ignored and weakened.
Tip: Success is about the realization and achievement of something important to you.
Meaning: Know your priorities. Pursue something you want to achieve; not what you think you should achieve.
Tip: Develop a support system to help you stay on track.
Meaning: Find someone you can trustâ€"someone who has your best interest at heart. Commit to your goal and ask your support system to hold you accountable. Ask them to be honest with you when you ask them for their opinion. Allow them to believe in you; you are worth it.
Tip: Fear and procrastination will block you from achieving your goals.
Meaning: Know ahead of timeâ€"before you even begin going after your goalâ€"that your inner critic will be waiting to pop up and tell you to give up. Your stomach will feel begin to feel icky. Your brain will begin thinking, “Wait, wait, I want you to stop!†Don’t wait; go for it. You will get beyond all the uncertainty and pain if you just keep going.
Tip: Stop thinking about ‘spent’ time and start thinking about a goal that motivates you right now.
Meaning: I know you’ve heard this before: Stop fussing over the past and worrying about the future. Focus on your goal right now!
Tip: Stop doubting your abilities.
Meaning: Just questioning your abilities diminishes your power whether you have the ability to do something or not. So, instead of doubting your abilities, believe in who you are and what you can do.
Tip: Stop feeling confused, select one step, and choose to move forward.
Meaning: Get out of your head; stop thinking about it. If you have lots to do but never get started because you don’t know where to start, start anywhere. Go right, go left, but pick something.
Tip: Use picture goals.
Meaning: Write a meaningful messageâ€"for instance, ‘Take Action’â€"print it up and plaster it all over your house. Create a vision board. Cut out pictures of what you aspire to have or do. Journals can create pictures for you, too. It is the written word, but a journal can help you ‘see’ what you are struggling with and the progress you have made.
Tip: Develop an emotional reason why you want your goal.
Meaning: Your goal has got to mean something to you. When you have a reason why you want something, it serves as a built-in motivator that keeps you going no matter what kind of day you are having.
