Top Ten Ways to Set and Reach Your Goals
Top Ten Ways to Set and Reach Your Goals
By Ruth Anderson
If you made New Year's resolutions this year, you may be very
aware of how difficult it is to stick with new goals. How can
you keep your good intentions? Start by taking a good hard look
at the goals themselves, and then take effective, focused action
to achieve them -- as outlined in the following ten steps.
Step 1. Don't kid yourself: Choose goals that you truly care
about.
To meet this criterion, they must (a) reflect something of great
value to you and (b) have clear, direct benefits that you will
actively appreciate. A goal that is a reluctant "should," rather
than something you genuinely want and will appreciate often, is
unlikely to be attractive enough to keep you going.
Step 2. Express your goals in a way that points to what you
value and how you will benefit.
If you find yourself using general phrases preceded by "try to"
or "ought to," you haven't yet zeroed in on what you want and
why it is compelling.
Example 1: "I ought to go on a diet."
Much more inspiring: "I want to achieve a weight at which I feel
healthy, comfortable, and attractive."
Example 2: "I'll try to be more efficient at work."
Much more inspiring: "I want to manage my time so that I can
meet deadlines and avoid taking work home."
Step 3. Write a detailed description of how your life will be
improved, and save it to re-read at those inevitable moments
when you lose momentum.
In addition to a compelling statement of the goal itself (see
step 2), your description should include: a list of the specific
ways in which you will benefit, and a description of how you
will feel when the goal is achieved. Write to inspire, so that
you can remind yourself of why this goal was important to you in
the first place.
Step 4. Take stock of what stands in your way.
If you are to devise an effective strategy for reaching your
goal, you will need to understand the lay of the land