Do you Set Achievable Goals?

If you don’t, you should and I recommend that you do. Setting achievable goals is a vital step for moving forward in every aspect of life. Well done to those of you that do set achievable goals.

How often do you achieve your goals? A large number of people set unrealistic goals with almost no chance of achieving them.

Not so long ago I regularly failed to reach my goals. I became so sick and tired of failing that I took time out to sit down and work out a plan of action that had realistic, measurable and achievable goals. I have seen a massive improvement in both business and life with my action plan in place.

Realistic Goals –    sensible and practical ideas.

Measurable Goals –   your goal must have a component that is able to be measured. eg. Income, value, position, size, level, etc.

Achievable Goals –     it can be done.

Notice that I have been talking about goals, not just a goal. Having a long-term or lifetime goal is very important. Problems arise as your chance of achieving that goal is slim at best, unless you have your short-term goals in place. The short-term goals are ticked off as successes as you work towards your long-term goal.

Your confidence will grow as you achieve your smaller goals. With a realistic plan of action in place, you’ll soon realize that almost anything is possible. Reward yourself and celebrate the achievement of major goals.

Below is an example of an action plan. Yours may be similar but they all differ depending on the circumstance. You’ll start with your lifetime goal working backwards to your daily action plan.

Action Plan Example

1) Start with your lifetime goal. At this point it’s ok to dream a little but the rules still apply. Must be realistic, measurable and achievable.

2) Long-term goal. I generally like to set it at 5 – 10 years. It’s totally up to you depending on circumstances. They will be reset on achievement.

3) Short-term goals. There can be many or few. They can vary from yearly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly and even daily. Short-term goals are flexible and changeable when necessary. They will be reset on achievement.

4) Your goals should be written down so you can go over them every morning. This is a good time to take a minute to visualize yourself achieving your goals.

5) Some of you will have freaked out when I mentioned daily goals. I believe a daily action plan is essential to keep you accountable and on track to your longer-term goals.  Look over your goals at the start of the day and write down what you will achieve by the end of the day. Try it for yourself, you will be surprised how your productivity increases. If at the end of the day you’re not quite where you wanted to be, no big deal. Don’t dwell on it, simply re-adjust for the new day and you’ll be well on the way to reaching your long-term goals.

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Take Time to Plan

You must commit yourself to your goals but quite often both in life and business, there will be setbacks due to many reasons. Does this mean you abandon your goals because you are behind in your plan? No of course not, life can and will throw many curve balls. It’s important that you realize they are your goals, you are in control, you can adjust your action plan and goals at any time to make them achievable. Taking regular and consistent action will be the key to reaching your goals.

Now it’s your turn to set aside some time to stop, sit down and work on your action plan. Get your goals set and written down. Display your goals in all the key places so that you’ll see them every day to remind you to take action.

Remember, your plan must always have realistic, measurable and achievable goals.

Take action for your success

John K