Setting up and achieving your goals

21 Aug 2019

Our daily routine, needs, priorities and any unexpected events could come in the way of our dream. But what steps can we take in setting up and achieving our goals? 

Firstly, identify your goal. What is it that you want to achieve? MindTools describes a goal as ‘a roadmap for your life. They help you take control and guide you along your journey so that your experiences are rich, satisfying and enjoyable.’ From this definition, we can conclude that the goal has to be related to a passion of yours, because you need to enjoy the journey you are setting for yourself. This helps you stay concentrated and determined towards achieving your target. 

It may be old fashioned or a cliché, but in order to keep to your goals, make a list of what you want to achieve. Writing them and keeping the list somewhere visible to you helps to remind you of what your goal is. Forbes backs this up with science, stating that, ‘Writing anything down encodes the information in your brain as well as in your long-term memory, making you more likely to remember the information and keeping it accessible and locked into your brain.’ It is important that the goal is set by you and not by someone else. It needs to be your excitement, passion and determination that should spark your goal and push to work hard to achieve it. 

You should also keep in mind any reasons why you might back off from such journeys – any fears or issues that would hinder you from getting closer to the goal.  During a Ted talk, Tim Ferriss suggests a practice called, ‘fear-setting’, in which you try to think of the worst-case scenarios that would stop you from attaining your dream. You have three columns: Define, Prevent, Repair. First, you think of the problem, then you think of what you could do to decrease the likelihood for that problem to happen. Lastly, what actions would you take if the defined problem really had to happen. 

Additionally, be assertive with yourself. Motivate yourself and do your utmost best to achieve your set target. Be patient with yourself as you can’t rush things and expect everything to work out well. MindTools suggests that you use the word ‘will’ rather than ‘try’, adding more reassurance and belief in yourself.