The Keys to Setting Powerful Goals
Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP
Heart-Centered Career Transition and Job Search Coach | Life Strategies Coaching
Success is often the result of hard work and close attention to goals that have been set well in advance. When setting powerful goals, it is essential to know that they are outside your comfort zone but are also achievable. That may mean doing some research in advance to find out precisely what work needs to be done to be successful. You don't want to waste time working toward a goal that is ultimately undoable, after all.
Goals should be challenging, but they shouldn't be impossible to attain.
You do want to challenge yourself. But you don't want to set goals that are so hard and out of reach that you experience only failure. To ensure maximum success, you might use the following criteria to help you set your own goals.
Match Your Goals with Your Core Values
Generally speaking, your goals are going to fit one of four main areas in your life. Those four areas are family, financial, physical, or personal.
If you set a goal that doesn't match one of your core values, it's not likely you'll experience much success.
Be 100% in Control to the Extent that You Can
Goals that rely on others aren't wrong, but they are often more challenging to achieve. Any goal that you control 100% is a goal that you can reach.
You also need to make sure that you don't allow fear to get in your way. It is natural to be afraid to stretch yourself. But do it anyway.
Blaming fate for your failures isn't what successful people do, either. Take responsibility for your own goals and your own outcomes.
Drop self-limiting beliefs that can get in your way.
Be realistic about whether you do have 100% control over your goal and give yourself more credit. For example, if you think you do not control your financial future because of something other than your own choices, you are mistaken. Instead, decide that your financial decisions are within your control and start making better choices from this point on. If you need advice, get it from a professional financial advisor. If finances have always been outside your area of expertise or comfort, take a course on financial literacy.
Own your financial life once and for all.
Envision the Goal in Your Mind First
If you can't see the end result, it won't be easy to move forward toward any goal. Draw a picture, for example. Make a vision board. Take a day off to visualize your big dreams and see how they all fit together in the big picture of your life.
It would help if you saw the end to be able to achieve it truly. Remember the wise words of Stephen Covey. "Begin with the end in mind."
Be Specific in Your Intentions
Every goal you make needs to be very specific in nature. If you want to reach the goal, you have to know when you arrived at it. Instead of saying, "I want to start a business," state exactly what type of business you want to start. Envision who you want to be your clients. Use your imagination to create the information that makes the goal more concrete.
Make Your Goals Measurable
When will you know you were successful in meeting your goals? If you can't give a number or something measurable, then you don't have a tangible goal. If you want to use the business example, you might include earning X amount of dollars each week. Or set a specific date by which you plan to be successful and then decide how you will do it.
Perhaps your goal is in the physical realm. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight" or "I want to get healthier," say "I will lose 10 pounds in 3 months."
Be Willing to Take Action
To achieve any goal, there have to be steps that you can take to get there. Like using a map to reach a destination you want to go to on vacation, you need to draw a map to your vision of success.
There will be lag time between the time you set your goals and the time you greet success. The lag time is used to create your action plan and take the necessary action steps to bring you to success.
Be Realistic
You don't want to write any goal that is impossible to achieve. Be sure that it's scientifically possible to do it by researching everything in advance.
For example, you're not likely going to start a business today and earn six figures by tomorrow or even the first year in business. Look at the research and determine what is doable and how you'll do it.
Be Timely
Every goal has to have a time limit, or else you may never achieve it. Start with the end and work your way back to today. Create a list of things to do each day to reach the result finally.
But do set a time limit.
You can adjust your timeframe as you get into the project if you need to. But resist the urge to change the timeline just because you're not sticking to your list of tasks to accomplish. Without a set deadline, it's far too easy to procrastinate.
If you use this method, you can create powerful goals that you can achieve! The important thing is to give each goal a lot of thought, consideration, and study before setting it. Make sure that the goals target the results that you want in your life. And make each day count as your move closer and closer to your goals.
Until next time.
| 
