Set Your Goals For Success!
Goal setting is a vast subject, but despite this, it’s actually not difficult to set goals, as long as we use some kind of structure to evaluate and identify what we want. But why should we even bother setting goals (and by this I mean writing them down) in the first place? After all, it might seem that as long as we have a rough idea of what we want, then we will probably get there. Well, maybe…
My Loose Goal Setting Technique
For many years, I used a goal setting technique which could broadly be described as…letting some ideas, dreams and wishes bump around the inside of my head; they’d randomly pop up in conversation and occasionally the odd goal-oriented action would surface on a to do list. Frankly, this wasn’t a terribly reliable way of achieving my goals!
Here’s an example of this lofty goal-setting technique in action:
I may well have the idea that I might want to run the next 5km charity fun run being held in my locality. I’d mull over this idea for a while, perhaps sound out a few friends, and take a look at the fun-run website. It would all sound like a good idea, something within the realms of possibility and enjoyable to do, apart maybe from the training and fundraising (aka stumbling blocks).
I’d then make some rough, but enthusiastic plans to start running each evening after work. Everything would be going well but then it would rain, or the cat would need to go to the vets or I’d just be too tired. Then a week or two would pass before I even realised that I hadn’t made any progress. I’d then re-engage with my goal and get going again. Whether this effort would eventually get me to race day with a reasonable amount of sponsorship money is doubtful, but at least the intention was there!
So you might be able to see the problem with this rather loose goal-setting technique. There’s no plan, no real commitment to the goal, no external accountability, no real success measures and no meaningful analysis of whether it’s appropriate to fit it into my current life anyway. In fact, I don’t even know why I’d want to do it!
Trying A Structured Goal Setting Technique
So let’s look at the same goal, but this time using a structure, to see if a successful outcome is likely to be more assured. Assuming the goal adds balance to my life (this will be a post for another time), let’s assume I would like to get a bit fitter and also make a contribution back to my community. My goal would then be articulated with what I want to achieve by undertaking this challenge. For example:
I will run the Newtown 5km Fun Run on June 30th, completing the run in 45 minutes or less. I will also raise £100 sponsorship for my chosen charity, Cancer Research.
Related Post: What Is A Good Goal?
The goal statement deals with my success measures (45 minutes or less and £100 sponsorship money) so I’ll know if I’ve succeeded. The next two requirements are for commitment and accountability. Some people like to commit by actually signing up, so that they can no longer back out, I tend to fall into this camp. So faced with this goal, I would immediately go to the Fun Run website and register my intention to enter the race. I would also set up an online ‘Giving’ page with my target sponsorship goal stated.
My next step would be to find someone who I could ‘report’ my progress to, or, alternatively I could find myself a running/training partner, who would, just by turning up each day, hold me accountable as I wouldn’t want to let them down.
Finally I would put an action plan together to make sure that I could monitor my progress methodically. The plan would include the actions I’d need to take on a daily basis along with milestones to be reached at certain points. This could be as simple as plotting ‘appointments’ in my diary:
Monday 3rd – meet with Jane, walk/run 1km, timed
Tuesday 4th – (rest day) link my Giving page to my FB page
Wednesday 5th – meet with Jane walk/run 1km, increase speed
Thursday 6th – (rest day) update my progress on FB and re-link my Giving page
Friday 7th – meet with Jane walk/run 1.5km – target speed 20 minutes (this entry will be a milestone)
Alternatively, I might use a wall chart or worksheet to plot my actions and milestones so that they are visible to the people around me, thus making me doubly-accountable.
In Summary
Of course, this is just one example applied to one goal, but the method works for all goals. So remember, to achieve goals, you are far more likely to be successful when you:
- Write your goal, stating your measure of success
- Commit to your goal – publicly is better!
- Find and work with an accountability partner or group (this could be online)
- Write up a plan, and work it, adjusting as necessary
I hope this gives you some useful guidance to state, plan and work your goals. Good luck with your goals and please share!
For more ideas, inspiration, support and success come join my FREE, closed Facebook Group where we work on our goals in a supportive and encouraging environment. There are also weekly mini challenges, questions to make you ponder and fun get-to-know-yous!
Now where are those running shoes…?!
Photos: lululemon athletica, ahisgett
One of the goals I set myself earlier this year was to get fitter, and the recent gift of an exercise bike for Mothers’Day spurred me on! Initially, I was very good, getting on the saddle each evening after work, but then I had a few days when I wasn’t feeling 100% and I lost the rhythm …. needless to say, I still haven’t regained the regular exercise. I’m going to make a wall chart to record my time and effort, so thanks for the idea.
Excellent! So pleased you’ve got your mojo back and are ready to get going again. Getting a chart together is a good plan, and don’t forget to include a few milestones so that you can celebrate your successes! Good luck!
Great example, Nicola. I’m never very successful with goals if I don’t set measurements of success to go with the goals.
Good point Katie. Without the measurements how can we enjoy our success? We wouldn’t really know that we’d succeeded! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Good points. When we set goals, we’re more likely to get to the end result we hope for.
I completely agree Alethea! Thanks for your support 🙂
This is an excellent post Nicola. It is clear and concise and “foolproof”. It has come at exactly the right time as NOW is when I need focus and direction and I feel that you have made the strategy crystal clear. Thank you.
You’re welcome Bernie, I’m really pleased that the post has been so helpful to you! Thank you for your kind comments 🙂
I’ve learned this time and time again. You can’t just say you want something, you need to set a specific goal and the steps you’re going to take to meet that goal. If possible, from there you can tell other people about your plans which will make you more likely to stick to it.
Agree Amanda! I think this is why a lot of people fail to get off the starting blocks in any significant way. Write, Plan, Execute, Adjust! Thanks!
Thanks. I often need to be reminded about what I call organizational matters… I am bad at planning out and sticking to it. I needed the reminder of accountability [I shall find an acct. partner immediately]
Lynn
Accountability partners are a great resource in our pursuit of goals. I hope you manage to find a partner or a group to help you on your journey Lynn. Thanks for popping by 🙂
This is a very helpful breakdown of real goal planning and achieving. I have the bad habit of thinking that my talking about goals is more than just that.
Good point Bonnie. Thinking and talking about goals is a start, but putting them down on paper really helps to clarify what you want to achieve. Thanks for your comment:)
Thanks for bringing the Four Pillars of Transformation into such clear focus! You included your real-world example & this brings the concepts into ‘the realm of possibility’ for everyone else too. Nice going!
I find goal-setting somewhat daunting especially the longer termed ones like 5 & 10 years. Even though I enjoy the process of visualizing the end results getting the visions to paper is a struggle some times.I think if I have crystal clear short-term then I will not only be able to ‘see’ but write my future too. What do you think?
I agree that it is difficult to set goals for the longer term of 5 – 10 years, although as you say, there’s definitely merit in being clear on your short term goals. It’s likely that somewhere in the short term goals there are seeds of your longer term desires. To think of it another way, you wouldn’t be working on short term goals if you believed in the longer term that they were detrimental to your desires. Does that make sense?
Also, I believe goal setting and achievement is an iterative process. It’s impossible to know right now how taking actions in the direction of our short term goals will actually manifest in the future. Some things will turn out great, others not as we hoped and so we need to re-evaluate constantly. By doing this, our longer term desires will become clearer as we will have seen the results of our current actions, in other words, how much we’re capable of right now, which in turn will lead us to want to take bigger and bolder actions in the future which we may consider too outrageous to articulate now.
In some ways the iterative process helps us live up to the Marianne Williamson quote by allowing us to gradually live bigger lives.
Thanks for your response Michelle, it’s really made me consider the issue you raise. I hope my response has been helpful (and clear!). Please come back with any further thoughts you have!
Great Post Nicola, thanks. I’m currently working with a monthly chart, getting into the discipline of making the most of set times in the month. This helps me dedicate a specific time to a specific task. It also helps me avoid most distractions, but of course not all! All I need to do now is commit a specific long-term goal!!
I’ll pass on joining you in the fun run if you don’t mind! but I’ll encourage and support you from the sidelines. Good luck.
Thanks Ian 🙂 That’s a great idea to allocate set times to your goal actions, I’m sure it not only keeps tasks in mind, but also improves focus due to the deadline you’ve imposed.
As for committing to a specific long term goal, try visualising each of your goals as completed. Which scenario appeals to and resonates with you the most? There’s no harm in having more than one long term goal, but this exercise might help you identify which one is most important to you. Let me know how you get on!