Most people have set up a simple but effective goal-setting system. Unfortunately, the problem is that many of them are missing one very important component of their goals. Many people have goals that are vague, illogical, and unrealistic. In fact, these types of goals are usually the result of “careful planning” and not an “off the shelf” solution.
A good goal-setting strategy should be realistic. It should make sense to the person writing the goal and it should be understandable to the person needing to achieve it. In order for goals to be meaningful, they need to be “close to” the person’s dreams and goals. That means that a person writing a goal cannot be doing everything that is required to accomplish it. That also means that the goal cannot be too big or too small.
Many people do not take into account the fact that they will probably change a lot over time. This is something that I have encountered personally. The goals that I have written in the past have included some very significant life changes. For example, I have completely overhauled my diet. In addition, I have committed myself to not binge eat whenever I feel like it.
While I think that many people’s goal-setting strategies are sound, I also think that there are some flaws in the typical strategy. The most common problems that I have seen are the flaws related to the process of creating goals. Many people use the standard process of setting goals (thinking about what they want to get out of life, what motivates them, what they would like to accomplish, etc.) without really considering the big picture.
Most people seem to be very “self-absorbed” when it comes to goal fulfillment. They seem to believe that once they reach a certain goal, they no longer have to think about or even think about their goals. While this may work for some people, I am often able to accomplish my goals much faster if I consider how I will feel and what my needs are before making decisions. If you are going to set goals, you need to consider the long-term consequences of your actions.
A problem with many people’s goal-setting strategies is that they seem to be very pessimistic. For example, if a person were to ask me what is the one thing that I worry about most, it would be my fear of failing at goal-setting.
If you have ever made a decision that you thought was the right decision, but then looked back at what you did, you might realize that you worried about something else or that you were afraid. If you set long-term goals, you must deal with both these issues. You must deal with the anxiety of making mistakes and you must also deal with the fear of not reaching your goals.
Most people find that by doing some quiet reflection during the course of the day, they are able to better control their fears and anxiety. Doing this keeps them on task, on track, and on top of things. I know that setting goals can be difficult because the temptation is to think about what you already have. However, by reflecting on the many things that you have done, the more clear it will be about what is missing in most people’s goal-setting strategies.
If you want to be a better goal-setter, then the first thing that you must do is to look at your goals as if they were about something important. Visualize what it would be like to actually get there. When you do this, you will begin to see what is missing in most people’s goal-setting strategies. Once you start to see what is missing, you will probably start to eliminate those elements.
Featured photo credit – pexels