How To Define Your Goals

If we plan on getting anywhere in life, we need to have goals. In the process of defining our goals, we define who we are, where we are, and where we want to go. The more precisely we can define our goals, and the more realistic we make them, the better chance we have of achieving them.

Achieving our goals is often the culmination of achieving success with a series of intermediate steps, each of which allows us to feel strong and successful as a person. Goals can be short term (as in setting up a meeting), or long term (as in completion of a six month long project). Defining our personal goals helps us to define who we are … it addresses what is important to us, and where we are willing to put our energy.

Goals can also act as a measurement of how well thought out a project is, and how good our research was. The first step to defining a goal is to decide what it is that you want to achieve … and this should be a realistic goal, so that you have a high percentage chance of success. Once you have determined what it is that you want to achieve, break your goal down into small steps.

Once you have the small steps in place, start taking action to achieve those steps. Each step should bring you closer to your goal. If you take a couple of steps and start running into problems, reassess your goal. If the goal itself is still viable, then reassess the steps that you need to take to achieve it. In this manner you keep your goal in site, and your frustration down to a minimum!

You can set more than one goal at a time, in different categories. Write them all down, so that you can get a visual image of the time that it will take to work on them. Don’t overload yourself with goals, or you will wind up not accomplishing anything. Prioritize your goals, according to their importance to you (not according to their importance to a spouse or other family member).

Set a reasonable time limit in which to accomplish your goals. Our readers are available 24/7 to help you define your personal goals, and break them down into small, doable steps. Gain control over your life!