How to Set Realistic Goals and Achieve Them
by Johannes Nefifscher
http://www.takeaction101.com
Practical goal setting is a very powerful tool that smooths
the progress of achieving our dreams and succeeding in the
game of life. With realistic goal setting, we can establish
our priorities, organize our resources and efforts, make big
decisions, and ultimately realize our life dreams. Goal
setting, without a doubt, is the very first step in every
successful undertaking. However, goal setting is not as easy
as sitting down and writing down your goals on a piece of
paper. It is much more than that, realistic goal setting
demands the following pre-requisites:
Develop an Achievable Goal Statement The Achievable Goal
Statement (AGS) is the basic infrastructure that will ensure
the success of the entire course of action towards success
in any endeavor. Therefore, its development requires careful
planning and particular close attention to details to
formulate an achievable goal statement that is both easy to
understand and accurate. Many experts use the old SMART
acronym in defining goals. It is a very helpful guideline
since it gives a definite outline on what to do. A goal must
meet all of the following criteria:
Specific - know exactly what you are determined to achieve
Measurable - it must have achievable results so that success
can be measured and quantified Action- Oriented - it must
follow a set of activities or action towards achieving
specific goals Realistic - set realistic and achievable
mini-goals towards the realization of the ultimate goal Time
and Resource Constrained - mini-goals and end-goals must
have a definite deadline or a completion timetable as
allowed by available resources at your disposal
Break down your goals into smaller, manageable sub-tasks so
you don't get stressed by the overwhelming tasks that lay
ahead.Prioritizing your sub-tasks and categorizing them in
the order that they have to be accomplished makes them
easier to work on. By doing this exercise, you now have a
list of achievable goals!
Motivation and Commitment Motivation and commitment are the
two most important factors that will help us to work hard in
order to make every effort count towards accomplishing our
goal. Motivation and commitment are the forces that will
fuel our desire to bring to completion each and every step
of all the mini- goals in the Action Plan. Motivation drives
us to action whereas commitment keeps us standing despite
initial setbacks we may encounter.
Reminders and Accountability A system of reminders and
accountability, similar to the system of check and balance,
about our goal and every single action plan is necessary so
that we are constantly reminded and kept accountable of our
success or failure.
As you accomplish your list of goals in order, you will
discover that they are dynamic; you will discover that there
are steps you listed that are not necessary and steps you
have omitted which are very important. With regularly
scheduled review and assessment process, you can make
changes to help you decide and determine correct priorities.
Submit An Article
|
