Is setting goals that important? Let’s discuss reasons why you should set goals. At some stage in your life, you must have heard that you should set goals.
From my personal experiences, setting goals has played an integral part in my growth across all areas of my life, setting goals works, it is what has made me grow. It doesn’t matter on what level you want to succeed, once you have decided what you want to do, the next thing you should do is set goals.
Tony Robbins, says “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
This is so impactful because you may have an idea but it can’t be seen in reality until you make up your mind to set goals and work towards them.
You will have the evidence in your own life how these reasons why you should set goals make sense and will enable you to habitually slay goals. Setting goals is both necessary as it is exciting.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve always had a problem with setting goals, you will see things differently now. Once you read these reasons why you should set goals, you will have a different mindset and a positive approach to setting smart goals.
Table of Contents
What Are S.M.A.R.T Goals?
S.M.A.R.T. signifies Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Attainable), Realistic (or Relevant), and Time-bound.
You stand a better chance of achieving your goals when they are as specific as possible.
When creating your goals, consider the following:
What – What is your intention in doing this?
How do you plan to get this task done?
When – When do you think this should be done?
Who will be involved in the process for me to accomplish this goal?
S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are:
Specific-they are clear and direct.
Measurable-helps in setting time indicators; a guide to know to track progress.
Achievable: What steps are you going to take to get this done?
Realistic- Given the resources that you have or can get access to, can you get this done?
Timely- Specify the time that you expect to get certain results.
Examples of SMART GOALS
Example 1:
Imagine you have a credit card debt of 2000. You shouldn’t simply say I want to clear off my debt.
Set a goal of paying $200 extra a month for the next 10 months to go towards paying off debt.
It is specific and measurable because it tells the exact amount that you are targeting each month. Is it achievable? Yes because you can cut back on your expenses, and It’ll be clear whether you’re sticking to the time. frame.
Example 2:
Let’s say you want to be a more grateful person. Rather than saying I want to be a more grateful person.
Set a goal to spend 10-20 minutes in the morning and pray to God to express that you are grateful for what he has done for you for 7 days of the week for 2 or 3 months.
It is specific and measurable because you know what to do and how much time to do it. Is it achievable? Yes, before doing anything else in the morning, you can start your day practicing it.
It’ll be clear whether or not you’re sticking to the timeframe for that 2-3 months.
HOW TO SET Smart GOALS AND ACHIEVE THEM
Decide to change your life
For you to achieve anything positive in life, to be successful, your mindset has to change. It doesn’t matter how often you say that you are going to do something, you have to be disciplined to get it done.
Your life will get better when you take the right actions. It makes no sense you set goals and then you just sit down with folded hands expecting results.
You have to push yourself, and make things work.
Along with setting goals comes sacrifice and discipline. This is where the true test lies to see how serious you are about living in the dreams and goals that you so desire.
Stop making excuses. You determine the outcome of your life. You determine how your future will be.
SET GOALS SPECIFIC TO YOU
You should set goals that matter to you. Whatever your interest and passion are, ensure that you create goals around them.
Never allow people’s disapproval to demotivate you; carry on nonetheless. When you are setting goals, ensure it is something that you want.
You shouldn’t live to achieve things because that is what people say that you should. In essence, don’t aspire to any goals just to be a part of the hype and get likes.
Set some time alone for yourself, connect with your interest, values, and passion, and see what goals you can come up with.
Get rid of all the distractions; find a safe space so you can think clearly and identify what you have an interest in and then plan goals around them.
WRITE DOWN and visualize YOUR GOALS
Research has shown that when people write down their goals are more inclined to achieve them.
When you write down your goals you tend to be visual. Also, having a visual representation of what your life will look like once you’ve accomplished that goal is a huge motivation
You can get some pictures from stock images from sites like Pexels, Pixabay, etc. Alternatively, you can cut out some images from magazines at home, newspapers, etc as long as it represents the future that you envision and use them to create a vision board.
For example, perhaps you want to get a certain level of education, you could get images of the school that you want to go to, place an image of yourself besides that school with a graduation hat.
Vision boards are necessary because when repeatedly come in contact with the image and you see the images that represent your future, you will believe it is possible and be inspired to take action.
Reasons why you should set goals
Setting Goals Give You The Right Focus
When you don’t have a goal set, every action that you take is misappropriated, leaving you frustrated.
With these set goals you get to zoom in on the individual tasks with key attention so you can see how smooth the process is and allow to remove distractions.
The beauty of having a clear goal in your mind is that you know the exact course of action to take and as such your goals will directly impact the outcome of your life.
So if you’ve always wanted a successful future, plan goals around it, your goals influence your success.
Your goals indicate your every move, so if you want to achieve it, be steadfast my friend, keep your eyes on the prize.
Setting Goals Help with tracking Progress
Setting goals helps you to reinforce what you plan to achieve by keeping track of where you are.
When you track your progress, you will know if you are going in the right direction, help you remain consistent, and keep you going.
Sometimes you have so many things to do so much so that your long-term goal seems out of this world and far-fetched, and it may dampen your mood and dishearten you.
It is important to cut up your overall goal into little pieces so that when you are tracking your smaller goals, you will tend to be more inclined to continue on working that goal because even though you may not be where you want to be, you surely are on the right track.
Maybe you have occasionally set goals but you weren’t consistent, you can start being consistent with setting your goals and working on them until you accomplish them. This Slay Your Goal Planner helps you commit to your goal.
Setting Goals Help You Stay Motivated
Not having the habit of setting goals can lead you to develop a habit of procrastination.
For example, if you want to get a higher education, if you really want to go to a specific school and study a particular program, you are going to make the effort, study, doing courses on time, and choose the right pre-requisite courses.
You might not even be in the mood sometimes to do the work but when you think of the end goal–you are motivated to put in the work, and you should stay motivated.
There will be a time when you are your own best motivator. You will have a plan and people discourage you but don’t let that get you down. Be your own motivator, In Jamaica, we have a saying that says ” If u wah good, you nose haffi run” It means if you want something good out of life, you have to put in the hard work. As you accomplish each goal, you are motivated to do more and will stay motivated.
Whatever you are passionate about, pursue it, it’s time you stop caring what people have to say about you. People’s opinions will only make detour you.
It’s one life you get to live, so please make the most of it. Set apart, don’t blend in.
Setting Goals Help You overcome Procrastination
At some point in time of our life, we have procrastinated. Let me be the first to admit that I used to procrastinate a lot. However, I have learned how to overcome procrastination.
However, when you want to accomplish your dreams in life, please don’t make the mistake as I did, you will lose out on years of your life you can’t get back.
You can’t gain back the time you lose. if you do nothing–nothing happens.
Should you feel the need to put things off, just reflect on this goal-setting quote from Pablo Picasso.”Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
These goal-setting quotes reinforce reasons why you should set goals.
Setting goals give a sense of self-accomplishment
If you set a goal and you achieve it, you will be excited and feel a sense of accomplishment. You will feel confident in your ability to take actions to replicate that feeling by doing more.
The more you achieve, the more you will push yourself regardless of the obstacles that come your way, and you will start feeling like you are an achiever.
Setting Goals Help You Determine What You Want In Life
When you set goals, it gives you an opportunity to reflect on who you are as a person, what you value, and what you want out of life.
What is success for you?
How will you know when you have reached a certain level of success? What does your dream life look like?
Have a general goal but then you break it down into smaller goals in such a way that you can achieve them more easily and measure them
You want to be confident in the pursuit of your goals. Don’t just think but be a doer. This means you need to write them down so you can see them. Re
There will be times when things go wrong, and you will not get the results you were expecting. The fact that you’re making an effort, and you are taking the right action to achieve your goal, will allow you to believe in your ability to complete tasks, and that will boost your self-confidence.
Don’t worry if you have never been someone who set goals, and you’re completely new, this is a beginner-friendly course below that will teach you everything you need to know about setting goals.
On a final note:
You shouldn’t go through life just living without a plan. It is in planning that we ate going to get things done because with a proper plan we will be wonderful, unsure of what comes next.
I hope this post on reasons why you should set goals has opened your mind to do more in life.
Bear in mind that you can’t do anything on your own, and don’t you for one second think that you can’t. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength ( Philippians 4:13.
Ask God for guidance; he will make things that seem impossible become possible. But most importantly to note, if you want to be on top of your goals, you have to take action.
What stands out most in this post for you?
