Goal setting lays the foundation of success. If you really think about it, you see that any achievement is the result of carefully considering what you want to accomplish. The world’s most successful people didn’t blindly pick an idea and went with it, but they set goals and carefully planned how they could achieve them.
Anybody who wants to feel accomplished should set goals. Designing an action plan has many benefits and significantly improves your odds of success in any area of life. It’s a tiny exercise that leads to massive results.
Key Takeaways
- Goal setting is a two-step process; It begins with selecting an objective, and it is followed by designing a plan of action.
- If you’re not sure where to begin, you can take a slice from those who have already achieved success. Pick up their biographies at your local book store and read them from cover to cover.
- You reap the benefits of goal setting the moment you put pen to paper. In the beginning, a simple paragraph that outlines your goal and actions will do the trick.
How Do You Set a Goal, Anyway?
Observe your surroundings and you see that goal setting is everywhere you look. People set goals for their careers, health, and relationships. It seems that our peers are always inspiring us to aim for the next milestone in our lives. But how do you set a goal, anyway?
“Goal setting is a two-step process; It begins with selecting an objective, and it is followed by designing a plan of action. It’s really that simple.”
Once you have a goal in mind, you can just think through the steps that could take you there. If you want to open a restaurant, for example, you know that you must find the right location, create a great menu, a hire reliable staff. Similarly, if you want to have a blog, you know that you have to register a domain name, design a user-friendly website, and write original content.
In a sense, goal setting is like reverse-engineering something. You consider the end goal and work backward from there. What steps do you need to take in order to cross the finish line? How many steps are in between you and your goal? What are some of the difficulties that you should be aware of? And most importantly, how can you fit all of that into an equation that yields success?
Related: How to Commit to Something and Never Look Back
For Best Results, Copy Successful People
If you’re not sure where to begin, you can take a slice from those who have already achieved success. Pick up their biographies at your local book store and read them from cover to cover. Some of my personal favorites are…
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashley Vance
- Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson
- The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder
Read the books and copy the steps they took to get to their goal. They’ve been through much of the hardship that you would face if you did things on your own. It’s the smart thing to do, especially if you have no time to waste.
This is not to say that you should copy everything from successful people. You want your ideas to be original, but it is acceptable to study their behaviors and work them into your life. Using someone’s journey as inspirations saves you much time and effort. Goal setting is not just about designing a plan of action that works for you, but that has worked for others in the past.
Related: The Remarkable Power of Changing Your Locus of Control
3 Powerful Benefits of Goal-Setting
There are many advantages to setting a goal, but listing all of them is beyond the scope of this article. Instead, I listed the most important ones and described them for you below.
Benefit #1: It Acts as a Powerful Reminder
Life can be demanding. When things get busy, our ability to think clearly about our goals is compromised. It’s easy to lose sight of what really matters when we’re spending our entire day completing work-related tasks, running errands, and checking items off our to-do list. We want to make the most out of our time but don’t know how.
This is where goal setting comes in. Setting a goal is a great exercise because it reminds you of the things you still want to accomplish. It helps you look at what you’re currently doing and compare it to what you still need to do. It’s a powerful reminder of the heights you can still achieve.
Benefit #2: It Provides You With Momentum
Imagine you were given the seemingly impossible task of setting in motion a 5000-pound wrecking ball. Running at it with full speed is not going to move it much. Instead, you just have to give it a little push to get it moving. That first push could create some motion and it will work in your favor the next time you push it.
Accomplishing a goal is somewhat like pushing a wrecking ball. It’s a massive undertaking. The best way to create some initial momentum is is by setting a goal. Once you are moving it is difficult to stop because you already have momentum. Before you know it, you’d have a huge wrecking ball swinging through the air.
Benefit #3: It Gives You a Direction
Many people know that they want to be successful, but they don’t know how to get there. They know what they want but struggle to take the first step. One method for establishing direction is to set a goal and then plan out the actions that will help you make progress.
Let’s say you want to shed 20 pounds. You will know your direction if you clearly define the actions that will help you cut off weight, such as exercising or changing your diet. When you have a clear action plan in front of you, you know exactly where you’re heading.
Related: Why Great Things Never Came from Comfort Zones
How to Reap the Benefits of Goal-Setting
You reap the benefits of goal setting the moment you put pen to paper. In the beginning, a simple paragraph that outlines your goal and actions will do the trick. It’s at that point where you ask the all-important questions, “How can I achieve this goal?”.
“You don’t have to design an elaborate masterplan because it’s impossible to account for all the events that will happen along the way.”
If you have a hard time with this exercise, remember that successful people have already figured out how to achieve the very thing you’d like to have. Model their success but don’t copy their ideas. As you go about designing your plan of action, the fruits of your labor become visible. Your mind will connect the dots, and before you know it, your goal setting plan will act as a powerful reminder, provide you with momentum, and show you the direction you need to take.