Tips for Setting Goals You Can Reach

If you’re like me, you have a head full of lofty goals and ideas but very little idea of how to begin making those dreams a reality. Luckily for all of us, goal-setting is much easier than it would seem. Try these 5 simple tips that I use and you’ll be fast on your way to getting yourself motivated and setting yourself up for goal success!

Start Small.

The first mistake most of us make when we are setting goals is to jump ahead and set our sights on the ultimate goal from the outset. Why is this a problem? Well, we if set our sights on the big picture in the very beginning we have a tendency to forget that we can’t get to that lofty goal in one easy step. Just like climbing a mountain, large goals can only be reached by taking many, many smaller steps along the way.

How do we solve the problem of biting off more than we can chew? By setting goals for ourselves in stages and increments. Let’s look at an example:

If your ultimate goal is to lose 100 pounds, you don’t set that as your only goal, you set that as your long term goal. Then, with you long term goal in mind, you’ll set up some intermediate goals. In this case, let’s say that your intermediate goals are losing 25, 50, and 75 pounds. Losing 25 pounds is a much less daunting task, isn’t it? And, now that we’ve broken down the larger goal into more manageable chunks, we’re going to break those down into even more manageable short term goals of 5 pounds each.

Now, instead of focusing on losing 100 pounds all at one shot (how scary would that be!), you can focus on the much more manageable goal of losing just 5 pounds, then 10, then 15, then 20, then 25, and so on.

We’ve already made the goal easier to achieve, just by breaking it down into short, intermediate, and long term segments.

Use ‘Starter’ Goals to Get the Ball Rolling.

Does even your short term goal seem intimidating? Do you still need a more concrete way to get started on the path toward your goal? Then what you need to do is set some short term goals that you know you can achieve. These ‘Starter’ goals should be related to your larger goals but they should be things that you know you can easily accomplish and preferably things you can accomplish easily on a daily basis.

This may seem like a silly thing to do, setting goals for yourself specifically so that you know you can reach them. But that’s kind of the point. Setting yourself up with a few goals you know you can accomplish will help instill in you the drive you’ll need to work for your larger goals.

Let’s go back to our weight loss example. What are some things you could do to contribute to weight loss and healthier living that you know you could accomplish on a daily basis?

- Getting the proper amount of rest every night
- Drinking your 8 glasses of water
- Tracking your caloric intake
- Taking a walk or a jog

These are all things that you might already be doing on a daily basis that you could use for the purposes of this exercise. Once you’ve decided on one or two things you’d like to commit to, track your success at those goals. Goals like drinking 8 glasses of water a day may seem tiny and insignificant, but you’ll be amazed at how good it makes you feel to know that you’ve accomplished your goal for that day. Once you have a week or two of successes with these kinds of goals under your belt, you’ll find that you’re itching to add more goals to your list. You’ll be well on the road to success in achieving your larger goals!

 

Keep Track of Your Goals and Your Progress.

Whether you consider yourself a visual person or not, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to create a visual representation of your goals. Maybe you’d like to create a poster with images of your long term goals and charts leading up to your short, intermediate, and long term goals. Maybe you’d prefer to keep a chart of your goals and your progress in a text document on your computer. Maybe you’d even prefer to use a website designed for helping track and reach your goals. Whatever method you prefer, decide on your goals and then record them and your progress toward them so that you can see where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going.

Recording daily or weekly successes in a visual way will help you maintain those feelings of accomplishment that will help you reach your longer term goals. Visualizing the end results you’re hoping to achieve will also give you a motivational push toward what you’re trying to accomplish.

Note: In situations where the goal is weight loss, it’s sometimes helpful to remember to use other measures of success beyond the numbers on the scale. This is where your ‘Starter’ goals will come in handy because, even when the scale isn’t showing your progress, you will still be able to feel like you’re working toward your goals if you’re meeting the goals of taking care of your body.

Reward Yourself!

This may seem pretty obvious, but all too often we forget to reward ourselves for the small victories as well as the larger ones. We generally remember to reward ourselves with a gorgeous new dress or new pair of shoes if we finally meet our weight loss goals, or we remember to reward ourselves with that luxurious cruise if we’ve met our goals of saving money or paying off bills, but we forget to reward ourselves for completing those ‘Starter’ goals and intermediate goals that are what enabled us to get to the finish line in the first place.Rewards don’t have to be large, but they are extremely important all the same. Because while completing a goal can be its own reward, it’s always nice to help reinforce that good feeling with more tangible rewards so that you will be even more motivated to keep on track.

What kinds of things can you reward yourself with? It’s good to tailor your rewards to your long term goals and gauge them according to the size of the goal you’ve completed. For ‘Starter’ goals, you might reward yourself at the end of a week or a month of accomplishing those goals and you might reward yourself with such things as ‘comfort items’ or free time to do things that you love to do but have a hard time working into your schedule. You could reward yourself with that new best-seller you’ve been dying to read, or a night off from the chores, or mini makeover or manicure and pedicure. Whatever that small thing is that you’ve wanted but couldn’t justify having, reward yourself with it when you meet your smaller goals.

For intermediate goals, go a little bigger, a little crazier. Spring for a full body massage, or a small shopping spree at your favorite store. See if you can get a sitter for a day and give yourself a mini vacation. Or maybe just go to the salon and get an exciting new hairstyle.

Whatever the reward, make sure it’s appropriate to the size of the goal you’ve just completed and make sure it’s something that you want but normally wouldn’t be able to have. Keeping rewards in proportion and keeping them exciting will help you ‘keep your eye on the prize’ and work that much harder for your goals.

Find and Maintain a Support System

Whether you look to your family, friends, or online forums, an emotional support system is the best gift you can give yourself no matter what your long terms goals happen to be. This is especially true if your goals center on weight loss or recovery from an illness or addiction. It’s important to have a group of people with whom you can share you experiences and from whom you can gain advice and support. No matter where your goals take you, you will find the journey far easier once you realize you’re not alone.

L. K. Smith is a writer with eclectic tastes, she finds herself engaged in topics ranging from Social Science, to television and movies.

If you’re having difficulty cutting the negative self talk, contact me for a free 20 minute consultation. I want to help you set and achieve your goals and see your dreams come true.