We all have something that we want to accomplish in our lives. Many of us, however, struggle at times to accomplish our goals because we are either too ambitious or we don’t set a clear path, which ultimately ends in failure.
Goal setting is fundamental because it provides direction, enhances motivation, and establishes a benchmark for measuring success, driving both personal and professional growth.
Today we are going to take a look at what makes a goal realistic as well as how to properly set and track goals.
So we already discussed what a goal is and why it is important to have them, but what makes a goal realistic?
A realistic goal is one that we are able to set and accomplish given our current situation. When considering our current situation, we need to consider the following:
Now, looking at this list, you might think that some of these are the same; however, they are not the same. For example, a person can be motivated to start something, but motivation will eventually wear off, and our discipline will have to step in and take over the load.
Now you’re probably wondering just how to transform a goal into a realistic one. The easiest way is to make your goal a SMART goal. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Making your goals SMART makes them clear and easy to understand and helps set a structure for you to follow so that you can have a greater chance of accomplishing them.
When it comes to making goals that you are going to stick to for the long haul, it is important that you specify exactly what it is that you want to achieve. Clarity in goal-setting will help you establish a structure and roadmap that will act as a guide.
Making your goals specific is something that is easy and just requires a little bit more thinking and expanding your goal. Let’s look at an example of how this is done:
Unspecific: “I want to speak the Spanish language fluently.”
Specific: “I will achieve conversational fluency in Spanish by practicing with a language tutor for 30 minutes every day, aiming to hold a 15-minute conversation comfortably by the end of six months.”
See how much better the specific goal is! It is easy to see what a person with this goal wants to achieve and how they plan to do it. This shows that a few minor changes and additions can make your goals that much better.
As we saw in the previous step, it is important that we set a measure for our goal. Setting a measure for our goals provides us with a way to check ourselves.
In our example of learning Spanish, being able to hold a 15-minute conversation serves as one way to measure our progress, while practicing with a tutor for 30 minutes serves as a second way to measure our progress.
To ensure your goals are achievable, it is essential to set realistic expectations, secure the necessary resources, devise a clear plan, continually develop relevant skills, maintain motivation, adapt flexibly to challenges, and regularly evaluate your progress.
When making goals, it is important that we align them with our personal, academic, or professional objectives.
I like to tell those who ask me for advice about making goals to think of two different scenarios.
I ask these questions because it is important to have a combination of short-term and long-term goals. Your short-term goals are important because they allow you to celebrate small wins and successes while still working towards the big wins of your long-term goals.
A deadline or a time limit is also an essential part of making a realistic goal and making sure that you stick to it.
Having a deadline keeps you in check and makes sure that you are working towards your goal each day, so you don’t end up saying that phrase we’ve all said before:
“I’ll do it tomorrow.”
Now, when making a goal, you have to be real with yourself about how much time you are going to give yourself to accomplish it. There is now shame in taking a long time as long as you are working each and every day.
In the Spanish-speaking example that we have, six months is a reasonable amount of time to give yourself to try and have a conversation. Now will your conversation be absolutely perfect? Probably not, but six months will give you time to build a good base.
What you don’t want to do is set an unrealistic timeline, such as being able to hold a conversation after two weeks of learning, because that most likely won’t happen.
Now that we know the steps that one should take when setting realistic goals, let’s take a look at how one should make sure that they are completing these goals.
First, it is important to have a progress tracker. A progress tracker serves as a visual that you can look at to see how your goal is progressing. This can be in the form of a journal where you write down what you did each day as you worked toward your goal.
Another thing that you can do to keep track of your progress and stay motivated is to have an accountability partner. An accountability partner is someone who will enhance your commitment to your goals, providing you with consistent support and a valuable objective perspective that can be essential for navigating challenges.
Lastly, another way you can keep yourself motivated is to celebrate your small wins along the way. Celebrating small wins is crucial because it boosts morale, motivation, and discipline, reinforcing positive behavior and keeping momentum alive as you work towards larger objectives.
We all aspire to achieve certain milestones in our lives, yet often we find ourselves faltering, either due to overly ambitious goals or a lack of a clear pathway, leading to potential setbacks.
Understanding the importance of goal setting is key; it not only provides direction and boosts motivation but also sets clear benchmarks for success, fostering both personal and professional development.
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