Buzz
Everyone has aspirations they wish to achieve in life. By setting goals and striving to accomplish them, we not only gain results but also build self-esteem, joy, and a sense of fulfillment. This is more likely to happen when goals are realistic, as it helps maintain motivation rather than setting overly ambitious targets.
Steps
Reflect on Your Goals
Think about what you want to achieve. The first step in setting goals is deciding what you truly desire. Most people have an idea of what they want: happiness, health, wealth, or improving relationships with their partner. Your initial task is to turn these desires into actionable objectives.
- Start by defining your terms. If you want to be happier, consider what happiness means to you. What does a happy life look like? What do you need to achieve happiness?
- At this stage, things can be broad. You might decide that happiness means having a fulfilling career. A broad goal could be finding a job that satisfies you.
- You can set multiple goals at this stage, including both long-term and short-term objectives. Feel free to jot them down on paper.
Be specific. Before setting a realistic goal, you need to define it clearly. This helps you understand exactly what needs to be done to achieve it. Specific goals are more motivating and achievable compared to vague ones.
- At this stage, your task is to turn broad ideas into concrete actions.
- For example, if your goal is to start a new career that brings you more satisfaction, you need to decide which profession aligns with your interests. You might choose to become a professional musician. This is a great start, but you need to go further. What genre of music do you want to play? Do you want to be a solo artist or part of a band or orchestra?
Conduct research. Determining the level of challenge your goal presents requires time and research, especially if you're unfamiliar with the process. The more you know, the smoother things will go. When researching, consider asking yourself:
- What skills do you need to learn?
- What lifestyle changes are required?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
Break it into steps. To assess whether your goal is realistic, you must know the exact steps needed to achieve it. At this stage, break your larger goal into smaller, manageable parts.
- Dividing your goal into smaller tasks makes planning easier. It’s a good idea to write down each step.
- For example, if your goal is to become a professional cellist in a classical orchestra, break it down into smaller steps. You’ll need to purchase a cello if you don’t already own one. You’ll need to practice extensively, likely attend a music school, study music theory, audition for orchestra positions, and possibly relocate to a city with a professional symphony orchestra.
Make Your Goals More Realistic
Evaluate your commitment. Once you’ve outlined what it takes to achieve your goal, assess whether you’re willing to commit to it. You need to determine if you’re ready to invest the time and effort required.
- Especially for challenging and complex goals, full dedication is essential. If the goal isn’t highly important to you, achieving it will be difficult.
- If you’re unsure about your commitment, the goal may not be realistic. Consider revising it or setting a new goal that inspires greater effort.
- Continuing with the cellist example, if you’re uncertain about relocating to another city, you might need to rethink your career goal, especially if there are no professional orchestras in your area.
- If you have multiple goals, prioritize them by importance. Trying to achieve too many at once can be overwhelming. Focus on the one that matters most.
Consider your limitations. You’ve likely heard people say that if you put your heart into something, you’ll succeed. However, this isn’t always true. Sometimes, personal limitations can make a goal unrealistic. Therefore, it’s important to assess whether your goal aligns with your capabilities.
- Limitations come in various forms, such as financial or physical constraints. Some limitations can be overcome, while others may pose significant challenges. In certain cases, you may need to reconsider your goal.
- Take the example of becoming a professional cellist. If you’ve been in a car accident and struggle with finger dexterity, achieving this goal becomes more difficult. While years of physical therapy might help, it could still make the goal harder or even unattainable. Always evaluate the practicality of your goal.
- Write down your limitations. This helps you visualize the challenges you’ll face.
Identify external obstacles. Beyond personal limitations, goals often come with external challenges. These are factors beyond your control that can make achieving your goal more difficult. It’s important to consider these as well.
- For instance, think about the music school you want to attend for cello. How competitive is it? What if you’re not accepted? Do you have alternative options?
- While you can’t predict every obstacle, try to anticipate them and jot them down. This will help you develop a realistic sense of your goal.
- This exercise will also be useful later if you decide to pursue the goal. Anticipating challenges helps you develop strategies to handle them if they arise.
Reassess if necessary. After careful consideration, you can decide whether your goal is realistic. If it is, continue working toward it. If not, it’s time to rethink your goal.
- If your goal is unrealistic, you have two options. You can adjust it to make it more achievable, or abandon it and set a new goal.
- For example, imagine you decide that becoming a professional cellist is unrealistic. If your broader goal is to have a fulfilling career, this is the time to reconsider. Think about other careers that might bring you joy.
- Remember, this doesn’t mean giving up the cello entirely. If you love music and the cello, you can reframe your goal. You might choose to play the cello as a hobby. This goal would be less challenging and more realistic given your circumstances.
Achieving Your Goal
Create a plan. Once you’ve set a realistic goal, the first step is to develop a detailed plan to achieve it.
- This step is straightforward. You’ve already outlined the steps and potential challenges. The framework of your plan is already in place.
- Now, you need to specify each step. For example, if you’re applying to music school, include details about the application process. You might need recommendation letters, essays, forms, or auditions. List each step in your plan.
- Define each step clearly so you know when to complete them.
- Develop a backup plan for obstacles. If you’re not accepted into your preferred school, will you apply to others? Or will you wait and reapply after improving your application?
- Set specific timelines for smaller goals. For example: "I will save 20% of my weekly expenses for 12 months to buy a cello by January 6, 2016."
Set a timeline. Many people create specific schedules within their plans to make achieving goals easier. A timeline helps you track progress responsibly.
- For example, if your goal is to save money to buy a cello within six months, you might plan to enroll in a music class next month. By the end of the year, you should master basic skills, and so on.
Take action. Once you’ve created a detailed plan, choose a start date and get to work! The only way to achieve your goal is to dedicate time and effort to it.
- Pick a start date a few days from now to allow time for final preparations and to build momentum.
Track your progress. After starting, make sure to monitor your progress. You can use a journal, an app, or a calendar.
- Tracking progress keeps you accountable to the deadlines you’ve set.
- It also allows you to see how far you’ve come, which can help maintain motivation to keep going.
Tips
- Once you start working toward your goal, you might find it more challenging than you initially thought. In this case, feel free to revisit and adjust your plan as needed. You can do this as many times as necessary.
