WB - Living Well Today
Effective Goal Setting
- Home
- > Getting Started
- > Goals & Action Planning
- > Tips for effective goal setting
Getting Started
Tips for Effective Goals Setting
Setting SMART goals is one of the tips for effective goals and success in making changes. It's like picking a destination for your vacation or business trip. Here are other tips to set more effective goals.
First - Set Goals that are important to you
Write down why this is important to you!
Use the best words when you write your goal
Why you need an Action Plan
First - Set Goals that are important to you
Goals that are important to you will keep you motivated!
A goal should not just be something that is not only important to you. It should have value for you and your life.
Motivation is the key to achieving goals. If the goal isn't improtant to you - you haveno interest in the outcome!! If someone else picks a goal for you and it doesn't fit for you - it won't work.
Goals should be related to high priorities in your life.
This helps you stay focused! It’s easy to end up with far too many goals and too little time to do what it takes to succeed with any of them.
Have a sense of urgency; an "I must do this" attitude.
- If you don't feel an 'urgency', there’s a risk you'll put off doing what needs to done to make the goal a reality.
- Then, you'll feel disappointed and frustrated with yourself, which is de-motivating.
- And you can end up in a very destructive frame of mind - "I can't do anything or be successful at anything".
Achieving one’s goal(s) requires commitment.
Answer this question - "If I were to share my goal with others, what would I tell them to convince them it was a worthwhile goal for me?"
Write down why this is important to you!
Write down why it's valuable and important to you!
- Post it in a place you'll see often to remind you. Post it on the refrigerator, on your computer screen, on the dashboard of your car/truck, or some other place that is private for them.
- Review it if you start to have doubts or lose confidence in your ability to actually make the goal happen - read it out loud to yourself.
EXAMPLES:
Getting my anger under control is important because it's pushing my wife away and robbing me of good, fun times with my wife.
Finding balance in my life - with my depression - is important because it's interfering with my job. I like this job.
Dealing with my weight and activity is important to me because I'll feel better and be healthier - and be able to keep up with my grandkids.
Use the best words when you write your goal
Choosing your words for your goal
Physically writing a goal down makes it real; there’s no excuse for forgetting about it.
Choosing your words:
The words you use to describe the goal are important. They can make the difference between a goal that is motivating and one that allows you a way-out, an excuse for not succeeding.
- Use the word "will" instead of "would like to" or "might"
- "Will" is more powerful and positive.
- When you say ‘will’, you can see yourself doing whatever the goal is.
- Using ‘would like’ or ‘might’ lacks passion. It also gives an excuse for getting sidetracked.
Ø Example, "I will reduce my weight by 4 pounds this month." not "I would like to reduce my weight by 4 pounds this month."
- State the goal in positive terms.
- This means say what will be done or accomplishment instead of what will not happen.
Ø Example: "I will eat vegetables at 1 meal per day on 3 days this week" rather than "I will reduce my angry outbursts."
- Keep the goal visible so it's a daily reminder of what you're working towards.
Post it on your dashboard, notepad, walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror or refrigerator as a constant reminder..
Why you need an Action Plan
What is an Action Plan? Why you need it!
Setting a goal is like picking where you want to go for your vacation - it's your destination. You can't to that destination without figuring out your plan - how you're going to get there, where you'll stay, etc.. You need a roadmap! A trip-planner!
- Part of creating an action plan is to identify what might get in the way or create a barrier to meeting a goal.
- Having an action plan and steps or short-term, mini-goals gives you the chance to cross things off. It gives you a feeling of progress towards the ultimate goal.
What's next ...