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Goal setting is an essential factor in living your life yielding strong rewards in all aspects of your life. Goal setting allows you to have a choice of where and how far you want to go in life. It is by knowing exactly where to.

Setting goals also gives you a guide on which part of your life is merely a distraction to your long-range plans. It concentrates your accumulated knowledge and helps you organize your available resources.

Benefits of goal setting are evident among professionals, as they strive to achieve success in their professions. They work full-time and yet still manage to have fun with their family; They extend their hands for community service and yet still manage to have some time to do their hobbies.

Their secret lies not in controlling time but in managing time. Time management. This is the essence of goal setting.

The benefits of goal setting, however, are not limited to professionals. Every successful individual has understood and acknowledged the importance of goal setting. Athletes, doctors, lawyers, etc. have used goal setting in one way or the other.

Below are critical steps that are important in setting and achieving your goals.

Benefits of Goal Setting

By goal setting you will be able to:

– achieve, sometimes even more than your initial goal

– improve the quality of your performance

– increase your self-motivation to achieve

– increase your satisfaction with the work you have done

– improve your self-confidence and self-esteem

– plan to eliminate attitudes that cause distractions (e.g. the ones that hold you back causing unhappiness)

How to start goal setting?

The first step in setting your goals is to put into careful consideration what you want to achieve in your entire lifetime. Your lifetime goals will give all your actions and decisions in the right direction. It shapes all other aspects of your decision-making.

Since this is about your lifetime goals, you may well be looking at a broad horizon.

Here are some important areas in your life that need consideration:

– career and finances
– education
– family
– art and sports
– physical and attitude
– entertainment and pleasure (travel, etc.)
– social and public service

After carefully choosing what you want to achieve in every category, make a priority list that will number these categories from 1 to 7. You may even add more aspects to the list if needed. Remember that this is your smart goal-setting list, it should fit your needs – not your parents, peers, family, or people around you. It is for you – not anyone else’s.

Check to see if all is in place. A careful review is important – this will ensure that all is in place the way you want them to be. Review your plans every now and then to make sure this is what you really want and that you are doing everything right. If modifications and reworking are necessary, then do so.

From here on, base your every decision on your goals. You can make a daily list of things you are going to do that will help you reach your goals. Simple things like reading a book and gathering of information on what you want to do in the future will help you get started and maintain this throughout the entire process.

The right attitude for goal setting

One important thing in smart goal setting is self-discipline. This will help you carry through your dreams and vision in life despite the problems and hassles that may arise. If self-discipline is present, goal setting is also relatively easy because of your positive attitude towards your effective guidelines will help you rather than hold you back.

Research and surveys have shown that people who set their goals in life effectively suffer less from stress and have fewer tendencies to have anxiety attacks.

They also learn to concentrate and perform better. They show more self-confidence and are more at peace with themselves making them happier and more satisfied people. Be one of them now, start your goal-setting plan today.

Goal Setting is a Map

Identify an area of your life where you want advancement. Then work through the goal process that follows. Here are the steps needed to make a map.

1. Identify the exact goal

What do you really want in life? What are your purpose and objective? You must ask yourself these questions to have a concrete idea of what you want in life.

Time, however, can change the way we look at things. One day you may want to be a published romance novelist after five years, the next day you may want to be a watercolor painter with mother and child as inspiration. When this change of heart happens, don’t despair.

There’s no wrong with changing a goal for another goal. This is part of life. Change, that is. But having an objective, an exact goal at present will give you an idea of what you want. Changing that goal along the way, as you traveled to reach your goal, is just one of the events that you’ll encounter along the way.

2. Identify the completion Date

Goals should have a period of completion. It is not a goal if it doesn’t have a specific time of completion; it would be a dream. A daydream, that is.

Goals are concrete and realistic aspirations. It isn’t a goal when you say, “I want to be a novelist within my lifetime.” It is a dream. A goal must be put this way, “I want to be a published romance novelist before I reach 35.”

This gives you a period to push your pens and write down that publishable novel. It hurries you to reach your goal. It motivates you to beat time, and has a published novel ahead of time you’ve set for yourself.

When you lack a set time as a completion date, you would be unserious about achieving your goals. With a timeline, it is easy to know whether you are making progress or not.

3. Identify the evolution of the Goal

Change is inevitable. And it applies even to goals.

Goals may evolve into something, maybe even far better than your earlier goals. If earlier you want to be a published romance novelist before you reach the age of 35, it may evolve into something like a published Young Adult novelist before you reach the age of 35, and have written a script for a video game.

Goal Setting Is Your Vision

When you set a goal, you are actually seeing a vision, a vision of yourself in the near future. Imagine if you accomplished the goal you have set after five years, it was as if you have predicted what you will become five-year-ago!

Having a vision not only makes you feel content with yourself, but it also pushes you to look ahead and go forward instead of living in the past.

Also See: 15 Proven Steps to Achieve your Goals and Dreams.

21 Awesome Benefits of Goal Setting.

1. Goals setting help you Prioritize.

We all have a list of things we like to achieve daily. On that list, some items are more important than others. Goals setting help you prioritize your to-do list in order of importance. That way, you can attend to the things that matter the most.

Prioritization implies that you deal with the most relevant tasks on your plate first before proceeding to handle those that are of less importance. The most successful professionals are highly productive and less stressed because they tailor their tasks according to their goals. It is also important to point out that this works for any profession you find yourself.

1. Goals help you Focus.

Goals help to guide your focus. Our day-to-day lives are filled with different activities. Some of those activities are distractions. Setting your goals help you identify those distractions.

It is hard to optimize your day when you try to focus on everything that comes your way. Instead, focus more on those tasks that align with your goals. Don’t waste all your time and energy on things that don’t relate to your goals.

That also helps to reduce the noise in your head. Anyone is bound to have a more productive day when they channel more of their resources to activities related to their goals.

3. Goals keep you Motivated.
   

When you set goals for yourself, it comprises a pre-set destination. You want to stop at nothing to arrive at that end-point. You will have achieved your goal if you are able to get to that destination.

The motivation to actualize your goal helps you stay on track even when things are not going according to plan. Goals are meant to be interesting because you do them for yourself.

You set your goals based on what you like. Since your goals are purpose-driven, you will not lack the energy to reach your destination. We all need one form of inspiration or the other to accomplish our goals in life.

4. Goals make you Responsible.
   

It is not enough to set goals in life. The only way to achieve your goals is by taking full responsibility for them. You do not want to offer excuses for why you didn’t do this or that.

When you have set-goals, you do everything possible to achieve those goals. It is like saying a thing and doing as you have said. Nobody will actualize your goals for you.

It is your duty to see that you achieve whatever goals you set for yourself. You get the credit for successfully achieving your goals. However, you are to blame if you fail to achieve those goals. That is why goal getters are responsible people.

5. Goals help you make Better Decisions.
   

As we go through life, we are responsible making cardinal decisions every now and then. Some of those decisions will go on to shape our lives. The kind of life we are living today is a function of the quality of decisions we made yesterday.

You will make better decisions when you allow your goals to guide those moments. In other words, every decision you make should be viewed through the lenses of your goals.

Any decision you make should be what will help you achieve your goals. You will make long-term and short-term decisions over the course of your life. How you make those decisions is very critical in this regard.

6. Goals make you Practical.
   

This is one of the many advantages of setting goals in life. When you have your goals in place, you will refrain from trying to achieve everything.

When you ask some people where they hope to be in the next five or ten years, they have about ten things they wish to be within that time frame. That is a typical example of someone who lacks any goals.

Goals make you practical. That is because you only focus your time and resources on things related to your goals. That way, you can have a clearer picture of where you hope to be in the coming years.

Goal setters and getters don’t waste time fantasizing about anything out of their reach.

7. Goals help you Manage your Resources Optimally.
   

Most times, we don’t have as much resources as we desire to execute our goals. That means you should make the most of limited resources at your disposal.

Goals enable you to commit your resources to the appropriate quarters. To maximize your goals, you should allocate your resources to the tasks that matter the most.

Using your resources unwisely is highly unlikely when you aware of your goals. Naturally, you would only want to use limited resources for activities related to your goals.

Therefore, if you know your goals, you will understand how to optimize your resources regardless.

8. Goals help you to Manage your Time Wisely.
   

Time management is crucial when actualizing your goals. There are only 24 hours in a day. You need to make the most of your active hours.

After knowing your goals, you can apportion different times to different tasks in order of importance and urgency. The most important tasks will take more time, while you should give less time to less relevant tasks.

Use the allotted times wisely, and one assignment will not have to encroach on another’s. Time management skills are essential for helping us maximize our daily routines.

9. Goals help you to Communicate Effectively.
   

 No one can exist as an island. We are always in communication with others, directly or indirectly. Therefore, if we allow our goals to shape our conversation, it will help a lot.

Effective communication is an integral component of productivity. You can hardly be a productive person if you cannot communicate effectively. Communication is not effective when the recipient does not understand the message.

That means you will be unable to achieve your goal if that person is supposed to play a role in your goal. That is why you want to ensure effective communication, as that will help you achieve your goal.

10. Goals make you Push Yourself a Bit.
    

Goal setters and getters do everything within their strength and power to achieve their objectives, even if it means going out of their comfort zone. You must make certain adjustments before you can achieve some of your goals.

That is because some goals are more demanding than others. For instance, consider a college student aspiring to graduate with a (CGPA) cumulative grade point average of 4.50, and thinks he can only study for 30 minutes every day.

That student may not be able to achieve that goal if he continues to study for only 30 minutes. He may need to push himself a bit by going the extra mile to enable him achieve his goal. Otherwise, he will end up as an average student.

11. Goals change your Lifestyle.
    

This one is very true. Often times, we need to adjust our lifestyle to fit our goals. Goals bring out the best in us. That could mean changing the way we do certain things.

For example, if you hope to save for a new car, you must stop spending money on irrelevant things. Instead, you may have to increase your savings.

That means spending less and saving more. That is a change of lifestyle. Honestly, you cannot set a goal and expect to live your life anyhow you like. You’re going to be affected as a person.

12. Goals provide you with Purpose in Life.
    

 The most successful people in this world set goals for themselves every now and then. Such people are always purpose-driven. That is in stark contrast to those who live their lives anyhow they deem fit at a given time.

They don’t have goals, so they can do anything that comes their way. You will never discover your purpose in life if you continue that way. Goal setting helps you to find your purpose in life.

Those who do not have goals soon discover that they don’t achieve much. It’s a general rule in life.

13. Goals make you Think Positively.
    

People who set goals always have a positive mindset about life. They are never pessimistic about their goals to begin with. If you are going to give up on your goals just because things aren’t work out fine, then it shouldn’t have been a goal in the first place.

The path to achieving our goals is never devoid of challenges. Thinking positively is part of what will help you achieve your goals in life. You may be faced with one challenge or another, but that is not enough reason to give up on your goals.

Be positive and tell yourself that everything will be fine. And in the meantime, get on with achieving your goals.

14. Goals make you Accountable.
    

As far as your goals are concerned, you are accountable. That is because when you set goals for yourself, you must look at how you are faring with those goals after a specific time frame.

It is also about taking responsibility for your goals. Tell yourself the truth whether you are making progress or not. Don’t hesitate to review your goals if need be. Whether you fail or succeed with your goals is all up to you.

Your success or failure in this regard is not dependent on anyone. Share your goals with a mentor or someone you trust so you can be accountable to them.

15. Goals bring out a Better Version of You.
    

It is true that nobody is perfect. It is also true that every sane and responsible person is supposed to strive to become a better version of themselves.

However, here is the catch – if you don’t have any goals, you may not be motivated to achieve anything. That means you are likely to continue living your life without changing.

Goals make you a better person because you must work hard to achieve them. Goals are not for lazy people. So, even if you were a lazy person, you will start working hard because of your goals.

16. Goals make you Organized.
    

Goals help you to organize your life. When you have decided on your goals, the next thing is to see how you can organize your life to enable you achieve those goals.

Goal-conscious people are people with a high level of organization. They don’t do things anyhow. Doing things without organization will not help you achieve much.

For instance, goal setters and getters have their day planned out before the day begins. That is part of what it means to be organized. While the word – organization may mean different things to different people, it is one thing that can aid you in achieving your goals.

17. Goals help to Reduce Stress on You – 

Anxiety is part of our human nature. It is okay for you to get anxious. However, you need to learn how to control your emotions, so it does not get the best of you.

Quite often, the reason we get anxious is because we tend to handle too many things at the same time. With your knowledge of goals, you don’t need to stress yourself about everything.

Much of your focus should be on activities tied to your goals. The others should be considered as distractions. The more you realize that you don’t need to break your head about everything, the better for you.

You can live a much healthier life when you know what your goals are.

18. Goals help you to Avoid Delays.
    

Those with goals, and those without goals are like two parallel lines. They don’t have anything in common. Unlike those who don’t have any goals, goal-oriented people are not known for delays. They believe in taking one step at a time.

Goal getters like to get started from the simplest point. They are always in motion as it relates to their goals. Someone without goals most likely has not set any timelines to achieve anything.

Hence, it makes no difference to them whether they start now or later. Set actionable goals today and see how you can begin to achieve them as soon as possible.

19. Goals help to Impress certain Things upon your Heart.
    

You cannot claim to have goals without writing them down. If you have set any goals, you need to write them down. That is the only way you can measure your progress. It is also a sign that you are serious with what you are doing.

Writing your goals down helps to connect those goals to your heart. Remember, everything you achieve in life is first achieved in your mind. If your mind is saying you can’t do it, it will be difficult for you to do it.

So, when you take time to pen your goals down, a connection is established in your heart. That connection helps to convince you that you can actually accomplish what you have set out to do.

20. Goals help you make consistent Progress in Life.
    

 Over 70% of the people who fail to make meaningful progress in life are those without goals. People with goals hardly find themselves in that category. When you set life goals, you see yourself making steady progress.

Goals provide you with the impetus to arrive the next level. And the beautiful thing about goal-minded people is that they pattern their lives after different goals at various stages. You stop setting goals for yourself when you drop dead.

Always make sure you have a goal you are pursuing because it a healthy way of life.

21. Goals make you Patient.
    

 Patience is an important virtue in today’s world. The people of this generation are tempted to live their lives on the fast lane.

However, if you believe in your goals and are working towards it, you would prefer to see those goals come to pass. That leaves you with no choice but to be patient.

Make the sacrifices required, commit yourself to your goals, and with time you will see your dreams come to pass.