Fix Your goal-setting approach With These 5 questions
Those who are unhappy with their life have no goal. The primary cause of ineptitude depends primarily on the lack of a precise direction to take.
The force of inertia that keeps us anchored to the ground without moving an inch is impressive. However, we always have a little push toward change and evolution. It’s up to us to take that train and break all those chains that don’t allow us to run.
Run to where? By what means? The answer must be sought. Nobody will be able to tell you what matters the most to you, but perhaps you can take a cue from some reflections to start thinking about it.
Therefore, below I will list 5 questions to ask you to start giving direction to your life and setting a specific goal. A direction that you can finally decide, towards something that is really important to you.
Why you should set goals and the importance of goal settings
Isn’t it easier to live completely for the day, without asking yourself any questions about the next day?
Without a doubt yes, it is much easier to have no goals, it keeps your head free from worries, from thoughts. Nonetheless, we end up living without a goal, without a sense. Over time this situation is not sustainable, at some point, you will realize that by doing so you do not live, you survive.
It doesn’t matter where you come from and what means you have, but where you are going. With a Ferrari or a scooter, if you have a direction sooner or later you will reach it. Seneca said: “There is no favorable wind for the sailor who does not know where to go”.
Without goals, you just passively flow into the currents of life. Pleasant or not, you won’t have a say. So why not try to react? Why not start putting our signature on the written sheets of our existence?
How to set a goal?
First of all, even before understanding how to set and achieve a goal, you need to distinguish a goal from a dream.
The dream is a burning desire that guides our days. There are those who turn it off slowly. There are those who try in every way to feed it with concrete projects. The latter is the so-called objectives. Once fed properly, that fire that keeps us alive will be difficult to put out. Therefore, a goal is a very specific direction, where we direct our actions towards our dream.
What is your dream?
What is the meaning of your life? What are your talents with which you could help make the world a better place? It will be your dream to fuel your efforts, to give a push towards your goals.
Write down the qualities that you think could give you a place in the world. If they are not clear, try to understand how you would like to be remembered in a hundred years by the people closest to you.
First, clarify your biggest dream, then you can set goals, that is, the different concrete steps to achieve it.
I have a list of dreams, now what?
It’s normal not to have your biggest dream clear yet. This will be your first goal: to choose the most important desire. Focus on achieving a few things you really care about. Focusing your actions on a small number of priorities will allow you to focus more and be more efficient.
Having defined your greatest desire, now you just need to clearly and concretely define the steps to take to make it happen. How much savings will it take to collect? What skills will you need to acquire? How much time will you have to spend to achieve it?
Try to write down the answers, it will serve to clarify your ideas further. This is called an action plan, it is essential to achieve the objectives and gives us a clear view of our progress.
Reaching even just one stage means feeding that fire that keeps our dream alive. Every little step will be satisfaction and food for our self-esteem.
Why can’t I reach my goals?
Many stop after the first attempt. Because they fall at the first obstacle because they realize that perhaps the difficulties are greater than expected. Don’t beat yourself up! Successful people fail a lot more than others. Why do you think?
Because they try more new things, because they get their hands dirty, they fall, they get up, they fall again and they react again. Perseverance is one of the qualities that most distinguishes those who achieve important results in life.
Michael Jordan was discarded from his school’s basketball team, Stephen King had his first novel rejected 3 times. There are numerous other examples.
However, even more people stop before they even try. The main obstacles are: fear and insecurity. Fear of failure, of rejection, that others are better than us. These are emotions that we all feel, that we can control and train to overcome with practice.
How do I keep my goals and not lose sight of my mission?
Here comes a very important quality that really makes the difference: mindset. Most goals are achieved using the head. Mentality, like emotion control, can also be trained with practice. However, the hardest part is not formulating or defining the plan, but sticking to it. The only way to do this is to train our mind to consistency and continuity.
For example, nowadays, what distinguishes a decent footballer from a true world star? The technique? The body? None of this, constancy and perseverance makes the difference. Talent is not everything in today’s world, if it is not cultivated properly it will not get you far.
Surround yourself with positive people, who keep you focused on your goal. Manage your spaces well at home and at work, so that you always remember this. Attach post-its, set an image as the background of the computer that refers you to the goal. Become the person you wish you had been your guide.
Conclusions
“Be the change you would like to see in the world,” Gandhi said.
Creating goals gives us the opportunity to create a future for ourselves. It allows us to grow and fulfil ourselves, without attributing responsibility for our future to another. The question that most of all must be asked now is: would I bet on myself? Would I entrust the reins of my destiny to me?
The train of growth and change is passing through your stop, right here, now. Now it’s up to you to decide whether to take it or postpone it.