So you dream of owning an SUV in five years and want to make sure you get it within your set time? Then you’ve come to the right place. This article will help you start realizing your personal goals and set them in an achievable and realistic way.
Frankly, there is no clear-cut method to effective personal goal setting. It is all up to you if you want to reach your goals badly enough to be consistent to your plan and to make little sacrifices.
To help you start, here are some tips for personal goal setting that works.
1. Know what you want
If you have identified what you want to achieve in the short or long term, it will be easier for you to plan your next moves and work out a strategy. For example, don’t just say "I want to learn to play a musical instrument". If you’re more inclined to the piano, set your personal goal to "I want to learn to play the piano". This way, you can map out which piano school you want to go to and under what budget.
2. Write your goals down
Personal goal setting is more effective if you have a constant and conspicuous reminder of your plans. Place your list where you pass by all the time. Stick it to your bathroom mirror so you’ll have a daily morning boost. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, your personal goals might get thrown into oblivion if you just keep mental notes.
3. Your personal goals must be realistic.
Work within your means. There is nothing more dishearting than failing at a personal goal. Set goals you know you have the capacity to reach and don’t overwork yourself. If you’re currently earning $2000 a month, don’t aspire to own a five bedroom Manhattan flat in one year unless you intend to get yourself in the hospital for working and stressing yourself out too much to meet payments. In this instance, set your personal goal lower or allot a much longer time frame.
4. Learn to prioritize.
Personal goal setting that works involves identifying which are more important or urgent than others. Sit down and study which among the items on your list are needed in the short term, say one, three or five years, and which may be postponed for a longer period. Separate wants from needs. This will help you become too overwhelmed with plans and ideas. Keep sane and do things one at a time.
Setting personal goals is not really difficult once you have given yourself the time to think about what you want out of life. The guidelines above work best if you have enough drive to see your dreams through to the very end. Remember, personal goal setting is useless without the person — and that is you.