There is a lot more to achieving any goal than just having the goal, but it is the first step. You may wonder how some people seem so great at achieving their goals while other people aren’t so good at it. Part of the reason why some people fail is that they do not have a specific goal, one that is clear and focused. In addition, they do not have a schedule of action to actually work toward achieving the goal. In order to meet any goal, start doing these five things today.
1. Craft Clear, Specific and Doable Goals
For any goal to be achievable it must first be clear and very specific but also must be possible. You do want to challenge yourself and set the goal high, but you want to ensure that any goal you set is possible. Therefore, you will need to do a little research in order to set a goal. For instance, let’s say your ultimate goal is to lose 50 pounds.
Obviously, anyone who needs to lose 50 pounds and sets their mind to it can do so, but they can’t and shouldn’t do it in one month. So an unreasonable goal is “I want to lose 50 pounds in a month.” Instead, a more reasonable and doable goal is to state “I want to lose 50 pounds in 30 weeks.” This is called a micro-goal and would help you achieve it but in a much safer way.
2. Each Goal Needs Set Actionable Tasks
Additionally, any goal that you really want to meet needs to have the “why” and the “how” included with the “what” of the goal. In the example, given above, you want to lose 50 pounds in 30 weeks, which will be a little less than 2 pounds per week. You’ll need to look at your diet, compute the number of calories you should consume and the amount of exercise you need to see those results. Thankfully, today there are online calculators to help you determine this rather easily, but let’s say that you set a goal of consuming 1800 calories a day, and walking for 20 minutes each day, and by completing it you would have achieved the goal that you set. So, now you need to include planning your meals and fitting in the exercise necessary to reach your goal. But because of the research you did, you know exactly what is needed to be successful with the goal you set.
Looking at that in black and white you can see that it’s very doable and achievable. Let’s look at a few more steps necessary to achieve your goals.
3. Schedule Everything
Do not leave anything to chance. Instead, schedule in the work necessary to reach your goals into a real calendar. Writing a list isn’t good enough – you need to schedule in everything so that you don’t miss a single day. Eating healthier, requires more prep time, as does exercising, so you need to take this into account when planning.
4. Take Action
No goal will ever be achieved if regular action isn’t taken each day. Each morning, look at your calendar and follow through on the plans that you’ve made and the criteria you’ve set for yourself. Doing the minimum each day will help you reach your goal. When you get through each day having done the minimum, you’re a success – each and every single day.
5. Repeat
Finally, you’ll need to repeat these steps every single day. When you make very specific and clear goals with very specific steps to achieving the goal, based on reality, you will soon discover the secret to success that seems to escape so many people. The real secret is in the doing. It’s like going on a long hike – if you take one step at a time, moving in the direction of the map that you’ve planned out for yourself, you will get to the end and you will be a success.
Reaching your goals is just a matter of setting reasonable and realistic goals, and then setting up a schedule of actionable tasks and steps that bring about the end result you want. You can start today to achieve your goals.