If
you have no idea where you want to go, any road will take you there. And, if
you're determined to live a life of total spontaneity, a life devoid of planning
and preparation, good luck. But, if you're like most people, you'll achieve
greater contentment and success if you plan for the future. In fact, a clearly
marked roadmap for life can be a powerful tool for achieving the things you want
and need.
One way to plan for the future is to set realistic goals: As you begin to do so,
consider the following:
Make your goals specific: Fuzzy planning leads to confusion; precise
planning produces results.
Make your goals challenging but achievable: Realistic goals serve to
motivate you; unrealistic goals serve to discourage you.
Write your goals down: Paper is cheap and your future is worth it.
Review your goals often: Every day is best. And if you find that you just
don't have time to review your plans for the future, it's probably time to turn
off the TV and put your clicker in mothballs.
Make your goals measurable: And measure your progress at regular
intervals. And don't forget that measurability also includes a timetable for
completion.
Consider sharing your dreams with at least one supportive, encouraging person:
If that person happens to be a spouse or parent, consider yourself lucky. But,
if you find that your family and friends tend to pour cold water on your dreams,
feel free to dream solo until you find a genuine booster.
If things change, don't be afraid to change your goals: It's a poor plan
that allows for no mid-course corrections.
Be persistent: If you give up at the first sign of trouble, you'll never
achieve your goal. But if you keep plugging, even when you'd rather call it
quits, you'll discover that perseverance indeed pays. And sometimes the
dividends that accrue to persistent people are enormous.
And now, a few more thoughts on goal-setting:
Never Be Afraid
to Aim High
"Not failure, but low aim, is the crime."
James Russell Lowell
"In the long run we only hit what we aim at. Aim high."
Henry David Thoreau
"A good goal is like a strenuous exercise – it makes you
stretch."
Mary Kay Ash
"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish."
Michelangelo
"Arriving at one goal is the starting point of another."
John Dewey
2. Specific Goals Usually Lead to Terrific Results
Begin with an intense burning desire for something definite.
Napoleon Hill
Great minds have purposes; others have wishes.
Washington Irving
How can you move closer to your lifetime goals? Each day provides a fresh
opportunity.
Alan Lakein
Goals Provide a Roadmap
for Work and for Life
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Purpose begins with clarity. Clarity means having a specific image of
what we want. Most of us don’t have that."
Richard J. Leider
"A person has to have goals: for a day and for a lifetime."
Ted Williams
"The basic idea is that 15 times a day, you write down what your goal
is. Then, you’ll observe things happening that will make that objective more
likely to occur."
Scott Adams
"The ultimate function of prophecy is not to tell the future but to
make it."
W. W. Wagar
On Setting Goals…
"A successful individual typically sets his next goal
somewhat, but not too much, above his last achievement."
Kurt Lewin
"If you're climbing the ladder of life, go rung by rung,
one step at a time. Don't look too far up; set your goals high but take one step
at a time."
Donny Osmond
"Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination."
Karl von Clausewitz
"If you are bored with life — if you don’t get up every morning with a
burning desire to do things — you don’t have enough goals."
Lou Holtz
"Everything is in the mind. Knowing what you want is the first step in
getting it."
Mae West
To Visit "Five Powerful
Ideas about Goal-setting", Click Here
For a simple worksheet designed to help you
set goals, click here.
This page was
written and compiled by Criswell Freeman, Psy.D.
